Banner
Navigation
loco-info.com
The reference for locomotives and railcars

Western Australian Government Railways class N

Australia 1896 42 produced
Robert Stephenson Catalogue, 1910

Rising passenger numbers due to the gold rush prompted the WAGR to order tank locomotives in the 1890s. These were used in suburban service around Perth and in the Kalgoorlie area. They had the wheel arrangement 4-4-4T for good running characteristics in both directions and weighed only 44 tons. The drivers measured four feet and the cylinders were 15.5 by 21 inches. Combined with a boiler pressure of 160 psi, this resulted in a starting tractive effort of 14,300 pounds. 

The first five were built by Neilson & Co. in 1896. 15 more had followed from Nasmyth, Wilson & Co. and twelve from Robert Stephenson & Co. by 1901. The total number was increased to 42 in 1907 and 1908 when the Midland Railway Workshops rebuilt ten 2-8-0 class O which had been built by Neilson & Co. in 1896. The first ones were withdrawn in the forties when the Dm and Dd class tank locomotives were introduced. Others were replaced by ADH diesel multiple units. The last one was withdrawn in 1961 and today N201 is on display in the Western Australian Rail Transport Museum.

Technical data

General

Built
1896-1901, 1907-1908
Manufacturers
Neilson & Co., Robert Stephenson & Co., Nasmyth, Wilson & Co., Midland Railway Workshops
Wheel arrangement
4-4-4T (Reading)
Gauge
1,067 mm (Cape gauge)

Dimensions and weights

Length
11.05 m
Service mass
44.7 t
Water capacity
7,276 l
Fuel capacity
3 t (coal)

Boiler

Grate area
1.463 m²
Firebox surface
8.64 m²
Tube heating surface
71.907 m²
Evaporative heating surface
80.547 m²
Total heating surface
80.5 m²

Power plant

Driver diameter
1,219 mm
Boiler pressure
11 bar
Expansion type
simple expansion
Cylinders
two, 394 x 533 mm

Power

Power source
steam
Estimated power
280 kW (381 PS)
Starting effort
63.6 kN

Calculated values

Optimal speed
27 km/h
Power-to-weight ratio
6.3 kW/t
Heating Surface Equivalent
123.7 m²
Cylinder volume/HSE
1 : 1,049.47
Tractive force/Heating surface
1 : 16.49
Grate area/Heating surface
1 : 55.06
Firebox/Tube surface
1 : 8.32
Auf Deutsch umschalten

Settings

Your settings are retained for this browser session only.

Consent to cookies

We use cookies to save your display settings. If you decline, the settings are retained only for the current browser session.