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Fairymead No. 1 Baldwin b/n 10533 of 1889 |
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Fairymead No1 working up the short grade to Nomad station
during the NSWRTM Members' day |
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Builder |
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania USA |
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Builder’s Number & Year |
10533 of 1889 |
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Wheel Arrangement |
0-4-2T |
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This
handsome little locomotive is the survivor of three Baldwin engines imported
for use at Fairymead Mill, near Bundaberg. Fairymead No.1 features classic features
of Baldwin locomotive of the period, such as bar-frames, slide valves and a
relatively large wooden cab. A prominent sand dome and ornate brass bell
graces the boiler in typical American style. This locomotive also features a
Forney-designed frame for the trailing truck, presumably an allowance for the
sharp curves encountered on lightly-laid sugar cane tramways. (Forney 0-4-4T
locomotives were employed on the elevated city railways in the USA, where
sharp curves were negotiated as the elevated railways turned corners around
city blocks.) The
three Fairymead Baldwin locos were withdrawn around 1956 and two were
scrapped. Fortunately Fairymead No.1 was spared this fate, later being
plinthed at the nearby beachside town of Bargara. In
March 1972, Fairymead No.1 moved to the Goulburn Steam Museum. It was later
sold for private preservation. Around
1992 the owner of Fairymead No.1 contracted the NSWRTM Thirlmere to fully overhaul
the loco for restoration to operation. The locomotive was moved to the
workshop area at Thirlmere and completely stripped for repair. Restoration was completed in 1993, with
steam trials held on a short section of 2' gauge track laid in the workshop
area. The loco was then stored for a number of years under a heavy tarpaulin within
the NSWRTM Thirlmere workshops area, occasionally emerging for private
steaming events. Fairymead
No.1 subsequently moved to the Lake Macquarie Light Railway (LMLR), a private
2' railway near Toronto. The NSWRTM kindly arranged a members' day at LMLR on
Sunday 18 October 2009, and the webmaster jumped at the opportunity to see
Fairymead No.1 in action! A number of photos of this page were taken on that
day. Further
details for Fairymead No.1 can be found on the Lake Macquarie Light Railway
website. As an additional source of further reading, David Burke has written
an excellent and well-illustrated book ‘America Steam on Australian Rails’
which provides a wonderful exploration of the Baldwin and other US-built
locomotives that operated on the various Government-owned railways ‘down under’.
Alas this excellent book excludes those locomotives delivered to
non-government operators, such as the three Fairymead Baldwins, but it remains
an excellent reference. |
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This photo dates from approximately 1993 and shows Fairymead No.1 under contract overhaul at the NSWRTM, Thirlmere. |
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This photo is kindly provided by Bruce Belbin and shows
No.1 in steam at the NSWRTM, following its overhaul. |
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This detail of No.1 shows the builder's plate, slide valve chest, bell and other typically Baldwin features. Sunday 18 October 2009. |
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Another view of Fairymead No1 during the NSWRTM Members' day at the LMLR, Sunday 18 October 2009. |
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Fairymead No1 crosses a bridge on the LMLR during the
NSWRTM Member's day on Sunday 18 October 2009.
The Baldwin builder’s plate affixed to the smokebox. |
References
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a |
Light
Railway Research Society of Australia Inc. Web site 'Preserved Australian
Sugar Cane Locomotives' list |
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b |
Wikipedia
page for Baldwin Locomotive Works, |
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c |
Lake Macquarie Light Railway website (locomotive
page), Retrieved 18 April 2018. |
Page updated: 18 April 2018
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