The D57 class was a class of

4-8-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels, eight powered and coupled driving wheels and two trailing wheels. This type of steam locomotive is commonly know ...

steam locomotives built by

Clyde Engineering Clyde Engineering was an Australian manufacturer of locomotives, rolling stock, and other industrial products. It was founded in September 1898 by a syndicate of Sydney businessmen buying the Granville factory of timber merchants Huds ...

for the

New South Wales Government Railways The New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR) was the agency of the Government of New South Wales that administered rail transport in New South Wales, Australia, between 1855 and 1932. Management The agency was managed by a range of differen ...

in Australia. The tenders were built by

Mort's Dock Mort's Dock is a former dry dock, slipway, and shipyard in Balmain, New South Wales, Australia. It was the first dry dock in Australia, opening for business in 1855 and closing more than a century later in 1959. The site is now parkland. Hist ...

Introduction

The locomotives were among the heaviest of locomotives in Australia with a axle load and this along with their width restricted their sphere of operation to Thirroul on the Illawarra line, Wallerawang on the Main Western line and

Junee Junee () is a medium-sized town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The town's prosperity and mixed services economy is based on a combination of agriculture, rail transport, light industry and government services, and in par ...

on the

Main South line The Main South Line, sometimes referred to as part of the South Island Main Trunk Railway, is a railway line that runs north and south from Lyttelton in New Zealand through Christchurch and along the east coast of the South Island to Inverca ...

. Due to the immense size of the firebox, they could not be hand fired and had to use a

mechanical stoker A mechanical stoker is a mechanical system that feeds solid fuel like coal, coke or anthracite into the furnace of a steam boiler. They are common on steam locomotives after 1900 and are also used on ships and power stations. Known now as a spre ...

, thus becoming the first New South Wales locomotive class to use a mechanical stoker. They were later followed by the 58 class and the 60 class They were not permitted to operate on the Main Northern line due to load limitations on some bridges and a tighter loading gauge. They had the highest

tractive effort As used in mechanical engineering, the term tractive force can either refer to the total traction a vehicle exerts on a surface, or the amount of the total traction that is parallel to the direction of motion. In railway engineering, the term t ...

of any conventional engines used in Australia and were of approximately equal capability to the modified 60 class

Garratt A Garratt (often referred to as a Beyer Garratt) is a type of steam locomotive invented by British engineer Herbert William Garratt that is articulated into three parts. Its boiler, firebox, and cab are mounted on a centre frame or "brid ...

locomotives. They were very reliable and had the nickname ''Lazy Lizzies'' because they made heavy workings seem effortless. Another nickname was bestowed on the class, ''Chuckling Charlies'' due to their syncopated exhaust beat. The three cylinder design fitted to the class gave it a distinctive off-beat exhaust sound when climbing upgrade. This design was also fitted to the 58 class. However, a couple of features, such as the Gresley conjugating valve gear fitted to these locomotives has been the source of debate as to its efficiency. A further 13 were built to a similar design in 1950 as the 58 class.

Demise and Preservation

The first was withdrawn in October 1957, the last in September 1961. The last example in traffic was saved for preservation by the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum. In June 1975, 5711 was hauled from Enfield to Thirlmere by

3801 3801 (pronounced Thirty-eight o-one) is a 4-6-2 steam locomotive operated by the New South Wales Government Railways between 1943 and 1974. It is arguably Australia's most famous steam locomotive, being the only one to have visited all mainl ...

."Museum on the Move" ''Roundhouse'' June 1976 page 16 In September 2008 it was relocated to the

Valley Heights Locomotive Depot Heritage Museum The ''Valley Heights Rail Museum'' is a railway museum located in Valley Heights, New South Wales, Australia. The facility is located north-west of Valley Heights railway station. The museum is operated by two partner organisations: * The V ...

where it is being statically restored.Locomotive, Steam 5711
Department of Environment & Heritage

Gallery

File:5701 at Clyde 1929.jpg, 5701 departing

for a trial run to Penrith File:5712 Mt Vic 1954.jpg, 5712 at Soldiers Bank near Mount Victoria File:Arhs 5711 junee.jpg, 5711 at

about to commence its final run on 23 September 1961

References

External links

{{NSWLocos 4-8-2 locomotives Clyde Engineering locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1929 Standard gauge locomotives of Australia 57

Introduction

Demise and Preservation

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading

External links