|
|
No.861 ‘John Benn’ / ‘J C Rees’ Puffing Billy Railway |
|
This photo is
kindly provided by Gordon Ross and shows No.861 ‘J. C. Rees’ in steam during
November 2003.
|
Builder |
Société
anonyme Usines Métallurgiques du Hainaut Couilett, Belgium |
|
|
Builder’s Number & Year |
861
of 1886 (Supplied
by Decauville as B/N 43 of 1886) |
|
|
Wheel Arrangement |
Built as: 0-4-0T Rebuilt: 2-4-2ST |
|
|
This interesting steam engine was supplied as
a 0-4-0T industrial locomotive for the Metropolitan Gas Company in West Melbourne,
where it was known as ‘John Benn’. It
was manufactured in Belgium by Société
anonyme Usines Métallurgiques du Hainaut, which was commonly known by the
name ‘Couilett’ after the town in which their foundry was located. This company built small industrial
locomotives for export around the world, and some similar engines are preserved
in Spain. As originally built it
resembled sister gasworks locomotive ‘Carbon’
which is also preserved at the Puffing Billy Railway. No.861 ‘John Benn’ was withdrawn from gasworks duties as early as 1930 but
remained in store until purchased for private preservation in 1962. In the 1970’s it was extensively rebuilt to 2-4-2ST configuration with an 'Americanised' outline
for use on the Thomson River Tramway at Walhalla, presumably to resemble the Baldwin-designed
NA-class locomotives that originally worked the Walhalla line. It received the name ‘J. C. Rees’ at this
time. (While the Thomson River Tramway
venture did not ultimately prosper, a later heritage railway at Walhalla has succeeded
in the form of the Walhalla Goldfields Railway). I understand that No.861 ‘J. C.
Rees’ remains privately owned and is leased to the Puffing Billy Railway,
where it is used on Footplate Experience operations. Together with other small engines, it is
normally housed in the ‘Nursery’ loco shed at Emerald. I would appreciate any contributions of further history and
older photographs for this locomotive. |
|||
References
|
a |
Puffing
Billy Railway website, retrieved 3
December 2015 |
|
b |
Wikipedia entry for SA Usines
Métallurgiques du Hainaut (Couilett), retrieved 3
December 2015. |
|
c |
Webmaster's
observation or comment |
Page updated: 3 December 2015
|
Government Railways: |
|
|||||||||
|
Private & Industrial Railways: |
|