Tasmanian Government Railways C class

The Tasmanian Government Railways C class was a class of 2-6-0 steam locomotives operated by the Tasmanian Government Railways.

Tasmanian Government Railways C class
C1 (left) at the West Coast Pioneers Museum
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Beyer, Peacock & Co Build date 1885-1907 Total produced 27
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-6-0 Gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Driver dia. 3 ft 3 in (991 mm) Total weight 42 long tons 0 cwt (94,100 lb or 42.7 t)-47 long tons 0 cwt (105,300 lb or 47.8 t) Fuel type Coal Boiler pressure 140 lbf/in^2 (0.97 MPa)-145 lbf/in^2 (1.00 MPa) Cylinder size 14.5 in × 20 in (368 mm × 508 mm)
Performance figures Tractive effort 12,507 lbf (55.63 kN)
Career Operators Tasmanian Government Railways Numbers C1-C28 Preserved C1, C22, CCS23, CCS25 Disposition 4 preserved, 24 scrapped

History

Between 1885 and 1892, the Tasmanian Government Railways took delivery of 19 C class locomotives from Beyer, Peacock & Co, Manchester. A further eight followed in the early years of the 20th century. A 28th originally built for the Emu Bay Railway was purchased second hand in 1937. They were the first of what became almost an Australian 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) standard, as locomotives of similar design served in large numbers as the Silverton Tramway Y class, South Australian Railways Y class and Western Australian Government Railways G class, and also in Queensland and on the North Australia Railway.[1][2][3][4][5]

In 1912, six (16-19, 26 & 27) were rebuilt with new cylinders, Belpair boilers and larger smokeboxes and reclassified as the CC class. In 1924, a further four (21, 23-25) were rebuilt also receiving Walschaerts valve gear and reclassified as the CCS class.[1][2][4][5]

In 1948, a further seven locomotives of the same design were purchased from the Commonwealth Railways. These had originally been built as South Australian Railways Y class locomotives and sold to the Commonwealth Railways to operate North Australia Railway services in World War II. Four entered service as the F class, with the other three used for parts.[2][3]

Preservation

Four have been preserved:[4]

• C1 at the West Coast Pioneers Museum, Zeehan[6]
• C22 at the Tasmanian Transport Museum, Glenorchy restored to service 1983, withdrawn for overhaul 1999 returned to service November 2009[7][8]
• CCS23 at the Don River Railway, Devonport[9]
• CCS25 at the Don River Railway, Devonport[10]

References

1. Turner, Jim (1997). Australian Steam Locomotives 1896-1958. Kenthurst: Kangaroo Press. pp. 66, 99, 143. ISBN 086417778X.
2. Oberg, Leon (2010). Locomotives of Australia 1850s-2010. Dural: Rosenberg Publishing. p. 65. ISBN 9781921719011.
3. "Steam Locomotives of the Tasmanian Government Railways and its Constituents" Australian Railway History issue 917 March 2014 pages 6, 7, 14
4. "Tasmanian C class survivors" Railway Digest September 2015 page 54
5. Standard 2-6-0 locomotives Rail Tasmania
6. C1 Australian Steam
7. C22 Australian Steam
8. Locomotive C22 returns to service at the Tasmanian Transport Museum Engineering Tasmania November 2009
9. CCS23 Australian Steam
10. CCS25 Australian Steam