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6039 Stored at Dorrigo |
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A scanned photo view of 6039 stored at Glenreagh, taken in September 1985.
6039 had recently been towed by rail from Rhondda Colliery, near Newcastle, together with other locomotive exhibits.
It was later towed to Dorrigo along the refurbished branch
line, where it remains in store.
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Builder |
Beyer Peacock
& Co, Manchester |
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Builder’s Number & Year |
7541 of 1956 |
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Wheel Arrangement |
4-8-4 + 4-8-4 |
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No. in class |
42 |
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Entered Service |
25 September 1956 |
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Date Condemned |
4 January 1973 |
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With the
New South Wales Government Railways needing additional motive power in the
post-war period, Beyer Peacock & Co supplied 42 freight locomotives of the
patented “Beyer-Garratt” articulated type.
The AD60 class Beyer-Garratts excelled in NSWGR service, following elimination
of a number of teething troubles and attention to union concerns. 6039 was
one of 31 class members which received modifications during NSWGR service,
including Dual Control (DC) to allow the locomotive to be driven easily in
the “reverse” direction, and increased cylinder diameter for greater tractive
effort ("++") and thus was known as a “DC++” modified AD60. DC++
Beyer-Garratts including 6039 were among the last NSWGR steam locomotives to
work in revenue service, ending their days on heavy coal trains in the
Newcastle district. Sister 6042 is recognised as the last steam
locomotive in NSWGR revenue service, being withdrawn on 4 March 1973. Upon
withdrawal, the remaining AD60 class Beyer-Garratts congregated at Enfield depot
in Sydney where they remained in store for another year or so. 6039 was purchased for the proposed Hunter
Valley Steam Railway & Museum in 1974 for $5,000, which was a very
considerable sum in those days. Other
Beyer-Garratts in store at Enfield at this time were not so lucky, being sold
for scrap to Sims Metal and towed to Mascot for dispatch; 6002 was scrapped
in September 1974, 6009 in October 1974, 6008 in November 1974 and the last,
6037 in December 1974. (The last Standard
Goods locos 5133, 5375, 5407, 5456 and 5483 were similarly dispatched from
Enfield depot and scrapped in January 1975; these locos might have lasted
longer if the Enfield site had not been wanted for a proposed container
depot. These circumstances also drove
the forced relocation of the NSWRTM from Enfield No.1 roundhouse to
Thirlmere. As it happened, the
container depot was never built.) 6039
was stored at Rhondda Colliery near Newcastle from 1974, being joined by other
Hunter Valley Steam Railway & Museum (HVSR&M) exhibits. A frame crack in the front engine unit was repaired
at the Broadmeadow Depot in 1977 following which it performed a number of
excursions in the Newcastle district.
One railtour from Broadmeadow to Mt Thorley on 22 July 1978 ended
badly when 6039 developed a hole in the water tank, leaving the train
stranded near Belford on the return journey and requiring rescue by a diesel
locomotive. Following
a change of strategy by the HVSR&M, the aim of that group changed to
reopening of the Dorrigo branch line on the mid-North Coast region of NSW,
together with a railway museum at Dorrigo.
Now renamed the Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum (DSR&M), the
majority of the steam locomotive collection was rail hauled from Rhondda
Colliery to Glenreagh during December 1983 and later along the newly refurbished
branch line to Dorrigo during July 1986.
At Dorrigo, 6039 and other steam locomotives are regularly coated in
black oil to protect against the elements.
The Dorrigo collection is fascinating as this protection has preserved
most locomotives as they were when withdrawn, retaining their original
liveries and preventing surface rust.
However the Dorrigo region is known for its sub-tropical climate and the
torrential rainfall at Dorrigo has not been kind to the collection of wooden carriages
stored there. Rapid vegetation growth in
this rainforest region has since reclaimed much of the Dorrigo branch line. Alas the Dorrigo museum and associated tourist
railway is yet to open to the public.
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This spare AD60-class boiler stored at Dorrigo was salvaged from sawmill use.
Interestingly it is
still sitting in the boiler cradle that comprised the central portion of the
locomotive frame.
I believe this boiler & frame came from one of the
unassembled Beyer-Garratts 6043-6047.
References
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a |
"The
60 Class” by K.T. Groves, H.J. Wright and M.F. Morahan, Published by the New South Wales Transport
Museum, 1994 |
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b |
"Locomotives
of Australia - 1985 to 2010" (Fifth Edition), by Leon Oberg, published
2010 by Rosenberg Publishing Pty Ltd. |
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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 |
Webmaster’s
observation or comment |
Page updated: 27 March 2015
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