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A10 No.204 Croydon Station |
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This photo is kindly provided by Murray Lawrence and shows
the frames, wheels and tenders of No.203 and No.204 at Normanton in January
1993.
Neither had a boiler at that stage, whereas No.204 has a boiler in later photos; closer inspection suggests it may be that previously on sister No.202.
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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.204
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 1889. No.204 was
not used after 1895. The boiler was scrapped in 1905 but the frames and
wheels remained at Normanton. The 4-wheel tender was possibly used as a water
cart (together with that from No.203) as both were derelict at Croydon by
1985 but were reunited with the engine frames at Normanton in that year. No.204 has
now been moved to the other end of the line and is displayed at the front of Croydon
Station and has acquired a boiler. Judging by the faded blue boiler clothing,
this would probably be the boiler previously fitted to No.202 and painted
blue when that loco was prepared for display at Croydon in the 1980's. (Refer
photo on separate page for No.202.) |
No.204 displayed at Croydon Station - 28 August 2008. Photo
courtesy of Dan Van Scherpenseel.
The loco frames and tender had previously been stored –
boilerless - at Normanton.
No.204 displayed at Croydon Station - 28 August 2008. Photo
courtesy of Dan Van Scherpenseel.
Sky blue paint on the boiler clothing (under a thin layer
of black) suggests this may be No.202’s old boiler.
Another view of No.204 displayed at Croydon Station - 28
August 2008.
Photo courtesy of Dan Van Scherpenseel.
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. |
Page updated: 30 November 2024
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