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A10 No.202 Croydon (Council workshop) |
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A more recent view of
No.202 in the council workshop at Croydon. Photo credit to Ken Fairbairn.
In
comparison to the earlier photos (below), the tender is now situated behind the
loco and the spectacle plate has been fitted to the cab.
Some additional boiler fittings
/ valves are evident, but progress otherwise seems very slow.
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Builder |
Built by Vulcan Foundry,
Lancashire Supplied by Fairlie Engine Coy. |
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Builder’s Number & Year |
Vulcan 802 of 1877 Fairlie 602 of 1877 |
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Wheel Arrangement |
2-4-0 |
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No. in class |
3 |
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A10 No.202
is a fascinating survivor of the Queensland Railways’ early years, having
been built as early as 1877. It owes it survival to having been transported to
the isolated and remote Normanton - Croydon Railway in 1888. No.202 was
sold to the Pioneer Mill (a gold ore crushing mill) near Croydon in 1906 where
it was last used about 1915. No.202 was still derelict at the Pioneer Mill
site in 1984, although by this stage it was surrounded by regrowth and the
firebox inner & outer & all non-ferrous parts had been removed long
before. In 1984
her remains were retrieved and moved to a park in Croydon for display. No.202
was subsequently moved to Croydon Station in 1991. Photos suggest the loco had
some cosmetic restoration & repainting at that stage. No.202 is
now owned by Croydon Shire Council. Newsgroup reports during 2006 stated that
Croydon Shire Council had begun a project to restore No.202 to operation. I
understand that derelict sister No.203 has been stripped to provide some
parts to No.202. The following three photos are kindly provided by Dan Van
Scherpenseel and show No.202 in the workshop at Croydon during August 2008.
It appears the loco has a new welded boiler. Update
November 2024: More
recent photos suggest the project to restore No.202 has substantially progressed
in the Croydon Shire Council workshops, but not culminated in a return to
steam. Further information is welcome. Photos also
suggest that No.202’s old boiler may have been placed on the chassis of
sister No.204 to make that a more complete static exhibit. I believe No.204
is statically displayed at Croydon Station. I really need to get there myself
one day and make a complete survey of these interesting old relics! |
No.202 under restoration at Croydon by Croydon Shire
Council - 28 August 2008.
Photo courtesy of Dan Van Scherpenseel.
No.202 under restoration at Croydon by Croydon Shire
Council - 28 August 2008.
Photo courtesy of Dan Van Scherpenseel.
No.202 under restoration at Croydon by the local Croydon
Shire Council - 28 August 2008.
Photo courtesy of Dan Van Scherpenseel.
The steel U-channel sleepers are
interesting – I believe these are the type used on the Normanton – Croydon
railway,
designed to sit support the unballasted track in bare earth
and be impervious to termites!
No.202 displayed at Croydon Station in January 1993.
Photo kindly contributed by Murray Lawrence.
References
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a |
Knowles, J.
W. 'Lonely Rails in the Gulf Country – The
story of the Normanton - Croydon Railway and the Gulflander', Revised
second edition 1993, published
by J. W. Knowles and distributed by the Australian
Narrow Gauge Railway Museum Society, PO
Box 270, Brisbane 4002. (Appendix
4, Page 58) |
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b |
Armstrong,
J. 'Locomotives in the Tropics - Volume 1 (Queensland
Railways 1864 - 1910)’, published
by the ARHS Queensland Division, 1985. Page 35. |
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c |
Information
provided by Graham Wilson (Operations
Manager, Heritage Rollingstock & Component Services, QR) at our
meeting of 8 October 2004. |
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Page updated: 30 November 2024
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