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Pr 521 ‘Ashburton’ The Railway Museum, Bassendean |
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Pr 521 ‘Ashburton’ displayed at The Railway Museum,
Bassendean on 9 May 2002.
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Builder |
WAGR
Midland Workshops |
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Builder’s Number & Year |
Built 1938 |
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Wheel Arrangement |
4-6-2 |
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No. in class |
18 (10 built Pr & 8 converted
from P class.) |
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Following the
success of the P-class Pacifics introduced in 1924 and requiring motive power
renewal after the depression years, the WAGR constructed an additional 10 locomotives
based on the P-class design. Entering traffic from 1938, these locos featured
improvements over the earlier P-class including a higher boiler pressure and
modified valve gear, leading to these locos being classified ‘Pr’ (the 'r'
apparently shorthand for 're-balanced'). The modifications proved successful,
with the Pr-class being rated 9% more powerful than the P-class, and 8 of the
earlier P Class locomotives were modified between 1941 and 1944 to Pr-class.
The Pr-class were named after Western Australian rivers, the names carried
on distinctive brass nameplates carried on the running board above the
driving wheels. The P and
Pr class remained dominant in passenger working despite the subsequent U-class
Pacifics (from 1947) and Pm/Pmr Pacifics (from 1950) until the arrival of
first-generation X/XA class diesel locomotives in 1954. At that stage the
class gravitated to freight workings. A number were converted to oil firing
for a number of years, leading to the early withdrawal of unlucky Pr 528 ‘Murray’
which was destroyed by fire at Kalgoorlie loco depot after an oil leak. Most Pr
locos were officially withdrawn in the late 1960’s, not quite lasting to the
very end of WAGR steam. Preserved example Pr 521 (originally numbered Pr 138) was the class leader, entering service on 28 January 1938 and named 'Ashburton’ after the river in the Pilbara region. It was the last of the class on the books when officially withdrawn on 10 September 1970 but apparently in storage at Northam for a year prior. Fortunately it was retained for preservation at The Railway Museum, Bassendean where it is displayed wearing green livery. I have included a few photos of this handsome and well-proportined loco on this page, dating from my visit to Bassendean on 9 May 2002. |
Pr 521 ‘Ashburton’ stares down 1st generation diesel
power XA 1402 at The Railway Museum, Bassendean. 9 May 2002.
The ‘Ashburton’ nameplate is prominent in this view.
Cabside detail showing builder’s, number and class plates.
9 May 2002
Pr 521 ‘Ashburton’ wheels a lengthy tour train into
Cuballing while sister Pr 523 waits in the loop siding. 03 June 1968.
The condensing steam suggests it was a
cold winter’s day in this wheat belt town.
Image used with permission
of the Rail Heritage WA archive:
http://railheritagewa.org.au/archive_scans/displayimage.php?pid=8030
(Image reference P12221, original photographer – P.
Hopper.)
References
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a |
A. Gunzburg
'A history of WAGR steam locomotives', published
by ARHS (Western Australian Division) 1984. |
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b |
Gray. W.
K., 'Guide
to Rail Transport Museum, Bassendean, Western Australia', Australian
Railway Historical Society W. A. Division, First
Edition November 1999. |
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c |
Rail
Heritage WA website, Exhibits page, ‘Pr
Class Steam Locomotive’: https://www.railheritagewa.org.au/museum/locos/pages/pr_steam.php retrieved 23
December 2023. |
Page updated: 24 December 2023
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