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B13 No.48 Stored at ‘The Workshops’ museum, Ipswich |
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No.48 stored at the rear
of ‘The Workshops’ railway museum, Ipswich on 8 October 2004.
The loco sports a very
handsome apple green livery with polished copper boiler bands and red running
boards, which I believe it wore at Bingera Mill.
The cowcatcher is a wonderful statement of pioneer and
light lines usage.
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Builder |
Glasgow, Scotland |
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Builder’s Number & Year |
1741 of 1883 |
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Wheel Arrangement |
4-6-0 |
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No. in class |
112 |
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The
B13 class were a mixed-traffic design originating with 19 locomotives
supplied by Dubs & Co, Glasgow. These simple and reliable machines had
saturated steam boilers that sat low in the frames, with a short smokebox and
spartan cab. Following orders from Kitson, Dubs & Co, and Phoenix Engine
Co, Ipswich swelled the class to 112 units by 1892, with the later engines differentiated
by a lengthened driving wheelbase to accommodate larger fireboxes, and
associated higher-pitched boilers. Extended smokeboxes were also found to
improve performance. Firebox variations included ‘wide type’ and ‘deep type’
with the latter proving more economic, and accordingly the wide firebox engines
were among the earliest to be withdrawn. Indeed six of the wide firebox B13
locos were sold to the Commonwealth Railways for use on the North Australia
Railway (Darwin) where they were known as the Ng class. Other B13 class
members were rebuilt with deep fireboxes and higher-pitched boilers, with a
characteristic high smokebox saddle. Preserved
example No.48 was the fifth loco of the original order of 19 ‘short
wheelbase’ B13 locos, entering service in 1883. Most of the class were
withdrawn in the 1920’s and 30’s, with No.48 being written off in July 1938. While
Queensland sugar mills generally used 2’ gauge tramways, a number instead
adopted 3’ 6” gauge which allowed them to make use of locomotives retired
from the Queensland Government Railways. Among these was the Bingera Mill
near Bundaberg, owned by Gibson & Howes, which employed an interesting
selection of ex-QGR power including an ancient Baldwin 2-8-0 (C13 No.118,
built 1879), an elderly 2-4-2T (4D9 No.130) and B13 class locomotive No.49.
In 1944 Gibson & Howes purchased No.48, followed in 1950 by No.79, while
No.175 was also acquired for spare parts. No.48 and 79 were still working at
Bingera Mill as late as 1968 and 1969 respectively, and photos of the period
suggest the Bingera Mill’s B13 locos were often sought out by railway
enthusiasts. A
handsome brass plaque attached to the cabside of No.48 summarises the
locomotive’s history and commemorates the philanthropy leading to its
preservation: Class
B13 locomotive Built 1883 & placed in main line working, Southern
& Western Railway, 1883. Sold to Messrs Gibson & Howes Ltd. Bingera
Plantation, Jan. 1944. Presented to the Queensland Railways for preservation in
1969 by Messrs. Gibson & Howes Ltd. No.48
was statically displayed among the locomotives exhibits at the former Redbank
Railway Museum from 1970 to 1992. The Redbank exhibits later moved to the new
‘The Workshops’ museum at Ipswich Railway Workshops, but alas No.48 is among
six Redbank exhibits that were placed in storage at the rear of Ipswich
Workshops and have remained out of view since 1992; I believe it awaits
removal of dangerous old boiler lagging. Hopefully funds will one day be
found to carefully prepare this fascinating survivor for public display
within the museum. The Wikipedia page for the B13 class contains useful
technical data for these locomotives. |
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A thick layer of dust coats the boiler clothes of No.48 in storage at the
rear of Ipswich Railway Workshops, as seen on 8 October 2004.
The connecting rods have been removed to permit shunting but the loco
appears otherwise complete.
Dainty pot lubricators are fitted to supply oil to the piston rod and
crosshead.
The high smokebox saddle can be
seen behind the sandbox, and the slender proportions of the tall chimney can be
appreciated.
This brass plaque attached to the
cabside provides a brief history for No.48.
References
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a |
Armstrong,
J. 'Locomotives in the Tropics - Volume 1 (Queensland Railways 1864 – 1910)’, published by the ARHS
Queensland Division, 1985. |
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b |
‘Locomotives
of Australia’ by Leon Oberg, published
by J. W. Books Pty Ltd |
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c |
Wikipedia
page for B13 class, retrieved 28 September 2020. |
Page updated: 20 October 2020
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Government Railways: |
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