South Australian Railways (SAR) was the statutory corporation through which the

Government of South Australia The Government of South Australia, also referred to as the South Australian Government, SA Government or more formally, His Majesty’s Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of South Australia. It is modelled o ...

built and operated railways in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

from 1854 until March 1978, when its non-urban railways were incorporated into Australian National, and its Adelaide urban lines were transferred to the State Transport Authority. The SAR had three major rail gauges: 1600 mm (5 ft 3 in); 1435 mm (4 ft in); and 1067 mm (3 ft 6 in).

History

Colonial period

The first railway in

was laid in 1854 between Goolwa and

Port Elliot Port Elliot is a town in South Australia toward the eastern end of the south coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula. It is situated on the sheltered Horseshoe Bay, a small bay off the much larger Encounter Bay. Pullen Island lies outside the mouth of t ...

to allow for goods to be transferred between paddle steamers on the

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest r ...

and seagoing vessels. The next railway was laid from the harbour at Port Adelaide, to the capital, Adelaide, and was laid with Irish gauge track. This line was opened in 1856. Later on, branch lines in the state's north in the mining towns of

Kapunda Kapunda is a town on the Light River and near the Barossa Valley in South Australia. It was established after a discovery in 1842 of significant copper deposits. The population was 2,917 at the 2016 Australian census. The southern entrance ...

and Burra were linked through to the Adelaide metropolitan system. From here, a south main line extended to meet the horse tramway from Victor Harbor to Strathalbyn, and towards the

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Border. With the metropolitan systems being broad gauge, the mid north and south east of the state were originally laid with

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

track. These systems were closely based on British practice, as was the broad gauge system prior to 1926. Locomotives and rolling stock were bought from the United Kingdom and United States, from builders such as Beyer, Peacock & Company,

Dübs and Company Dübs & Co. was a locomotive manufacturer in Glasgow, Scotland, founded by Henry Dübs in 1863 and based at the Queens Park Works in Polmadie. In 1903 it amalgamated with two other Glasgow locomotive manufacturers to create the North British ...

, North British Locomotive Company, and Baldwin Locomotive Works. Nine broad gauge

tank locomotive A tank locomotive or tank engine is a steam locomotive that carries its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of a more traditional tender. Most tank engines also have bunkers (or fuel tanks) to hold fuel; in a tender-tank locom ...

s plus the frame of a tenth were bought second-hand from the

Canterbury Provincial Railways The Canterbury Provincial Railways was an early part of the railways of New Zealand. Built by the Canterbury Provincial government mainly to the broad gauge of , the railway reached most of the Canterbury region by the time the province was abol ...

in New Zealand when it converted to narrow gauge.

Rehabilitation

William_Alfred_Webb_photo_portrait,_signed_02

In 1922, after the SAR's worst financial deficit, the government appointed American railroad manager William Webb, from the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad as Chief Commissioner. When Webb arrived in

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 ...

with his young family, he found a railway system unchanged since the late 19th century. The locomotives and rolling stock were small, wagons and carriages were of wooden construction, the track and bridges were unsuitable for heavy loads, the workshops had antiquated machinery and the signalling system was inflexible. These attributes drove up the ratio of operating costs to revenue. Webb introduced a rehabilitation plan based on American railroad principles of large, standardised locomotives and steel bodied freight wagons, with automatic couplers to enable a significant increase in productivity. Lightly patronised passenger trains would be replaced by self-propelled rail cars, enabling faster, more frequent and more efficient services. He recruited Fred Shea as his Chief Mechanical Engineer and had him prepare specifications for this new equipment. This resulted in orders being placed for 1,200 wagons of four types from

American Car and Foundry ACF Industries, originally the American Car and Foundry Company (abbreviated as ACF), is an American manufacturer of railroad rolling stock. One of its subsidiaries was once (1925–54) a manufacturer of motor coaches and trolley coaches und ...

, 12 petrol mechanical railmotor cars from the Service Motors Corporation,

Wabash, Indiana Wabash is a city in Noble Township, Wabash County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 10,666 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Wabash County. Wabash is notable as claiming to be the first electrically lighted ci ...

, and 30 locomotives based on American Locomotive Company plans but built by Armstrong Whitworth & Co in the United Kingdom. These were of the

Mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

and

Mikado Mikado may refer to: * Emperor of Japan or Arts and entertainment * ''The Mikado'', an 1885 comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan * ''The Mikado'' (1939 film), an adaptation of the opera, directed by Victor Schertzinger * ''The Mikado'' (1967 f ...

wheel arrangement In rail transport, a wheel arrangement or wheel configuration is a system of classifying the way in which wheels are distributed under a locomotive. Several notations exist to describe the wheel assemblies of a locomotive by type, position, and c ...

s, 10 of each type, which became the 500,

600 __NOTOC__ 600 ( DC) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 600 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the ...

, and

700 The denomination 700 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Avar and Slavic tribes conq ...

class locomotives. To carry the heavier trains, the rehabilitation plan included the strengthening of track and bridges, and the

conversion Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series * "The Conversion" ...

of the mid north

system (the Western division) to broad gauge. The antiquated

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.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 ...

, near Adelaide, and several 85 foot

turntable A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...

s were installed throughout the state to enable the much larger locomotives to be turned. Efficient train operations were facilitated by the adoption of American

train order A train order is "an order issued by or through a proper railway official to govern the movement of trains". Train order operation is the system by which trains are safely moved by train orders. It is distinguished from other forms of train opera ...

working on country lines, and

Adelaide railway station Adelaide Railway Station is the central terminus of the Adelaide Metro railway system. All lines approach the station from the west, and it is a terminal station with no through lines, with most of the traffic on the metropolitan network eithe ...

was replaced with an imposing new building, opened in 1927. This grand building has been partially taken over by the

Adelaide Casino Adelaide Casino, known commercially as SkyCity Adelaide, is a large casino and recreational venue on the north edge of the Adelaide city centre. Located in the heritage-listed Adelaide railway station building on North Terrace, Adelaide, the cas ...

When the two shiploads of new locomotives arrived in 1926 they caused a sensation with the public and throughout the railway industry in Australia. The 500 class "Mountain" was over twice the size of the biggest pre-Webb engine, and was the most powerful locomotive in Australia. Henceforth double heading broad gauge trains became a rarity in South Australia. The massive locomotives were unloaded at Port Adelaide and taken off the pier by horses (the locomotives weight alone exceeding the dock's maximum loading capacity). Apart from some initial teething problems (mainly to do with overheating bearings and rough riding due to excessive play allowed on driving axles) the new locomotives settled in nicely to their assigned positions. After the success of the original locomotives, ten more 700 class locomotives, with larger tenders, were locally built using the facilities of the new Islington Workshops. These were the 710 class. The 500 class was rated to haul 400 tons over the

Mount Lofty Ranges The Mount Lofty Ranges are a range of mountains in the Australian state of South Australia which for a small part of its length borders the east of Adelaide. The part of the range in the vicinity of Adelaide is called the Adelaide Hills and ...

immediately east of Adelaide, where a continuous 1-in-45 (2.2%)

gradient In vector calculus, the gradient of a scalar-valued differentiable function of several variables is the vector field (or vector-valued function) \nabla f whose value at a point p is the "direction and rate of fastest increase". If the gradi ...

faced trains heading for Victoria. Two years after their introduction, the class was modified by the addition of a

booster engine A booster engine for steam locomotives is a small two-cylinder steam engine back-gear-connected to the trailing truck axle on the locomotive or the lead truck on the tender. A rocking idler gear permits it to be put into operation by the drive ...

which required replacement of the two-wheel trailing truck with a four-wheel truck. This altered the wheel arrangement from 4-8-2 to

4-8-4 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and four trailing wheels on two axles. The type w ...

, but the term "Mountains" stuck with the locomotives. Reclassified 500B class, their maximum load to Mount Lofty was increased to 600 tons, or eleven passenger cars. In the pre-Webb era the Rx class - a 4-6-0 with a

Belpaire firebox The Belpaire firebox is a type of firebox used on steam locomotives. It was invented by Alfred Belpaire of Belgium in 1864. Today it generally refers to the shape of the outer shell of the firebox which is approximately flat at the top and sq ...

was rated at 190 tons for this line, with three of them required to lift a heavy '' Melbourne Express'' - two at the front and one

banking A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

from the rear. The broad gauge system was the main focus of Webb rehabilitation scheme. The narrow gauge systems north of Terowie and on the

Eyre Peninsula The Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded by the Spencer Gulf on the east, the Great Australian Bight on the west, and the Gawler Ranges to the north. Originally called Eyre’s Peninsula, it was named af ...

remained untouched, as did the gauge South Eastern division (although it was subsequently converted to broad gauge in the early 1950s). Webb decided not to extend his contract in 1930 and returned to the US, having revolutionised the SAR.

Post-Depression period

In 1936, the SAR owned 365 locomotives, 51 railcars, 408 passenger carriages, 38 brake vans and 8,219 goods wagons. The following year, ten 620 class 4-6-2 Pacific type locomotives, designed and built at the SAR's Islington Works – were introduced. Their axle load enabled them to traverse the many rural lines laid with 60-pound rail, but they were also usefully deployed on the ''East-West Express'' between Adelaide and

Port Pirie Port Pirie is a small city on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf in South Australia, north of the state capital, Adelaide. The city has an expansive history which dates back to 1845. Port Pirie was the first proclaimed regional city in South A ...

following the extension of the broad gauge line north from Redhill to Port Pirie in 1937. Other additions to the locomotive fleet after the Depression included the 2-8-4 720 class, a further development of the 700/710 class locomotives, and the 520 class, a

locomotive, externally styled after the Pennsylvania Railroad T1; it had the same light axle load as the 620 class but a 30% higher tractive effort, achieving higher speeds on all mainline passenger services. In 1949, the diesel era started, tentatively, with two

Bo-Bo B-B and Bo-Bo are the Association of American Railroads (AAR) and British classifications of wheel arrangement for railway locomotives with four axles in two individual bogies. They are equivalent to the B′B′ and Bo′Bo′ classifications in ...

350 class shunting locomotives, designed and built by Islington Works and incorporating British components. South Australian Railways 900 class locomotive number 900 at Mile End locomotive depot before transfer to museum

South Australian Railways 900 class locomotive number 900 at Mile End locomotive depot before transfer to museum

Two years later, the SAR's first mainline diesel-electric locomotives entered service: the 900 class, also designed and built by Islington Railway Workshops. Their styling closely followed that of the

Alco PA The ALCO PA was a family of A1A-A1A diesel locomotives built to haul passenger trains. The locomotives were built in Schenectady, New York, in the United States, by a partnership of the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) and General Electric (GE ...

diesels in the United States. Subsequently, and coincidentally, the SAR exclusively purchased American Locomotive Company products made under licence in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

AE Goodwin AE Goodwin was an Australian heavy engineering firm, which produced railway locomotives and rolling stock, as well as roadmaking machinery at its factory in Auburn. History Founded in December 1935 by Arthur Elliott Goodwin, the company was ...

: the 930,

830 __NOTOC__ Year 830 ( DCCCXXX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Britain * King Wiglaf of Mercia regains control from Wessex, and returns to the throne.S ...

and

classes. In the 1950s, railcars were introduced: the 250 and 100 class "Bluebirds" for regional services and the 300 and 400 class "Red Hens" for Adelaide suburban services. A major change occurred in 1970, when the remaining length of the Sydney-Perth rail corridor that was not built to standard gauge, the Port Pirie-Broken Hill line, was gauge-converted. In the 1972 election, the Whitlam Federal Government made a commitment to invite the states to hand over their railway systems to the federal government. The

took up the offer, but elected to retain the Adelaide metropolitan services, which were transferred to the State Transport Authority. Financial responsibility for the remaining services passed to the Federal Government on 1 July 1975, although the SAR continued services until operations were formally transferred on 1 March 1978 to the

Australian National Railways Commission The Australian National Railways Commission was an agency of the Government of Australia that was a railway operator between 1975 and 1998. It traded as Australian National Railways (ANR) in its early years, before being rebranded as Australian ...

. The penultimate head of the SAR, commissioner

Ron Fitch Ronald John Fitch (8 June 1910 – 20 July 2015) was an Australian railway executive and railway engineer. The majority of his working career was with the Western Australian Government Railways, Commonwealth Railways and the South Australian Ra ...

, reflecting on the end of the railway administration, wrote: "The merging of the major part of the SAR into the

, and the remainder into the South Australian State Transport Authority, cannot but tend to consign the former state railway system into eventual oblivion. But posterity should not be allowed to forget its achievements: * The Goolwa to Port Elliot railway, the first public railway in Australia. * The first publicly owned railway in the British Empire; that between Adelaide and Port Adelaide. * The Darwin to Pine Creek and the Port Augusta to Oodnadatta railways, built ... as part of the grand concept of a north-south transcontinental rail link. * Its gesture, together with the gentlemen of the Silverton Tramway Company, in providing a rail connection to Broken Hill, at a time when NSW declined to do so. * The introduction into the Australian railways in the 1920s of large steam locomotive power. * The installation of the nation's first train control system. * The design and construction of what were then the world's finest sleeping cars. * The placing into scheduled service on the mainland of Australia the first mainline diesel-electric locomotive."

Locomotive and railcar classes

{, cellpadding="2" , {, class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style= "width:100%;font-size: 86%" ! colspan="6", , - !Class !Qty !Builder !Introduced !Withdrawn !Notes , - , Locos 13 , align=center, 3 ,

Fairbairn Fairbairn is a surname of Scottish origin which means "a handsome child." Notable people with the surname include: * Andrew Fairbairn (disambiguation), several people *Bill Fairbairn (born 1947), Canadian ice hockey player * Bruce Fairbairn (1949 ...

, 1856 , 1871–1874 , Locos ''Adelaide'', ''Victoria'' and ''Albert'' preceded class system;
eventually numbered 1, 2 & 3 , - , A , align=center, 3 , Stephenson , 1868, 1873 , 1893–1924 , , - , B , align=center, 2 , Stephenson , 1856, 1858 , 1935, 1938 , , - , C , align=center, 2 , Stephenson , 1856, 1857 , 1906, 1926 , , - , D , align=center, 8 , Stephenson , 1856, 1862–1867 , 1896, 1904, 1932 , , - , E , align=center, 7 , Slaughter, Grüning; Avonside , 1862–1882 , 1886–1929 , , - , F (1st) , align=center, 2 , Avonside , 1869 , 1892 , , - , F (2nd) , align=center, 43 ,

SAR SAR or Sar may refer to: Places * Sar (river), Galicia, Spain * Sar, Bahrain, a residential district * Sar, Iran (disambiguation), several places in Iran * Sar, Tibet, Tibet Autonomous Region of China * Šar Mountains, in southeastern Europe ...

;

Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austr ...

;

Perry Perry, also known as pear cider, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally the perry pear. It has been common for centuries in England, particularly in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. It is also mad ...

, 1902–1922 , 1956–1968 , RM, - , G , align=center, 8 ,

Beyer, Peacock Beyer, Peacock and Company was an English railway locomotive manufacturer with a factory in Openshaw, Manchester. Founded by Charles Beyer, Richard Peacock and Henry Robertson, it traded from 1854 until 1966. The company exported locomotives, a ...

, 1869, 1880, 1886 , 1904–1923 , , - , Ga , align=center, 1 , Stephenson , 1899 , 1915 , Bought second-hand; built 1874 , - , Gb , align=center, 2 , Stephenson , 1899 , 1904, 1916 , Bought second-hand; built 1874, 1878 , - , Gc , align=center, 1 , Stephenson , 1899 , 1905 , Bought second-hand; built 1879 , - , Gd , align=center, 2 ,

, 1899 , 1925 , Bought second-hand; built 1880 , - , Ge , align=center, 2 ,

, 1899 , 1929, 1935 , Bought second-hand; built 1897 , - , H , align=center, 9 , Stephenson , 1870–1877 , 1888–1930 , , - , I (1st) , align=center, 1 , Neilson , 1879 , 1909 , Bought second-hand; built 1873 , - , I (2nd) , align=center, 1 ,

, 1910 , 1929 , Bought second-hand; built 1888 , - , J , align=center, 2 ,

, 1875 , 1932, 1934 , , - , K , align=center, 13 ,

, 1879–1884 , 1936–1956 , , - , L , align=center, 4 ,

, 1880 , 1928, 1931 , , - , M (1st) , align=center, 5 , Avonside , 1880, 1881 , 1913–1917 , Bought second-hand; built 1868–1874 , - , M (2nd) , align=center, 20 ,

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

; David Munro & Co. , 1920–1922 , 1925–1935 , Bought second-hand; built 1889–1894 , - , N , align=center, 2 , Baldwin , 1881 , 1925, 1927 , , - , O (1st) , align=center, 2 , Baldwin , 1881 , 1904 , , - , O (2nd) , align=center, 1 , Stephenson , 1912 , 1929 , Bought second-hand; built 1868 , - , P , align=center, 20 ,

;

, 1884, 1893 , 1929, 1957 , RM, - , Q , align=center, 22 , Dübs;

, 1885, 1892 , 1923, 1956 , , - , R & Rx , align=center, 84 , Dübs;

;

; North British; Walkers , 1886, 1895, 1916 , 1927–1969 , From 1899, all R class (rebuilds and new builds) became Rx class, denoting Belpaire fireboxes RM R, - , S , align=center, 18 ,

, 1893, 1903–1904 , 1942–1960 , , - , Tx , align=center, 78 ,

;

; Walkers , 1903–1917 , 1957–1961 , Five narrow-gauge T class converted from narrow gauge 1929; reverted 1949. , - , 500 , align=center, 10 ,

Armstrong Whitworth Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. With headquarters in Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, Armstrong Whitworth built armaments, ships, locomotives, automobiles and ...

, 1926 , 1958–1963 , RM, - , 520 , align=center, 12 ,

, 1943–1947 , 1961–1971 , RM R, - ,

, align=center, 10 ,

, 1926 , 1958–1961 , , - ,

620 __NOTOC__ Year 620 ( DCXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 620 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era bec ...

, align=center, 10 ,

, 1936–1938 , 1963–1969 , RM R, - ,

, align=center, 10 ,

, 1926 , 1962–1968 , RM, - ,

710 __NOTOC__ Year 710 ( DCCX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 710 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar er ...

, align=center, 10 ,

, 1929 , 1962–1968 , , - ,

720 __NOTOC__ Year 720 ( DCCXX) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 720 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era ...

, align=center, 17 ,

, 1930–1943 , 1958–1960 , , - ,

740 __NOTOC__ Year 740 ( DCCXL) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 740th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 740th year of the 1st millennium, th ...

, align=center, 10 ,

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 ...

, 1951–1953 , 1963–1965 , , - ,

750 __NOTOC__ Year 750 ( DCCL) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 750 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era ...

, align=center, 10 , North British , 1951 , 1961-1969 , Bought second-hand. RM, - , colspan="6", Other broad-gauge locomotives purchased by the SAR but not given a classification were as follows: * nos. 97 and 98: 0-6-0T locos built by Kitson in 1884 * no. 154: 2-4-0T built by Stephenson in 1893, acquired from the

Glenelg Railway Company The Holdfast Bay railway line was a railway in western Adelaide. The line started in the city from the Adelaide railway station, and then headed west. From approximately where Henley Beach Road currently is, the railway then followed an almost ...

in 1899 * no. 155: 2-4-0T built by Dübs in 1879, acquired from the Grange Railway and Investment Company in 1893. , - , colspan="6", Notes:
= date condemned; date withdrawn is unknown.
Codes in the Notes column show the locations of preserved examples of classes (operational or on static display) : : , - {, cellpadding="2" , {, class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style= "width:100%;font-size: 86%" ! colspan="6", , - !Class !Qty !Builder !Introduced !Withdrawn !Notes , - , 300 , align=center, 6 , WAGR, VR , 1952 , 1955–1956 , Bought second-hand; built 1943–1945 , - , 400 , align=center, 10 ,

Société Franco-Belge The Société Franco-Belge was a Franco-Belgian engineering firm that specialised in the construction of railway vehicles and their components and accessories. The company originated in 1859 as the Belgian firm Compagnie Belge pour la Constructio ...

, 1952–1953 , 1970 , RM, - , K , align=center, 1 , Dübs , 1884 , 1938 , , - , T , align=center, 78 ,

, Walkers , 1903–1917 , ?–1970 , RM RR, - , U , align=center, 8 ,

, 1876 , 1924–1929 , , - , V , align=center, 8 ,

;

, 1877, 1893 , 1930s, 1940s , , - , W & Wx , align=center, 35 ,

, 1877–1882 , 1929, 1959 , From 1903, 18 were rebuilt as Wx class with upgraded boilers. , - , X , align=center, 8 , Baldwin , 1881–1882 , ?–1907 , , - , Y & Yx , align=center, 129 ,

;

, 1885–1898 , Mainly 1960s , Between 1904 and 1924, 48 were rebuilt as Yx class with Belpaire fireboxes RM RR, - , Z , align=center, 10 ,

, 1895, 1911 , 1956 , , - , colspan="6", Other narrow-gauge locomotives purchased by the SAR but not given a classification were as follows: * no. 0: 2-6-2T built by

, acquired in exchange (for a V class loco, lasting 9 months) with BHP in 1892 * no. 107: 0-4-0ST (nicknamed ''Sandfly'') built in 1886 by Baldwin, acquired from C. & E. Millar Bros in 1890 * no. 260: 0-4-0T built in 1911 by Hudswell, Clarke & Co. Ltd, acquired from the SA Engineer-in-Chief's Department in 1916. , - , colspan="6", Notes:
Codes in the Notes column show the locations of preserved examples of classes (operational or on static display) : : , - {, cellpadding="2" , {, class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style= "width:100%;font-size: 86%" ! colspan="7", , - !Class !Qty !Gauge !Builder !Introduced !Withdrawn !Notes , - , 350 , align=center, 2 , Broad ,

, 1949 , 1979 , HRM R, - , 500 , align=center, 34 , Broad & standard ,

, 1964–1969 , Most 1990s , RM R, - ,

, align=center, 7 , Standard , Goodwin , 1965, 1969–1970 , Mainly 1990s , , - ,

, align=center, 6 , Broad & standard , Goodwin , 1971–1972 , Mainly 2010s , , - ,

800 __NOTOC__ Year 800 ( DCCC) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. It was around this time that the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years, so ...

, align=center, 10 , Broad , English Electric (NSW) , 1956–1957 , Early 1990s , RM, - ,

, align=center, 45 , Broad, standard & narrow , Goodwin , 1959–1969 , See note , Includes 7 DA conversions , - ,

900 __NOTOC__ Year 900 ( CM) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Abbasid Caliphate * Spring – Forces under the Transoxianian emir Isma'il ibn Ahmad are ...

, align=center, 10 , Broad ,

, 1951–1953 , 1979–1985 , RM, - , 930 , align=center, 37 , Broad , Goodwin , 1955–1967 , Most 1986–1994 , RM R, - , Brill Model 55 railcars , align=center, 12 , Broad ,

Brill Brill may refer to: Places * Brielle (sometimes "Den Briel"), a town in the western Netherlands * Brill, Buckinghamshire, a village in England * Brill, Cornwall, a small village to the west of Constantine, Cornwall, UK * Brill, Wisconsin, an un ...

, 1924, 1925 , 1971? , RM, - , Brill Model 75 railcars , align=center, 39 , Broad & narrow ,

, 1927 , 1971 , RM RR R, - , 100, 250 & 280 class Bluebird railcars , align=center, 21 , Broad & standard ,

, 1954–1959 , 1989–1995 , See note. RM, - , 300 & 400 class "Red Hen" railcars , align=center, 111 , Broad ,

, 1955–1971 , 1996 , RM R, - , colspan="7", Notes:
The post-SAR dispositions of diesel locomotives and railcars were very diverse and are not easily summarised. Further details are in the articles.
Codes in the Notes column show the locations of preserved examples of classes (operational or on static display) : : , -

Commissioners

*Board of Commissioners 1888–1895: :* J. H. Smith :* A. S. Neill :*

John Hill John Hill may refer to: Business * John Henry Hill (1791–1882), American businessman, educator and missionary * John Hill (planter) (1824–1910), Scottish-born American industrialist and planter * John Hill (businessman) (1847–1926), Austral ...

. *Alan G. Pendleton 1895–1909 *Alexander B. Moncrieff 1909–1916 * James McGuire 1916–1922 *

William Alfred Webb William Alfred Webb (1878–1936) was an American railroad executive who had wide experience with US railroads, including the management of nationwide railroad operations during World War I, before serving as Commissioner of the South Australian ...

1922–1930 *Charles Buxton Anderson 1930–1946 *Robert Hall Chapman 1946–1953 *John Adrian Fargher 1953–1965 *

1965–1973 *Murray L. Stockley 1973–1975

Publications

In June 1965, ''Rail News'' was launched as a quarterly staff newsletter. It was published monthly from January 1970. The last edition was published in March 1973, with ''Keeping Track'' superseding it the next month.Commissioner's Comments ''Keeping Track'' issue 1 April 1973 page 1

References

External links

Details of Broad Gauge locomotives
{{Authority control Former government railways of Australia History of transport in South Australia Rail transport in South Australia Railway companies established in 1854 Railway companies disestablished in 1978 1854 establishments in Australia 1978 disestablishments in Australia

History

Colonial period

Rehabilitation

Post-Depression period

Locomotive and railcar classes

Commissioners

Publications

See also

References

External links