New South Wales C38 class locomotive

New South Wales C38 Class

3801 on a Newcastle Flyer charter in October 2005
Type and origin
Power type Steam
Builder Clyde Engineering (5)
Eveleigh Railway Workshops (13)
Cardiff Locomotive Workshops (12)
Build date 1943–49
Specifications
Configuration 4-6-2
Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Driver dia. 5 ft 9 in (1,750 mm)
Wheelbase 65 ft 7 1⁄8 in (19,993 mm)
Length 76 ft 5 in (23.29 m)
Total weight 201 long tons (204 t; 225 short tons) when in steam
Fuel type Coal
Fuel capacity 14 long tons (14.225 t; 15.680 short tons)
Water cap 8,100 imp gal (37,000 l; 9,700 US gal)
Firebox:
 • Firegrate area		 47 sq ft (4.4 m2)
Boiler pressure 245 psi (1.69 MPa)
Heating surface 3,367.79 sq ft (312.878 m2)
 • Tubes 142 tubes, 2 1⁄4 in (57.1 mm) dia each
 • Flues 36 flues, 2 1⁄4 in (57.1 mm) dia each
Superheater 36 element
Cylinders Two, outside
Cylinder size 21.5 in × 26 in (550 mm × 660 mm)
Valve gear Walschaerts
Performance figures
Tractive effort 36,200 lbf (161 kN)
Career
Operators New South Wales Government Railways
Class C38
Number in class 30
Numbers 3801–3830
Locale New South Wales, Australia
First run 22 January 1943
Last run 29 December 1970
Preserved 3801, 3813, 3820, 3830
Disposition 4 preserved, 26 scrapped

The C38 class was a class of steam locomotives built for the New South Wales Government Railways in Australia.

Built between January 1943 and November 1949, the 30 locomotives in the class were designed to haul express trains. They were the only New South Wales locomotives to use the popular Pacific 4-6-2 wheel arrangement and were the last steam locomotives built for passenger train operation, all subsequent deliveries being specifically for freight haulage.[1]

Design

C.38 Class Locomotive Cab Controls

The 38 class were first conceived in the 1930s being heavily influenced by American and other streamlined locomotives of the time.[2] The NSWGR needed a locomotive to eliminate the complications of doubleheading required on a number of fast interstate passenger trains.

The design team was headed by Harold Young, the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the NSWGR. The conditions of trackwork with frequent sharp curvature to be traversed at high speed would require six-coupled driving wheels in a 'Pacific' 4-6-2 configuration. Maintenance considerations suggested a two-cylinder simple steam locomotive.

The design was carried out by the NSWGR Locomotive Section of the Design Office and incorporated the latest developments in locomotive design from Australia and overseas. The incorporation of as many Australian manufactured components as possible was a requirement at the design stage.

History

3803
3807 on The Riverina Express in 1946
3808
3809

In May 1939 an order for five 38 class locomotives was placed with Clyde Engineering.[3] They suffered many delays during construction, mostly due to resource shortages caused by World War II. The first five locomotives were built by Clyde Engineering and had distinctive streamlined boiler casing. The remaining 25 locomotives were built at the New South Wales Government Railways' Eveleigh Railway Workshops (13 even number locomotives) and Cardiff Locomotive Workshops (12 odd numbered locomotives).[4][5]

The Clyde Engineering built examples were delivered in wartime grey. Following the cessation of the war, all were repainted green as were the 25 unstreamlined locomotives from new. All except 3813 were repainted black in the 1950s.[4][6]

Among the services they initially hauled were the Central West Express, Newcastle Flyer, Melbourne Limited, Riverina Express and South Coast Daylight Express as well as the overnight mail trains. Because of their axleload they were confined to operating between Port Kembla, Albury, Dubbo and Maitland.[5]

Following the arrival of the 42, 43 and 44 diesel locomotives in the 1950s, these began to take over but the 38 class continued to haul many. After the electrification of the Main Western line to Lithgow in 1957 and the Main North line to Gosford in January 1960 the 46 class electrics took over but the 38s still operated the Central West Express between Lithgow and Orange into the 1960s and the Newcastle Flyer between Gosford and Newcastle until December 1970.[7]

They also began to haul lesser passenger and freight trains. In April 1962 3830 and 3813 hauled the inaugural standard gauge Spirit of Progress from Albury to Sydney. The first was withdrawn in 1961 with the last withdrawn in December 1970.[4][6]

In August 1970, 3801 hauled the Western Endeavour to Perth following the completion of the standard gauge Trans-Australian Railway with 3813 assisting as far as Port Pirie. In April 1988, 3801 again operated to Perth during the Australian Bicentenary.[5][8]

3801 featured in the 1974 short film A Steam Train Passes.

Roster

Streamlined 3805
Streamlined
LocomotiveBuilderBuilder's NoBuiltIn ServiceWithdrawn
3801Clyde Engineering463Dec 194222 Jan 194319 Oct 1965
3802Clyde Engineering464Mar 194308 Apr 194331 Jan 1967
3803Clyde Engineering465Aug 194309 Sep 194329 Feb 1968
3804Clyde Engineering466Jan 194410 Feb 194429 Oct 1965
3805Clyde Engineering467Feb 194502 Mar 1945Dec 1961
Non streamlined 3820
3830 at Sydney
Non streamlined
LocomotiveBuilderBuilder's NoBuiltWithdrawn
3806Eveleigh Railway Workshops15819451967
3807Cardiff Locomotive Workshops159194628 Sep 1968
3808Eveleigh Railway Workshops16019461968
3809Cardiff Locomotive Workshops16119461969
3810Eveleigh Railway Workshops16219461969
3811Cardiff Locomotive Workshops16319461969
3812Eveleigh Railway Workshops16419461965
3813Cardiff Locomotive Workshops165194612 Sep 1970
3814Eveleigh Railway Workshops16619461966
3815Cardiff Locomotive Workshops16719471967
3816Eveleigh Railway Workshops16819471966
3817Cardiff Locomotive Workshops16919471963
3818Eveleigh Railway Workshops17019471968
3819Cardiff Locomotive Workshops17119471963
3820Eveleigh Railway Workshops172194729 Dec 1970
3821Cardiff Locomotive Workshops17319481962
3822Eveleigh Railway Workshops17419471970
3823Cardiff Locomotive Workshops17519481967
3824Eveleigh Railway Workshops17619481969
3825Cardiff Locomotive Workshops17719481969
3826Eveleigh Railway Workshops17819481961
3827Cardiff Locomotive Workshops17919481970
3828Eveleigh Railway Workshops18019491969
3829Cardiff Locomotive Workshops18119491966
3830Eveleigh Railway Workshops18219491967

Preservation

Preserved C38 Class Locomotives
No.DescriptionManufacturerYearOrganisationLocationStatusRef
3801 4-6-2 express passengerClyde Engineering1943 Transport Heritage NSW Thirlmere under overhaul NSW Heritage Register Locomotive, Steam 3801
3813 4-6-2 express passengerCardiff Locomotive Workshops1946 Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum Dorrigo Dismantled
3820 4-6-2 express passengerEveleigh Railway Workshops1947 Transport Heritage NSW Thirlmere static exhibit NSW Heritage Register Locomotive, Steam 3820
3830 4-6-2 express passengerEveleigh Railway Workshops1949 Powerhouse Museum Thirlmere under overhaul Powerhouse Museum Locomotive 3830

References

  1. ↑ "Some Notes on the C38 Class 4-6-2 Locomotive" Young, Harold Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin December 2003 pp443-463
  2. ↑ The C38 Class, John. B. Thompson pp3 'Why the 38's'
  3. ↑ "The 38 Class Part 3" Roundhouse July 1981 page 22
  4. 1 2 3 Flyer. Sydney: New South Wales Rail Transport Museum. 1970. pp. 35–40. ISBN 0-909862-16-8.
  5. 1 2 3 Grunbach, Alex (1989). A Compendium of New South Wales Steam Locomotives. Sydney: Australian Railway Historical Society, NSW Division. pp. 210–229. ISBN 0 909650 27 6.
  6. 1 2 Oberg, Leon (1984). Locomotives of Australia 1850's - 1980's. Frenchs Forest: Reed Books. pp. 168–170. ISBN 0 730100 05 7.
  7. ↑ Preston, Ron G (1992). 3801 A Legend in Steam. 3801 Limited. ISBN 0-646-11931-1.
  8. ↑ "3801 West" Railway Digest July 1988 page 250

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