Victorian Railways R class

Infobox Locomotive
name = Victorian Railways R class

---

caption = Victorian Railways publicity photograph of R 701, 1951
powertype = steam
data for = Victorian Railways R class
builder = North British Locomotive Company, Glasgow
whytetype = 4-6-4
numinclass = 70
length = 77 ft 3¼ in (23.55 m)
driversize = 73 in (1,853 mm)
weight = 107 t 12 cwt (engine)
79 t 16 cwt (tender)
187 t 8 cwt (190.4 t) (total)
tenderc
t (6.1 t) coal
9,000 imp gal (40,900 l) water
weightondrivers = 58 t 10 cwt (59.4 t)
cylindercount = 2

cylindersize = 21½×28 in (546×711 mm)
tractiveeffort = 32,080 lbf (145.5 kN) at 85% boiler pressure
axleload = 19 t 10 cwt (19.8 t)
totalsurface = 2,705 ft² (251.3 m²)
boilerpressure = 210 psi (1.44 MPa)
firearea = 42 ft² (3.9 m²)

The R class was an express passenger steam locomotive that ran on Victorian Railways from 1951 to 1974. A long overdue replacement for the 1907-era A2 class 4-6-0, they were almost immediately superseded by the introduction of mainline diesel-electric and electric locomotives on the VR from 1952 onwards.

History

Within a few years of the introduction of the A2 class 4-6-0 in 1907, it was clear that increasingly heavy train loads would require a more powerful locomotive on principal main lines. From as early as 1918, a series of drawings for potential 4-6-2 'Pacific' type locomotives began to emerge from the VR's Locomotive Design Section, some of which were ultimately developed into the 3 cylinder S class heavy Pacific of 1928. [cite book| author=Carlisle, R M & Abbott, R L| title=Hudson Power| publisher=ARHS | year=1985| pages=pp. 14-15| id=ISBN 0-85849-028-5 |] However, plans for a smaller 2 cylinder Pacific, with an axle load below 20 tons to allow operation across the VR mainline network, were put on hold during the 1930s. This was partly due to the decline in traffic and revenue due to the Great Depression, and partly due to the improved power outputs and efficiency from the A2 locomotives after the application of a series of smokebox design and draughting changes referred to as 'Modified Front End' in the mid 1930s.

By 1943 however, the situation had changed. There was a massive increase in traffic brought by the advent of World War II, and the A2s were by this point well past their prime. The VR Locomotive Design Section once again turned their attention to the proposed Pacific replacement. The addition of a mechanical stoker, the enlarging of the grate from 37 to 42 square feet for increased performance and the use of heavy bar-frame construction for increased durability significantly increased the projected weight of the locomotive. To keep the axle load to 19.5 tons, the design by 1944 had changed from a 4-6-2 'Pacific' to a 4-6-4 'Hudson' wheel arrangement. [cite book| author=Carlisle, R M & Abbott, R L| title=Hudson Power| publisher=ARHS | year=1985| pages=pp. 17-18| id=ISBN 0-85849-028-5 |]

Design Features

The R class reflected an ongoing evolution of VR locomotive design and a response to the changing operational environment of the VR in the postwar era.

The R class adopted the bar frame construction of the H and S class express passenger locomotives, which had proven to be far more robust in coping with the VR's varying track quality than the fracture-prone plate frames of the A2.

The decision to install MB Type 1 mechanical stoker equipment (capable of feeding up to 10,000 lb (4½ t) of coal per hour) [cite book| author=Carlisle, R M & Abbott, R L| title=Hudson Power| publisher=ARHS | year=1985| pages=p. 27| id=ISBN 0-85849-028-5 |] on a locomotive with only a 42 square foot grate reflected improved postwar working conditions for locomotive firemen, the varying quality of postwar coal and the expectation of sustained high speed operation of the locomotive. The manually fired prewar VR S class Pacific, although capable of 2,300 drawbar horsepower (1,700 kW), was limited by the physical ability of the fireman to feed its 50 square foot grate and as such was reliant on coal with a high calorific value. [cite book| author=Carlisle, R M & Abbott, R L| title=Hudson Power| publisher=ARHS | id=ISBN 978-0-85849-028-4| year=1985| pages=p. 92|]

Online locomotive database steamlocomotive.com notes: "They showed an interesting blend of European, British, American, and Australian practice. The slotted pilot is Australian, the long sand dome American, the Belpaire firebox and cab British, and the mid-line smoke lifters ('elephant ears') European." [cite web |url=http://www.steamlocomotive.com/australia/data.shtml#2393 |title=Australian Locomotive Specifications (Locobase #2393) |accessdate=2006-12-24 |]

Other modern features included SKF roller bearings on all axles and the innovative, lightweight SCOA-P type driving wheels, which were specially developed for the R class by the Steel Company of Australia. [cite book| author=Pearce et al| title=North Williamstown Railway Museum| publisher=ARHS | year=1980| pages=p. 19| id=ISBN 0-85849-018-8 |]

Production

An order for 20 locomotives was placed with the VR's Newport Workshops in 1946, but remained unfulfilled for years as shortages of steel and manpower saw other projects (such as the overhaul of badly run-down infrastructure and the building of extra X class goods locomotives) given precedence.cite web |url=http://www.707operations.com.au/default.aspx?page=R%20Class%20-%20A%20Brief%20History |title=:: 707 Operations Inc - Steam Trains of Australia :: |accessdate=2006-12-17 |]

By the late 1940s, the A2 class was at the end of its life, and new motive power was desperately required. Australian Federal Government restrictions on the availability of US dollars (designed to favour trade within the British Empire) precluded the VR from purchasing American diesel-electric locomotives. [cite book| author=Carlisle, R M & Abbott, R L| title=Hudson Power| publisher=ARHS | year=1985| pages=p. 22| id=ISBN 0-85849-028-5 |] The VR broke with a long standing policy of in-house steam locomotive construction and called for tenders to construct an additional 50 R class. The contract was awarded to North British Locomotive Company in Glasgow, Scotland on 21 September 1949. The order was increased to 70 on 12 January 1950 with the cancellation of the original order of 20 locomotives from VR's Newport shops.

Further delays were experienced once the locomotives finally arrived from May 1951 onwards. Corrosion had already set in during their sea voyage as deck cargo from Scotland to Australia, and there were numerous manufacturing defects requiring rectification. R 703 was the first of the class in service, on 27 June 1951, and the last of the fleet R 769 did not enter service until 23 September 1953.cite web |url=http://www.707operations.com.au/default.aspx?page=R%20Class%20-%20A%20Brief%20History |title=:: 707 Operations Inc - Steam Trains of Australia :: |accessdate=2006-12-17 |]

ervice life

Once the manufacturing defects and corrosion damage were corrected, the R class proved to be a fine locomotive in its intended role of express passenger service. Dynamometer car testing showed they were capable of producing a maximum 1840 dbhp (1370 kW) at 37.5 mph (60 km/h), [cite book| author=Carlisle, R M & Abbott, R L| title=Hudson Power| publisher=ARHS | year=1985| pages=p. 92| id=ISBN 0-85849-028-5 |] a significant improvement over the A2. They quickly took over virtually all mainline passenger services previously operated by the A2 and passenger timetables were revised to take advantage of their higher performance, with cuts to journey times as high as 60 minutes. [cite book| author=Carlisle, R M & Abbott, R L| title=Hudson Power| publisher=ARHS | year=1985| pages=p. 53| id=ISBN 0-85849-028-5 |] R class locomotives were soon running upwards of 950 to 1,250 miles (1,500 to 2,000 km) per week. [cite book| author=Carlisle, R M & Abbott, R L| title=Hudson Power| publisher=ARHS | year=1985| pages=p. 49| id=ISBN 0-85849-028-5 |]

Their mechanical stoker, smooth riding characteristics and large, comfortable cab also made them popular with crews.

The R's impressive debut was cut short by the introduction of the B class (EMD ML2) diesel electric locomotives from July 1952, a locomotive type based on the latest GM EMD designs and built in Australia under licence by Clyde Engineering. By the end of 1953, the success of the B class saw the R class withdrawn from "The Overland" service to Adelaide and also VR's passenger service to Mildura. The Gippsland line, which was electrified to Traralgon by 1955, was the first line to see the complete withdrawal of the R class from service. On 18 May 1964, R 703 worked the last regular steam-hauled passenger train out of Melbourne, the 6.05pm Geelong service. [cite book| author=Lee, Robert | title=The Railways of Victoria 1854-2004 |publisher=Melbourne University Publishing Ltd |isbn=9780522851342 |date=2007 |pages=p.219]

The Rs were pressed into secondary passenger and goods service, roles which for which a Hudson with large diameter driving wheels was sometimes a less than ideal choice. There was little opportunity to exploit their high speed capability. Furthermore, their relatively low factor of adhesion (4.08) and lack of fully compensated springing, coupled with the tendency of locomotives to transfer weight to the rearmost wheels under high drawbar pull conditions (which in the case of the R meant a weight transfer from the driving wheels to the unpowered trailing truck) caused them to slip when starting heavy goods trains. [cite book| author=Carlisle, R M & Abbott, R L| title=Hudson Power| publisher=ARHS | id=ISBN 0-85849-028-5| year=1985| pages=p. 35|]

The R class is remembered by many for its role as power for the seasonal grain harvest. In times of a good harvest, virtually every available locomotive would be marshalled into service to shift wheat trains of over 1,000 tons from Victoria's Western district through to the ports for export. Double-headed R class locomotives, sometimes aided by a third R acting as banking engine at the rear, could be seen battling the 3 mile, 1 in 52 Warrenheip Bank out of Ballarat.

In the 1960s, as the railway preservation movement began to gather momentum, a small number of R class locomotives found a new role as power for excursion train services. In this role they were able to fulfill their intended role of high speed passenger travel, with speeds of over 80 mph (130 km/h) being recorded. [cite book| author=Carlisle, R M & Abbott, R L| title=Hudson Power| publisher=ARHS | id=ISBN 0-85849-028-5| year=1985| pages=p. 95|]

PBC and oil firing

R 707, which due to various defects had still not been put into service by 1954, was selected for modification for pulverised brown coal (PBC) operation, in conjunction with trials of this fuel being undertaken with X class 'Mikado' X 32. While the PBC locomotives performed well, the expense of installing storage and handling facilities became increasingly uneconomic with falling prices for fuel oil and the success of diesel-electric traction. The conversion had also reduced the water capacity of R 707's tender such that there was insufficient margin for delays or bad weather running on many routes, confining the locomotive to the shorter Melbourne - Geelong and Melbourne - Seymour lines.cite book| title=The Story of R 707| publisher=707 Operations Incorporated | year=1992| pages=p. 11|] The experiments were discontinued and R 707 was converted back to black coal operation in 1957 ["Pulverised Brown Coal Fuel for Steam Locomotives" Buckland, John L. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, July, 1972 pp145-161] .

R 719 and 748 were converted to oil-firing during the mid 1950s. They performed very well and were favourites among crews for their clean, cinder-free running. ] The reduced maintenance asssociated with their oil-fired operation meant they also had the highest availability of any of the R class and as such recorded the highest mileages of any of the class.cite book| author=Carlisle, R M & Abbott, R L| title=Hudson Power| publisher=ARHS | id=ISBN 0-85849-028-5| year=1985| pages=p. 153|] However, rising fuel oil costs and the ongoing dieselisation program on the VR precluded any further locomotives from being converted.

Demise

Because they were superseded so early in their lives by more modern forms of traction, and because they spent so much of their remaining lives stored for seasonal grain traffic and/or in poor condition, the R class achieved one of the lowest average mileages of any VR locomotive. The lowest was that of R 716, which recorded just 88,909 miles (143,085 km) in just four years of service before being withdrawn in 1956 and scrapped in 1962. ]

As the VR focussed its attention on diesel electric traction, steam locomotive depots were gradually closed down and the remaining steam fleet became a much lower maintenance priority. A particular problem was the lack of feedwater treatment, which saw many R class locomotive boilers condemned for severe corrosion well before the end of their design life.

Scrappings commenced with R 755 in 1960, which had been involved in a serious rear-end collision with a freight train earlier that year, and continued through the decade. By 1970, only seven of the class remained. Of these, only two (R 707 and R 761) were still in operating service, hauling enthusiast specials. Both locomotives were both withdrawn in 1974 as their boiler certificates expired, and with their withdrawal came the end of over a century of mainline steam locomotive operation on Victorian Railways.

21st century steam: West Coast Railway's R 711 and R 766

In the late 1990s, two of the remaining R class locomotives were extensively modified by private rail operator West Coast Railway, which had successfully tendered for operation of the Warrnambool railway line in the privatisation of the Victorian passenger rail network. These modifications were part of an ambitious plan to operate regularly scheduled steam-powered revenue passenger services operating to the same timetable as modern diesel electric locomotives.cite web |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20021021173137/www.wcr.com.au/saturday_steam.htm |title= Saturday Steam (web.archive.org) |accessdate=2006-12-24 |]

In order to ensure the locomotive's ability to reliably keep to the timetable, a number of notable design changes were made. These included the replacement of the original single blastpipe with dual Lempor ejectors, conversion to oil firing, fitting of power reverse, and the addition of a diesel control stand to allow for multiple unit operation with diesel electric locomotives where required. [cite web |url=http://www.martynbane.co.uk/modernsteam/pg/westcoast/wcrRclasses.htm |title= West Coast Railway Modernised R Class Locomotives R711 & R766 |accessdate=2006-12-24 |]

For a number of years, the modified R class locomotives could be seen in regular operation between Melbourne and Warrnambool, keeping a fast 3 hour 13 minute schedule which included six stops along the 267 km (166 mile) route. ] In 2004, West Coast Railway ceased operations after a number of operational problems made the business unviable.cite news | author = Philip Hopkins | title = End of the line for West Coast Rail | url = http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/07/18/1090089033538.html?from=storylhs | work = The Age | date = 2004-07-19 | accessdate = 2006-12-17] The two R class locomotives made a final trip back to Newport Workshops, where they passed into the care of Steamrail Victoria.

Preservation

Seven R class locomotives have survived into preservation.

tatic

R 704, which was displayed at the Festival of Britain in 1951 and retained its commemorative plaques, is today preserved at the ARHS North Williamstown Railway Museum. R 704 was painted in a one-off special livery of black with gold and red lining finished with stainless steel boiler banding for its display at the Festival. Although reverting to the standard VR R class livery on entering service, it retained the stainless steel trim and is currently displayed in this state.

Operational or under restoration

[
thumb|Preserved_R_class_locomotives_hauling_a_goods_train_at_Newport Workshops]

As of April 2007, two R class locomotives are operational and available for mainline use: R 707, operated by 707 Operations Incorporated, and R 761, operated by Steamrail Victoria. Both locomotives since restoration in the mid 1980s have hauled many special passenger trains for enthusiasts to various destinations on Victoria's remaining broad gauge network. Prior to the privatisation of V/Line in the 1990s, it was not uncommon to see R 707, 761 or 766 hauling normal revenue-earning V/Line passenger trains as a crew training exercise. R 707 has been named "City of Melbourne". [cite web| url=http://www.707operations.com.au/default.aspx?page=City%20of%20Melbourne |title=:: 707 Operations Inc - Steam Trains of Australia :: - City of Melbourne| accessdate=2007-04-25]

R 700 and R 711 are currently being restored back to operating condition by Steamrail Victoria. R 711, now decorated with a special royal blue and gold livery reminiscent of the "Spirit of Progress", remains oil-fired but has shed a number of its West Coast Railway-era modifications, notably the dual Lempor ejector system. Although operated by Steamrail, R 711 is owned by the City of Bendigo.cite book| title=The Story of R 707| publisher=707 Operations Incorporated | year=1992| pages=p. 22|]

R 766 has passed through a number of operators and owners in preservation. It was acquired by a company trading as "Australian Vintage Travel" in 1981 and restored to operating condition for hauling luxury rail services. [cite book| author=Lee, Robert | title=The Railways of Victoria 1854-2004 |publisher=Melbourne University Publishing Ltd |isbn=9780522851342 |date=2007 |pages=p.260] It was painted in a Brunswick green livery, matching the ex-South Australian Railways carriages also restored for these services. After Australian Vintage Travel folded in 1986, R 766 was acquired by a syndicate of shareholders ("766 Syndicate") ] and leased to Steamrail Victoria. In 1994, Steamrail volunteers re-painted R 766 in a maroon livery based on that of the London Midland and Scottish Railway, before the locomotive was leased to West Coast Railway (and repainted in the WCR corporate livery) in 2000. It was converted from 5 ft 3 in (1600 mm) broad gauge to 4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) standard gauge by Steamrail Victoria for operation in New South Wales by the Hunter Valley Railway Trust, [cite web |url=http://www.athra.asn.au/General%20meeting%2015Oct05.pdf |title=MINUTES – GENERAL MEETING 15-16 October 2005 |publisher=ASSOCIATION OF TOURIST AND HERITAGE RAIL AUSTRALIA |accessdate=2008-06-07] and was transferred to NSW in December 2007.cite web|url=http://www.steamrail.com.au/gallery/v/rollingstock/restoration/R766/?g2_page=18|title = R 766 |publisher = Steamrail Victoria|accessdate=2008-06-07]

R 753 is currently stored out of service in a dismantled state.

Notes

References

* Dee et al, "Power Parade", VicRail Public Relations Division, Melbourne, 1981, ISBN 0-7241-3323-2

External links

* [http://www.martynbane.co.uk/modernsteam/pg/westcoast/anatomy.htm Anatomy of West Coast Railway's "Super" R Class] - article from Steamrail Victoria's magazine 'Stack Talk', August 2001
* [http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/railways/theme.aspx?lvl=3&IRN=501&gall=661 Victorian Railways, Museum Victoria: Last of the Steam Locos] - various R class photographs
* [http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/images/12800/12800-00001-000168-210.asp Public Record Office Victoria Image VPRS 12800/P1 H 4622] - Classic early 1960s photograph (here colourised) of diesel-electrics B 60, T 333, and steam locomotive R 717 powering up Warrenheip Bank with an export grain train
* [http://steamrail.com.au/gallery/v/rollingstock/locomotives/steam/R766/ Steamrail R766 page] - photographic essay detailing the conversion of former West Coast Railway locomotive R 766 to standard gauge for future operation in NSW
* [http://steamrail.com.au/gallery/v/rollingstock/locomotives/steam/R711/ Steamrail R711 page] - photographic essay detailing the overhaul of former West Coast Railway locomotive R 711