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5920 Stored by the Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum |
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5920 stored at Glenreagh in September 1985 following
earlier rail-haulage from Rhondda Colliery.
The connecting rod can be seen lashed to the running board
for transport and storage.
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Builder |
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Builder’s Number & Year |
75583 of 1953 |
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Wheel Arrangement |
2-8-2 |
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No. in class |
20 |
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5920 was
the final member of the 20-strong (D)59 class goods locomotives ordered by
the New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR) from Baldwin Lima Hamilton
Corp, the famous American locomotive builders Baldwin having merged with
Lima-Hamilton in December 1950. The (D)59’s were ordered at a turbulent time
in the history of Australian labour relations, with the 1949 coal strikes
crippling the railways and hence the broader economy. In response, the NSWGR
specified the (D)59 class as oil-burners, while significant numbers of the
earlier (D)55 class Standard Goods Engines were also converted to oil firing.
The NSWGR also specified short ‘bobtail’ tenders so the (D)59’s could be
turned on 60’ turntables, but the design and manufacture of these tenders
delayed the normally speedy delivery by Baldwin. The class was placed in
service between 30 August 1952 and 31 March 1953, with preserved loco 5920
notable as the last of the many and varied Baldwin-built steam locomotive
delivered to Australian customers over preceding decades. From a
locomotive design perspective, the (D)59 class were repeats of the United
States Army Transport Corp (USATC) S200
type, designed and built for Second World War service in the Middle-East
and deployed to Egypt, Palestine and Lebanon. A number of S200 type
locomotives ended up with the Italian Railways (FS Class 747), others in Iran
(Trans-Iranian
Railway class 42) and two
batches were purchased by the Turkish Railways, where at least two survive including 46244
at Camlik Museum. The similarity of these USATC S200 war locomotives to
the NSWGR (D)59 class is immediately apparent from photographs, excepting the
much shorter NSWGR bobtail tenders! The (D)59
class were well regarded by the NSWGR, with their power, acceleration and
speed providing operational flexibility.
These attributes led to them often being assigned to pick-up goods
duties, particularly on the ‘short north’ main line from Sydney to Newcastle.
Most class members were converted to coal firing between 1962 and 1966,
excepting 5918 (withdrawn following accident damage to its tender and
progressively cannibalised for parts), 5908 & 5916. Most class members
survived until very late in the steam era, with 5910 being the last in
revenue traffic when condemned on 11 August 1972. Some inactive (D)59’s
survived a few more years, with 5905, 5915 and 5920 stored at Enfield Loco
Depot until the final clear-out of that site in early 1975, while oil burners
5908 & 5916 found further use as stationary boilers in railway workshops
until 1977. The
authorative ‘Steam Locomotive Data’ (July 1974 edition) provides the
following milestones for 5920:
5920 languished
among the rusting steam locomotives at Enfield Loco Depot until rail
enthusiasts raised sufficient funds for the Dorrigo Steam Railway &
Museum (DSR&M) to purchase it for $3,100s in 1974 (a considerable sum of
money in those days; for comparison, a new car would have cost about that
much). It was transferred to Rhondda Colliery near Newcastle for safe storage
prior to being towed to Glenreagh during late 1983. After a few years at
Glenreagh, 5920 and other DSR&M exhibits were progressively rail-hauled
to Dorrigo over the reopened branch line around 1986. 5920 has since remained in open storage in
the Dorrigo station yard, regularly receiving a coating of black-oil and
lubrication and accordingly it remains much as it was when first withdrawn from
NSWGR service. Unfortunately
the Dorrigo Steam Railway
& Museum (DSR&M) is not open to the public and hence access to
5920 and the rest of this collection is restricted. However there can be no
doubt that 5920 and the rest of the collection would have been scrapped by
the mid-1970’s had they not been saved, and hence perhaps the DSR&M could
be considered as having purchased an option for the future. While the
DSR&M locomotive exhibits have been well cared for in the heavy rainfall
of the Dorrigo Plateau by protective black-oil and lubrication, the decision
to also move antique timber carriages and freight wagons into this
high-rainfall environment has certainly taken its toll on much of the wooden
rolling-stock collection. The
definite history for the NSWGR (D)59 class can be found in the excellent book
‘The 59 Class’ by Harry Wright, published by the New South Wales Rail
Transport Museum in 1996 and which also features many fine colour and B&W
photographs. Some further technical details can also be found on the Wikipedia entry for the NSWGR (D)59 class. |
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The fate that awaited so many
steam locomotives at the end of steam:
Sister loco
5914 being reduced to scrap metal at Sims Metal, Mascot during April 1973.
Deadly asbestos
lagging has fallen like snow around the carcass; I pity the workers on this
task.
This photo is courtesy of John
Hurst from his album of digitised slide images.
5920 slowly rusting at Enfield
and awaiting its fate in October 1973.
Sisters 5905
and 5915 were also around at this time but proved not so lucky, being scrapped
in early 1975.
This photo is courtesy of John
Hurst from his collection of railway images.
Another John
Hurst view of a (D)59 class loco on rotten row at Enfield Loco Depot during
October 1973.
This one is missing its
headlight, so it may be 5905 or 5915 rather than 5920.
A creative photo showing the view
forward through the cab window as 5920 rests on Rotten Row at Enfield.
This photo is courtesy of John
Hurst and dated October 1973.
References
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a |
‘The 59
Class’ by Harry Wright, Published
by the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum, 1996. |
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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 |
Kramer, J. 'The Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum - an
Illustrated Guide', published by the Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum, 1987. |
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d |
‘Steam
Locomotive Data’ July 1974 edition, compiled by J. H. Forsyth for the Public
Transport Commission of NSW. |
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e |
Wikipedia
entry for the NSWGR (D)59 class, retrieved 9 February 2016 |
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f |
Webmaster's
observation or comment |
Page updated: 1 September 2021
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