Locomotive 3237 is a two-cylinder, simple, non-condensing, coal-fired, superheated, ‘Ten-wheel’ 4-6-0 express passenger steam locomotive. It is one of the four P class (later C32 class)

locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...

s that were preserved.

In Service

3237 was built by Beyer, Peacock & Co,

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

in 1892 and entered service on 26 February 1893. Originally numbered P508, it became 3237 in the NSWGR 1924 renumbering scheme. It worked mainline runs around

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, while its original use was as a passenger express locomotive, it was also used for light freight. For the last part of its working career 3237 was based at

Dubbo Dubbo () is a city in the Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021. The city is located at the intersection of the Newell, Mitchell, and Gol ...

locomotive depot, 3237's last duties were to work reclamation trains and as a yard shunter in Dubbo. It was withdrawn on 3 November 1971, when it was sent light engine from Dubbo to

Enfield Locomotive Depot The Enfield Locomotive Depot was operated by the New South Wales Government Railways in Strathfield South, Sydney. It was part of the Enfield Marshalling Yards, which covers a considerable area in the west of the modern suburb of Strathfield Sou ...

for storage. In its 78 years of revenue service, from 26 February 1892 to 1 November 1971, 3237 ran a total of 2,225,224 miles.

Preservation

3237 was stored at Enfield Locomotive Depot for three years before being moved twice. The first move was to

Parkes Parkes may refer to: * Sir Henry Parkes (1815–1896), Australian politician, one of the earliest and most prominent advocates for Australian federation Named for Henry Parkes * Parkes, New South Wales, a regional town * Parkes Observatory, a radi ...

, on 22 October 1974, in a three loco light engine movement, comprising 6042 (in steam) + 3237 (dead) + 3026T (in steam), as exhibits for the Lachlan Vintage Village at

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

. It was later moved to

Cowra Cowra is a small town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre and the council seat for the Cowra Shire, with a population of 9,863. Cowra is located approximately above sea level, on the ...

's semi-roundhouse, the home of the

Lachlan Valley Railway The Lachlan Valley Railway Society is an Australian rail preservation society based in the New South Wales Central Western town of Cowra. It was established in 1974 to preserve and operate former New South Wales Government Railways locomotives ...

(LVR) which purchased 3237 from the Lachlan Vintage Village. The loco was dismantled during the 1980s for a lengthy overhaul which included a new front tube-plate. The overhaul was completed with 3237's return to steam in mid-2005. During a north coast tour in 2012 the locomotive sustained a mechanical issue and had to be taken out of service. It was repaired in

Taree Taree is a town on the Mid North Coast, New South Wales, Australia. Taree and nearby Cundletown were settled in 1831 by William Wynter. Since then Taree has grown to a population of 26,381, and is the centre of a significant agricultural distri ...

. Ten months later 3237 re-entered service for the LVR on the weekend of 11 & 12 May 2013 on shuttles for Taree Rail Centenary. Minor running repairs commenced January 2014 with 3237 returning to service in mid 2014. Through the end of 2014, 3237 partnered up with

5917 Locomotive 5917 is a two-cylinder, simple, non-condensing, superheated, coal-fired, 2-8-2 ‘Mikado' steam locomotive and one of five D59 class locomotives that were preserved. As of June 2021, it is the main steam locomotive used for the Picn ...

with successful running weekends at

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

Valley Heights Valley Heights is a small township of the City of Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia. It is about from Sydney and is located east of the township of Springwood. At the , Valley Heights had a population of 1,337 people. Valley Heig ...

and a trip to

Cootamundra Cootamundra, nicknamed Coota, is a town in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia and within the Riverina. It is within the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council. At the 2016 Census, Cootamundra had a population of 6,782. ...

. After a tour in 2016 it received some repairs at Cootamundra where it was then transferred to Goulburn Locomotive Depot for a major overhaul by LVR volunteers funded partly by a THNSW grant program. This overhaul also included a Waugh grate conversion. In September 2019 the locomotive returned to service on the annual LVR Richmond Steam Shuttles

Gallery

Image:NSWGR_Locomotive_3237_d.jpg, Image:NSWGR_Locomotive_3237_b.jpg, Image:NSWGR_Locomotive_3237_a.jpg, Image:NSWGR_Locomotive_3237_f.jpg, Image:NSWGR_Locomotive_3237_c.jpg, Image:NSWGR_Locomotive_3237_e.jpg, Image:NSWGR_Locomotive_3237_g.jpg, Image:NSWGR Locomotive 3237 Stoker.jpg,

References

{{NSWLocos 4-6-0 locomotives Beyer, Peacock locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1892 Preserved steam locomotives of New South Wales Individual locomotives of Australia Standard gauge locomotives of Australia