Z1210

NSWGR 1210

1210 displayed outside Canberra railway station
Type and origin
Power type Steam
Builder Beyer, Peacock & Co.
Serial number 1767
Build date 1878
Specifications
Configuration 4-4-0
UIC class 2'Bn
Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Driver dia. 5 ft 6 in (1.676 m)
Adhesive weight 57,000–62,000 lb (26–28 t)
Loco weight 84,000–95,000 lb (38–43 t)
Firebox:
 • Firegrate area		 15 sq ft (1.4 m2)
Boiler pressure 130 psi (0.9 MPa) as built; 140 psi (1.0 MPa) later
Heating surface 1,070–1,120 sq ft (99–104 m2)
Superheater None
Cylinders Two, outside
Cylinder size 18 in × 24 in (460 mm × 610 mm)
Performance figures
Tractive effort 13,019–14,020 lbf (57.9–62.4 kN)
Career
Operators New South Wales Government Railways
NSWGR Locomotive 1210 Cab

Locomotive 1210 is one of the oldest operational 'mainline' steam locomotives in the world being one of the "Australian eight wheeler" locomotives built by Beyer, Peacock & Co. in 1878. Restored and hauling heritage trains operated by the ARHS ACT Division.

Description

No. 1210 is a C.79 Class (Z12 from 1924) 4-4-0 passenger steam locomotive. The locomotive is a two-cylinder, simple, non-condensing, saturated 'American' type steam locomotive. Frame is inside plate steel riveted with a saturated Belpair firebox boiler supplying steam to two inclined outside cylinders driving two large spoked wheels with plain journal bearings. Power is transmitted from the cylinders through 'Stephenson link Motion', four bar crossheads and plain unfluted connecting and coupling rods.

History

Locomotive 1210 was built in 1878 by Beyer, Peacock & Co., Manchester, England. The locomotive arrived in Sydney and began its working life as No. 120 on the southern and western lines.[1]

After 15 years service the locomotive was transferred to Penrith and in 1896 it was transferred to the far north-west of NSW.

The locomotive was returned to Sydney in 1912 and in 1914 was shifted to Goulburn, where it hauled trains to Queanbeyan. On 25 May 1914 locomotive 1210 hauled the first revenue-earning train into Canberra. This was the coal train that served the main Canberran electricity generation station.[2]

The re-classification of NSW engines gave the engine number 1210 post 1924 and worked in the Parkes and Mudgee districts.

Demise and Preservation

In 1932 Locomotive 1210 was declared obsolete and withdrawn from service but not scrapped due to a shortage of engines and in 1935 assigned to Moree to haul local branch line trains. In 1943 the engine was again withdrawn from service but due to war-time pressure on the railways returned to service. In 1947 the engine was returned to Parkes for use as a relief or emergency engine. It continued in use until 1958 when it was finally withdrawn from service.

In 1955 for the centenary of rail operations in New South Wales, with sister locomotive 1243 hauled the Vintage Train across the state for railway celebrations.[3][4] 1210 and 1243 also celebrated the NSW Railway's "Last Steam Train to Gosford".

On 31 October 1959 the NSW Steam Tram and Railway Preservation Society hired the locomotive to haul a train from Sydney to Canberra for the dedication of All Saints Church, Ainslie. Bruce Macdonald and the Society successfully appealed to the National Capital Development Commission (NCDC) and the NSW Railways to assist in the locomotive's preservation.[5]

In 1962 the Locomotive left Sydney for Canberra for the formal presentation ceremony arriving at 2:50 pm on 27 January. 1210 was accepted and placed on display outside the Canberra railway station. The ARHS obtained permission to clean and polish 1210 while plinthed and subsequently relocated to the Canberra Railway Museum in 1984.

The locomotive was restored to operational condition with Australian Bicentennial Authority funds and re-commissioned on 19 September 1988. At that time No 1210 was the oldest operational main line steam locomotive in the world and continues to haul heritage trains.

In the early 2010s, locomotive 1210 underwent mechanical and boiler works in the hope it could be back in steam for the Centenary of Rail to Canberra in May 2014.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Old Engine Travelled a Million Miles". The Australian. 25 May 1965.
  2. ↑ "QUEANBEYAN TO CANBERRA RAILWAY OPENED.". Queanbeyan Age (NSW : 1907 - 1915). NSW: National Library of Australia. 26 May 1914. p. 2. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
  3. ↑ Preston, Ron G (1984). Tender into Tank. Sydney: New South Wales Rail Transport Museum. pp. 11–57. ISBN 0 909862 18 4.
  4. ↑ Stokes, HJW (1984). Railways of the Canberra and Monaro Districts. Canberra: Australian Railway Historical Society. p. 54.
  5. ↑ Department of the Interior 72/436 NSW Steam Tram & Railway Preservation Society - Preservation as a Historical Relic of 1st Locomotive to Canberra
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Further reading

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