|
|
1904 Stored for the Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum |
|
1904 is seen stored in
the Dorrigo Station yard on 24 January 2004.
It is paired with a
rebuilt 6-wheel (Z)16-class tender with “slab-sides”.
Like other DSR&M
locomotives, it is regularly coated in black oil for weatherproofing.
In addition, 1904 is protected by old paint tins placed
over the safety valves, turbo generator etc!
|
Builder |
Beyer Peacock
& Co, Manchester |
|
Builder’s Number & Year |
1646 of 1877 |
|
Wheel Arrangement |
0-6-0 |
|
No. in class |
77 |
|
1904 was the fourth of an initial order for 6 heavy freight locomotives of the A(93) class and originally given the road number A 96. The A(93) (later known as the (Z)19 class) represented the final NSWGR development of the "long boiler" 0-6-0 design, and went on to number 77 locomotives supplied by Beyer Peacock & Co, Manchester and local builder Henry Vale & Sons. 1904 was retired in 1972 after more than 90 years of service with the New South Wales Government Railways, during which time it had been progressively demoted from state-of-the-art heavy freight haulage to niche shunting roles. In particular, the (Z)19-class were favoured on lightly-laid “pioneer” branch lines due to their sure-footedness on steep grades and sharp curves, together with shunting roles where poor track was often encountered. In addition, the (Z)19 class found a special role in large locomotive depots, where a light but powerful loco was required to propel coal hoppers up the incline to the top of the coaling stage; 1904 survived in this role at Port Waratah depot, Newcastle until as late as August 1972. 1904
was purchased by the Hunter Valley Steam Railway & Museum (precursor to
the Dorrigo Steam Railway and Museum) in 1977 for $4,500, a considerable sum
at that time. It is paired with a
rebuilt (Z)16 tender which features “slab sides” and
equalisation springs on the rear axles.
1904 was initially stored at Rhondda Colliery near Newcastle before
being rail hauled to Glenreagh in late 1983 and then to Dorrigo in 1986. 1904 is now stored with several other
DSR&M steam locomotives on the former “potato siding” within the Dorrigo
Station yard, where it regularly receives a coat of black oil to provide some
protection against the torrential rain in this area. Unfortunately the Dorrigo Steam Railway &
Museum is not open to the general public and hence access to the exhibits
is restricted. Apparently 1904 was
allocated to the Dorrigo line during the mid-1930’s,
so its return to Dorrigo is perhaps fitting. John
Kramer provides a good history for 1904 in his book 'The Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum - an Illustrated
Guide’. Ron Preston also provides
wonderful accounts and great photographs of (Z)19-class
operations on the NSWGR’s pioneer lines in his work “Tender Into Tank”. For more
general information about the A(93) / (Z)19-class
locomotives, refer to the page for sister 1905. Wikipedia also provides further information
and technical details for the A(93) / (Z)19-class. |
References
|
a |
"A
Compendium of New South Wales Steam Locomotives" compiled by Alex Grunbach, published by the Australian
Railway Historical Society, New South Wales Division, 1989. |
|
b |
Kramer, J. 'The Dorrigo Steam
Railway & Museum - an Illustrated Guide', published by the Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum, 1987. |
|
c |
Webmaster's
observation or comment |
Page updated: 15 May 2015
|
Government Railways: |
|
|||||||||
|
Private & Industrial Railways: |
|