The WAGR U class was a class of

4-6-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and two trailing wheels on one axle. The locomo ...

steam locomotives operated by the

Western Australian Government Railways Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) was the operator of railway services in the state of Western Australia between October 1890 and June 2003. Owned by the state government, it was renamed a number of times to reflect extra responsi ...

(WAGR) between 1946 and the late 1960s. One was rebuilt as a 4-6-4 tank locomotive.

History

In 1942, the North British Locomotive Company built 55 locomotives for the

British War Department The War Department was the United Kingdom government department responsible for the supply of equipment to the armed forces of the United Kingdom and the pursuance of military activity. In 1857, it became the War Office. Within the War Office, the ...

. They were almost identical to the 220 class of the

Sudan Railways Sudan has 4,725 kilometers of narrow-gauge, single-track railways. The main line runs from Wadi Halfa on the Egyptian border to Khartoum and southwest to El-Obeid via Sannar and Kosti, Sudan, with extensions to Nyala in Southern Darfur and Wau ...

. The new locomotives were intended to be available for use on various gauge railways operated by the Sudan,

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

, Belgian Congo, French Ocean Congo and

Rhodesian Railways The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ), formerly Rhodesia Railways, is a state-owned company in Zimbabwe that operates the country's national railway system. It is headquartered in the city of Bulawayo. In addition to the headquarters, it has ...

, depending upon the course of the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

battles in North Africa. Unlike the 220 class, which burned coal, the new locomotives were equipped as oil burners, although they had provision for rapid conversion to coal burning, if necessary. Of the 55 new locomotives, 35 were sent overseas in 1942 and 1943. The remaining 20 were stored unassembled in England at the Melbourne Military Railway near

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...

. In 1946, six of these went to the

Nyasaland Railways Malawi Railways was a government corporation that ran the national rail network of Malawi, Africa, until privatisation in 1999. With effect from 1 December 1999, the Central East African Railways consortium led by Railroad Development Corporati ...

for use on the Trans-Zambesi Railway, and the other 14 were sent to Western Australia, where they became the WAGR U class entering service between November 1946 and April 1947. Classified as the U class, they operated passenger and freight services between

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

, Albany and Bunbury. Following the delivery of the X class they were relegated to lesser freight services. By 1957, with their running costs being three times greater than that of coal powered locomotives, they were stored. Five were returned to service in 1961 during a coal shortage before being withdrawn again shortly after. Further brief comebacks were made in 1966 and 1967.U and Ut Class Steam Locomotive
Rail Heritage WA In 1957, U664 was converted to a 4-6-4 tank locomotive at the

Midland Railway Workshops The Midland Railway Workshops in Midland, Western Australia, were the main workshops for the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) for over 80 years. History The first railway workshops in Western Australia were located at Fremantle a ...

to allow it to maintain the faster schedules on Perth suburban services introduced when ADG class railcars were placed in service. Although deemed a success, no more followed due to its high operating costs. After being stored, it returned in 1966 to haul ballast trains on the Midland and South Western lines.

Class list

The numbers and periods in service of each member of the U class were as follows:

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * Chapter 30.

External links