Hudswell Clarke B/N 380 of 1891

Buried in the Marrawah Tip

 

Tristan Verhoeff has provided this view of Hudswell Clarke 380 "six Wheeler" in service on the Marrawah Tramway in the 1930's.

This locomotive was one of four Hudswell Clarke locomotives (B/N 377 - 380) ordered by Edward Keane, railway construction contractor, for use building the Midland Railway in WA.  Later users for this locomotive were the Perth Metropolitan Waterworks Board and breakwater construction at East Devonport, Tasmania.

Hudswell Clarke B/N 380 later worked on a timber tramway at Smithton, Tasmania and was purchased by the Tasmanian Public Works Dept in 1915 for use on the Marrawah Tramway.  Here it was known locally as "Six-Wheeler".  It was transferred to the Tasmanian Government Railways in 1929 and written off by 1939.  It was sold again in 1947 to a sawmill near Smithton and later rebuilt with a diesel engine.  In 1973 it was moved to Britton Bros mill at Britton's Swamp for preservation.

John Dutton has kindly provided this update (courtesy of Mark Fry):

The loco was used by Jaeger Brothers from 1939-1944 "though it was in a poor state".  It utilised the boiler and saddle tank from their Manning Wardle/Black, Hawthorn 0-4-0 loco.

In 1945 the boiler was condemned, and removed from the loco. A Cletrac Crawler motor was fitted, with a chain-drive to one axle, and the original side-rods.

The unit was abandoned in 1949, but recovered in 1972 and used to create a "mock-up" composite steam locomotive on display at Marrawah Hall.

In 1976 it was buried at Marrawah Tip.

Tristan Verhoeff has provided this view of "Six Wheeler" plinthed at the Marrawah Hall about 1974.

 

References

 

a

"The Midland Railway Company Locomotives of Western Australia" by Adrian Gunzburg,

published by the Light Railway Research Society of Australia, Melbourne, 1989.

b

Information provided by Tristan Verhoeff via email dated 26 June 2011.

 

Page updated:  28 April 2014

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