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4D9 No.131 Displayed at the Don River Railway |
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4D9 class loco No.131 seen at the Don River Railway on 8
May 2003.
An extension to the original stovepipe
chimney has been welded on at some stage.
The bent handrail alongside the boiler suggests this little
loco led a hard life after being sold off by QGR.
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Builder |
Dübs and Company, Glasgow |
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Builder’s Number & Year |
1415
of 1880 |
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Wheel Arrangement |
2-4-2T |
This quaint little engine was built by Dubs & Co of Polmadie, Glasgow in 1880 as the second of two ‘4D9’ class 2-4-2T locomotives for the Queensland Government Railways. Historical photos show these locomotives originally featured a tall cab, a large acetylene headlight and ornate steam & sand domes. The two 4D9 locomotives were allocated to Bundaberg for light traffic duties but were found in service to be underpowered and ineffective.
No.131 was sold by the
QGR to Childers Sugar Mill in 1894. It was later resold to the Tasmanian Public
Works Department for breakwater construction duties on Tasmania's wild and
remote West Coast at Macquarie Harbour, near Strahan. At completion of these
works a further two changes of ownership followed, however No.131 remained
unused and in store for many years in Hobart station yard. It was eventually plinthed
in a Tasmanian park.
No.131 was
later acquired by the Don
River Railway and transferred to their museum and workshop facility at Don,
near Devonport. Here it is statically displayed on a turntable road near the
museum entrance. My visit of 8 May 2003 found No.131 cosmetically repainted in ‘Thomas
the Tank Engine’ blue livery. The surviving locomotive is somewhat incomplete,
with missing connecting & side rods, cab, pipework and non-ferrous
fittings, yet it is an interesting relic and reminder of the early days of the
Queensland Railways.
Here is an earlier view of No.131 dating from May 1993,
showing her in ‘as received’ condition & livery following many years in a
park.
References
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a |
Armstrong,
J. 'Locomotives in the Tropics - Volume 1 (Queensland Railways 1864 - 1910)’, published
by the ARHS Queensland Division, 1985. |
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Page updated: 12 October 2021
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