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Archie Plinthed at Burrinjuck Dam |
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‘Archie’ (at that stage understood to be sister ‘Jack’) as
found on 17 January 2004 in a dimly lit storage shed at Burrinjuck Dam.
The various components are loosely stored
together, with the boiler sitting at a jaunty angle.
The cab front sheet can be seen resting
up-side-down at the rear of the cab.
The loco has since been cosmetically restored and is now
displayed under a weather roof at Burrinjuck Dam.
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Builder |
Munich,
Germany |
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Builder’s Number & Year |
5945
of 1907 |
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Wheel Arrangement |
0-4-0WT |
This locomotive
began life as one of four German-built 0-4-0WT locomotives ‘Dulce’, ‘Robin’,
‘Archie’ & ‘Jack’ imported from the Munich works of Lokomotivfabrik Krauss
& Co for construction work on the Burrinjuck Dam project as part of the
creation of the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area. ‘Jack’ arrived in 1908 after its
three sister locomotives of 1907 vintage, and the four Krauss locomotives
featured prominent diamond-stack chimneys and carried handsome brass nameplates
on their side tanks.
The Goondah - Burrinjuck
Railway was a lengthy route with steep gradients, built to ferry construction
supplies to the Burrinjuck Dam site on the Murrumbidgee River, and interfacing
with the NSW Main Southern Railway at Goondah, south of Yass. The Goondah -
Burrinjuck Railway operated for more than 20 years, reflecting the size and
duration of the Burrinjuck Dam project, but had served its purpose at the
project’s completion in 1928 and the line was lifted in 1929. ‘Archie’, ‘Dulce’
and ‘Jack’ were then sold to a Sydney machinery dealer. In 1929, ‘Archie’ was
resold for sugar cane haulage at Fairymead Mill near Bundaberg, becoming their
No.7.
A 1957 report by a
visiting steam enthusiast and historian mistakenly transposed the names of the
ex-Burrinjuck Dam locomotive ‘Archie’ at Fairymead Mill with that of its sister
‘Jack’ (Krauss b/n 6063 of 1908) at Farleigh Mill, near Mackay. ‘Archie’ was
retired around 1964, but the misidentification persisted into preservation when
ownership passed in 1965 to a well-known Sydney-based engineer and collector.
By 1970 it was an operational exhibit at the Museum of
Historic Engines at Goulburn, providing trips along the 1km demonstration
line which ran to the Museum gates (as fondly remembered by the webmaster from
several childhood visits). At Goulburn the little Krauss loco wore an
attractive lined green livery and erroneous ‘Jack’ nameplates.
The steam locomotive
collection at Museum of Historic Engines was significantly reduced from the mid
1970's, and by 1978 the loco was stored in Canberra. In 1985 it passed to the
NSW Dept of Water Resources under a proposal for restoration as a working
exhibit at Burrinjuck Dam, and accordingly ‘Archie’ was partially dismantled
for assessment, but the boiler was found to be in poor condition and the overhaul
did not proceed. Archie subsequently languished for several years in secure
storage at Burrinjuck Dam.
The webmaster had an
opportunity to visit Burrinjuck Dam on 17 January 2004,
seeking to track down ‘Archie’. Making enquiries at the local Water Resources
office, a team member kindly offered to show me the loco during his lunch
break. The series of photos on this page show ‘Archie’ as I found her on that
visit – partially dismantled and in safe, dry storage in a dimly-lit machinery
storage shed – although the low light was a challenge with the basic digital
camera I had at the time.
A change of fortunes
can in 2007 when ‘Archie’ (still mis-identified as ‘Jack’) was cosmetically
restored and placed on display in a picnic ground near the Dam. Here it is protected
from the elements by a suitable weather roof, and the loco’s repair and display
are certainly a credit to those involved. The loco’s true identity as ‘Archie’
rather than ‘Jack’ was realised in 2008 when its sister locomotive (b/n 6063 of 1908) at the NSW Rail Transport
Museum, Thirlmere was being inspected prior to full restoration.
The final miles of the
Goondah - Burrinjuck Railway can still be followed as it descends into the
Murrumbidgee Valley, as this is now the main access road to Burrinjuck Dam and
makes for an interesting and scenic drive.
An excellent reference
for further reading on this railway and its locomotives is ‘The
Goondah-Burrinjuck Railway’ by John R Newland, published by the Australian
Railway Historical Society, New South Wales Division, 1994. A second edition
was also published in 1999.
I would
appreciate contribution of photos of this loco – running as ‘Jack’ – during its
1970’s period of working at the Museum of Historic Engines, Goulburn.
This view highlights the lined green livery and red frames,
as worn when the loco was running at the Museum of Historic Engines, Goulburn.
It can be seen where the (erroneous) ‘Jack’ nameplates
where fixed to the side tanks.
The boiler was sitting loosely placed on frame, supported
by packing wood.
Similarly, the front of the cab roof can be seen
temporarily propped up.
Another view of ‘Archie’ (then thought to be ‘Jack’) in
storage at Burrinjuck Dam on 17 January 2004.
The sandbox – normally mounted on top of
the boiler – is sitting on the floor in the foreground.
The diamond stack is also clearly seen in this view.
The boiler loosely sitting in the saddle, supported by
packing wood.
A look inside the smokebox revealed a surprise – a rat’s
nest, with rodents scampering in all directions!
Indeed, two rats can be seen in this flash shot.
Burrinjuck Dam, the name apparently a softening of ‘Barren
Jack’ – a prominent local hill with a name judged unsuitable for a major public
work!
The sand tramway and its loco shed were
on a lower level to the right of the valley, now fully submerged.
This photo was taken from the higher
level of the main Goondah – Burrinjuck Railway.
References
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a |
'Light Railways - Australia's Magazine of
Industrial & Narrow-Gauge Railways', Number
153, June 2000. Article ‘Krauss Locomotives in Australia – A
close look at their characteristics and an overview of their migrations’ by
Bruce Macdonald. Published
by Light Railway Research Society of Australia Inc. (This article is also available online.) |
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b |
Wikipedia page for Lokomotivfabrik
Krauss & Co / George Krauss, retrieved 10 September 2021. |
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c |
Newland, J. R. ‘The Goondah-Burrinjuck
Railway’, published
by the Australian Railway Historical Society, New South Wales Division, 1994. |
Page updated: 28 September 2021
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