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This practical
and functional 0-6-0ST locomotive is a wonderful example of contemporary Victorian
freight locomotive design. Inside cylinder 0-6-0ST tender locomotives were favoured
for short-haul freight work, with the entire weight of locomotive, fuel and
water available for traction, while the 0-6-0 tender design was favoured
for longer distance freight work, the tender providing additional fuel and
water capacity for greater range although the tender’s mass reduced net
haulage capacity. Such locomotives were produced in great number for use in
Britain & internationally.
In this
context, Brown required additional motive power for the private railway
linking collieries at Minmi to loading staiths on the Hunter River at
Hexham. The route to Minmi was a short, flat and straight trip of several
kilometres across the Hexham swap, this route pre-dating the later
extension across the Sugarloaf Range to Pelaw Main and Richmond Main
collieries. Brown observed the NSWGR fleet of steam locomotives in freight
haulage including 0-6-0 tender locomotives together with the shorted-range
0-6-0ST locos. His interest fell on government loco 20N (Kitson b/n 1620 of
1870) as ideal, but it wasn’t available for purchase and so Kitson & Co
were contracted to build a copy – which became this loco, J & A Brown
No.3. In time the prototype 20N also became available for sale and in 1891 Brown
snapped it up, becoming J & A Brown
No.4.
The
two 0-6-0ST locos were superior to Brown’s 1856-built 0-4-2T locos No.1
& 2 in short haul duties between Minmi and Hexham. J & A Brown’s loco
fleet later expanded to include four ex-Mersey Railway 0-6-4T locos, three chunky
Kitson 2-8-2T and thirteen ex-ROD 2-8-0 locos which dominated line work
over the Sugarloaf Range route, but the 0-6-0ST locos weren’t well suited
to that longer and more demanding route and instead they spent most of their
time shunting the coal loading staithes at Hexham. No.3 was withdrawn from this
service in 1966 while No.4 lasted a bit longer until 1967, both joining the
growing lines of withdrawn J & A Brown steam locomotives slowly rusting
away near the Hexham loco shed.
In
1973 Coal & Allied Limited (successors to J & A Brown) called for
tenders to dispose of their redundant steam locomotives, although one ROD
locomotive was generously donated for local preservation. Enthusiasts scrambled
to save as many locos as possible, and fortunately the oldest and most
historic remaining locos were saved, including Avonside No.2, Kitson No.3
& No.4, Mersey Tank No.5 and
ROD Nos.20 & 24, but unfortunately seven ROD locos were lost to scrap
merchants. No.3 was saved for the Hunter Valley Steam Railway & Museum,
later becoming the Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum collection. It was
stored at Rhondda Colliery for some years before being rail hauled to
Glenreagh in late 1983 and onwards to Dorrigo around 1986. It has since
been stored in the ‘potato siding’ in Dorrigo Station yard in company with
other locomotives delivered by rail.
I
would appreciate further photographs for this historic loco, at any stage
of its working life or preservation.
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