The South Australian Railways F class is a class of 4-6-2T

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

s operated by the

South Australian Railways South Australian Railways (SAR) was the statutory corporation through which the Government of South Australia built and operated railways in South Australia from 1854 until March 1978, when its non-urban railways were incorporated into Austr ...

History

The F class hauled the majority of

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

's suburban passenger trains from its introduction in 1902. The first 22 were built by the

Islington Railway Workshops The Islington Railway Workshops are railway workshops in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. They were the chief railway workshops of the South Australian Railways, and are still in operation today.James Martin & Co James Martin & Co was an Australian engineering company which progressed from making agricultural equipment to making railway locomotives. History James Martin & Co. was founded in Gawler, South Australia in around 1848 by James Martin as a ...

built 12 units, with the remaining 10 built by

Perry Engineering Perry Engineering was a major foundry and steel engineering works in the state of South Australia. History Perry Engineering had its origins in 1899 when Samuel Perry purchased from the estate of James Wedlock the Cornwall Foundry on Hindley S ...

, the last entering service in October 1922. The type replaced the smaller P class 2-4-0T engines, which were struggling with the increasing sizes of suburban passenger trains. From the 1930s, F class locomotives were replaced by 55 and 75 class Brill railcars on lightly patronized routes. They continued to see extensive service on popular routes until their displacement in 1955/56 by the

diesel multiple unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...

Redhen railcars. Some engines were retained for shunting duties at

Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...

and

Mile End Mile End is a district of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of London, England, east-northeast of Charing Cross. Situated on the London-to-Colchester road, it was one of the earliest suburbs of London. It became part of the m ...

with F225, the final member of the class being condemned in 1969.F255
National Railway Museum The locomotives had saturated steam

boiler A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, central h ...

s and were considered attractive. While slow to accelerate away from stations, the locomotives were capable of reaching speeds of up to 60 mph (100 km/h). They were a capable locomotive, they faced few restrictions, except for the Belair line operations which were limited to three carriages.

Preserved examples

Three members of the class have been preserved: *F177(re-numbered to 245): plinthed at

Gawler railway station Gawler railway station is located on the Gawler line.SteamRanger Heritage Railway The SteamRanger Heritage Railway is a long broad gauge tourist railway, formerly the Victor Harbor railway line of the South Australian Railways (SAR). It is operated by the not-for-profit South Australian Division of the Australian Railwa ...

*F255 by the

National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide Australia's National Railway Museum is the largest railway museum in Australia. More than 100 major exhibits, mainly from the South Australian Railways (SAR) and Commonwealth Railways and their successor, Australian National Railways Commissio ...

F255
Australian Steam

References

External links

{{South Australian Railways locos, state=expanded Railway locomotives introduced in 1902 F 4-6-2T locomotives Broad gauge locomotives in Australia Passenger locomotives