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3203 Cooma-Monaro Railway, Cooma |
3203 stored at Broadmeadow on 15 December 2012; photo
kindly contributed by Jeff Mullier.
The faded & work-stained livery makes a poignant
comparison with the 1973 view below.
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Builder |
Manchester |
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Builder’s Number & Year |
3402 of 1891 |
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Wheel Arrangement |
4-6-0 |
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No. in class |
191 |
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This notable
locomotive represents one of the three standard classes designed by NSWGR
Chief Mechanical Engineer William
Thow in conjunction with Beyer Peacock & Co, Manchester; a 4-6-0
passenger loco, a 2-8-0 freight loco and a 4-6-4T for suburban duties. Thow
developed the 4-6-0 passenger design following his earlier success with the
South Australian Railways R-class 4-6-0s (such as preserved Rx93) and NSWGR experience with American 4-6-0’s on heavy
Blue Mountains grades, placing an initial order for 50 saturated engines at a
time of severe motive power shortages. They were officially known as the P(6) class but railwaymen knew them as ‘the Manchester
engines’, with the P(6) class becoming the backbone of NSWGR passenger fleet
with 191 constructed by a number of builders over a 19 year period to 1911. While
4-6-0’s were common on US railways by 1891 (where they were known as ‘Ten
Wheelers’), the P(6) design was in advance of contemporary British practice
and preceded the UK’s first 4-6-0 (the Highland Railway Jones Goods) by four years; the
webmaster suspects the P(6) would also have performed admirably over the
Scottish grades! The P(6) class provides an example
of how Australian railways followed a hybrid of British and American railway
influences. Preserved
engine P 8 / 3203 was the third of the P(6) class constructed but the first
to enter traffic, with P 6 / 3201 and P 7 / 3202 following (perhaps having
been delayed by type testing and the official Beyer Peacock photographs in
works grey). It was the third NSWGR locomotive to carry the road number 8 and
officially entered traffic on 3 February 1892, with class leader P 6 / 3201
following on 10 February 1892. The P(6) engines were
reclassified as (C)32’s in 1924, with P 8 becoming 3203. It received a
superheated boiler in November 1932 before being condemned on 17 November
1967. Many of
the class were rebuilt with new frames mid-life, these can be recognised by
the straight frame sections under the smokebox, particularly those from the
smokebox door to the buffer. 3203 exhibits these features, having received
new frames in September 1954; sister 3265
is the only surviving example with the original frame design. This rebuild
was applied to many older members of the class (presumably in response to
frame cracking with age) and these locos, thus renewed, went on to be overly
represented among the final members of the class in NSWGR service. The first
50 P(6) class engines were supplied with 6-wheel
tenders but these were later generally replaced with larger 3650 gallon bogie
tenders. Some P(6) / (C)32 engines retained 6-wheel
tenders to permit turning on short 50’ turntables; the final example was 3229
which remained available for the Richmond branch run until sold for scrap on
24 March 1972. Sister
3246 has the distinction of hauling the NSWGR’s official last steam-hauled
revenue passenger train, the Newcastle-Broadmeadow-Newcastle local to connect
with the down Northern expresses, on Saturday 24 July 1971. (This is often
incorrectly recorded as the Newcastle-Singleton-Newcastle passenger trip of
the same day, which was 3246’s prior run.) There were also some subsequent
unofficial passenger workings by 59-class engines between Gosford and Wyong
in the following months, resulting from the failure of the rostered diesel
locomotive.) Alas 3246 wasn’t saved for preservation, instead it donated its
boiler (with a distinctive polished brass steam dome) to 3203 around 1973 and
subsequently sold for scrap; I have always thought it a pity that 3203’s old
boiler wasn’t swapped back to make 3246 a static exhibit and a source of
further heavy spares for 3203 & 3214. While most
of the (C)32 class were withdrawn and scrapped in the 1960’s, official
records show that a handful survived into the 1970’s. Fortunately 3203 was
saved (together with 3214) for the formative NSWRTM at Enfield Roundhouse,
from where it featured on various rail tours around the state. (As a very
young boy I went on a Richmond run behind either 3203 or 3214, I distinctly
remember the loco being carefully balanced on the Richmond turntable so the
crew could turn her by hand.) Alas boiler age
eventually again caught up with 3203 and it was withdrawn from operations in
approximately 1981 and placed on static display in the Thirlmere display
shed. I have
often been surprised at the acceleration and speed of a (C)32 on the
mainline; these engines can really fly when the driver opens the regulator,
providing thrilling enthusiast trips and exhilarating lineside run-pasts. It seems
hard to reconcile 3203 as a static exhibit with the whir of wheels and motion
when she was a main-line certified tour loco. While 3203 has been retired,
fortunately this experience can still be had behind main-line certified
sisters 3237 and 3265. Around
2008, loco 3203 was transferred to Broadmeadow Roundhouse for storage during
the upgrade of the NSWRTM Thirlmere site. 3203 has since remained stored in
the roundhouse at Broadmeadow; hopefully can again be available for public
viewing at some stage in the future. During
2017, specialist contractors were engaged to remove dangerous boiler lagging
from 3203, with this work being done in-situ at Broadmeadow Roundhouse. NSW
Rail Museum volunteers carefully removed the handrails and other boiler fittings
in preparation for this work, allowing the boiler lagging to be removed
without damage to the locomotive. It is perhaps a pity that the NSWGR of the 1960’s &
early 70’s didn’t support the preservation of steam locomotives by local
community groups or councils, as was common in other states; today most NSW
railway towns have no steam locomotive to commemorate their connection to the
railway age. Under a different policy there may have been many of Thow’s
standard locomotives plinthed around the state, with the iconic P(6) / (C)32 class being prime candidates. Ron Preston’s book ‘Standards In Steam - The 32 Class’ provides
a wealth of photographs, technical and operational information about the P(6) / (C)32 class
locomotives and is recommended for anyone seeking further history on these
fine locomotives. An excellent online resource for detailed information about
this locomotive is the fact sheet for 3203 on the NSW Government Office of
Environment & Heritage website. Wikipedia also provides some further information on the P(6) / (C)32 class locomotives and 4-6-0 locomotives
worldwide. UPDATE: 3203 is
now on long-term loan to the Cooma Monaro Railway and arrived via road at Cooma
station on 10 May 2023. This type of locomotive were regular performers on
the Cooma line, including double-header snow specials delivering trainloads
of winter sports enthusiasts to Cooma, gateway to the NSW alpine townships.
The Cooma railyard and station precinct has been wonderfully preserved by Cooma Monaro Railway
and is well worth a visit, including the delightful 2-road engine shed that
once regularly housed sister (C)32 class locos. Recent photos reveal that 3203
has been cosmetically restored during its years of storage at Broadmeadow, and
I understand it is now to be placed in covered static display within the Cooma
rail precinct. |
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This fine 1973 photo is courtesy of John
Hurst and shows 3203 working hard as it climbs through the Blue Mountains
near Mt Victoria.
Back in those days locomotive crews didn’t wear Hi-Viz
orange clothing!
6-wheel tender Tab 473 was built by Beyer Peacock & Co
as part of the initial order for 50 P(6) class
locomotives.
It was first issued to traffic with P 473
(later renumbered 3222) on 1 August 1892.
This 6-wheel tender was last paired with
1709 / H381 from 1964 to around 1987 and is seen in storage at Trainworks on 23
November 2008.
Unfortunately this old P(6) tender
was sold for scrap by the NSW Office of Rail Heritage in 2011.
References
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a |
‘Locomotives of Australia’ by Leon Oberg, published by J. W. Books Pty Ltd |
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b |
‘A
Compendium of New South Wales Steam Locomotives’ compiled
by Alex Grunbach, published
by the Australian Railway Historical Society, New South
Wales Division, 1989. |
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c |
‘Steam
Locomotive Data’ July 1974 edition, compiled
by J. H. Forsyth for the Public
Transport Commission of NSW. |
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d |
‘Standards In Steam - The 32 Class’ by R. G. Preston, published in 1987 by the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum. |
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e |
Webmaster's
observation or comment |
Page updated: 13 May 2023
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