|
|
Fairymead No.1 Mandalong Valley Tramway |
|
|
Fairymead No1 working up the short grade to Nomad station
during the NSWRTM Members' day |
|
|
Builder |
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania USA |
|
Builder’s Number & Year |
10533 of 1889 |
|
Wheel Arrangement |
0-4-2T |
|
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 locomotives 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Fairymead Baldwin locos were withdrawn around 1956 and two were scrapped.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. Update: Fairymead
No.1 is now resident at the Mandalong Valley Tramway, a private bush tramway
on the NSW Central Coast. Here it has been returned to service, as seen in
the ‘Welcome back Ivy’ steaming event on 12 November 2023 featured this YouTube
item from BelbinVideo which provides a good overview of the Mandalong Valley Tramway
operations: “Welcome
back Ivy" Mandalong Valley Tramway, three locos in steam. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNQiKg5yBKo) |
|
This photo dates from approximately 1993 and shows Fairymead No.1 under contract overhaul at the NSWRTM, Thirlmere. |
|
This photo is kindly provided by Bruce Belbin and shows
No.1 in steam at the NSWRTM, following its overhaul. |
|
This detail of No.1 shows the builder's plate, slide valve chest, bell and other typically Baldwin features. Sunday 18 October 2009. |
|
Another view of Fairymead No1 during the NSWRTM Members' day at the LMLR, Sunday 18 October 2009. |
|
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. |
|
a |
Light Railway Research Society of Australia
Inc. Web site 'Preserved Australian Sugar Cane Locomotives'
list |
|
b |
Wikipedia page for Baldwin Locomotive Works, |
|
c |
Lake Macquarie Light Railway website (locomotive page), Retrieved 18
April 2018. |
Page updated: 28 May 2025
|
Government Railways: |
|
|||||||||
|
Private & Industrial Railways: |
|