Locomotive 504 - Tom Barr Smith

South Australian Railways

Broad Gauge

Steam

 

Class operators                                                 South Australian Railways

Condition                                                           Excellent

Ownership                                                         History Trust of South Australia

Provenance                                                       South Australian Railways

Class                                                                 500

Class Builders                                                   Sir W. G. Armstrong-Whitworth & Co., Newcastle-on-Tyne, England

Number in class                                                10

Number series                                                  500-509

Designer                                                           F. J. Shea

Entered service                                                18th October 1926

Condemned                                                      9th July 1962

Entered the museum                                        23rd July 1965

Length (over coupling points)                           84’2’’ (25.603m)

Total weight                                                      222 tons 6 cwt (225,856 kilograms)

Tractive effort                                                   59,000lbs

Wheel arrangement                                          4-8-4 (4-8-2 original)

Driving wheels diameter                                    63'' (1600mm)

Maximum axle load                                           22 tons 3 cwt (22,504 kilograms)

Boiler pressure                                                200 lbs psi

Cylinders                                                          2x outside 26

Valve gear                                                        Walschaert

Water capacity                                                 7000 gallons (31,822 litres)

Coal capacity                                                   11 tons (11,176 kilograms)

Grate area                                                       66.6 square feet (6.18 square metres)

Mileage                                                            855,029 miles (1,376,035 kilometres)

Maximum speed                                               50 mph (80 km/h)

Built by                                                            Sir W. G. Armstrong-Whitworth & Co., Newcastle-on-Tyne, England

 

From the mid-1880s, when the South Australian Railways Nairne Railway (later to become the first section of the Main South Line) began its push southward from Adelaide, the Mt. Lofty Ranges posed immediate problems for the construction and mechanical engineers of the day. The rails had to climb 1534 feet (468 metres) in 19.4 miles (31.2 kilometres) and pass through eight tunnels to reach the summit at Mt. Lofty. Therefore, locomotives of sufficient power to conquer the 1 in 45 grades had to be designed and built.

The four Baldwin-built locomotives ordered for this purpose were soon found to be unsuited, and the small K-class 0-6-4Ts, usually working in pairs, were forced to handle the traffic for a while. The first of the R-class arrived in 1886 and, later re-built to become the more powerful Rx-class, they worked all major south line trains until the 1920s. As traffic increased these engines had also to be worked in pairs with, sometimes, a third pushing in the rear. Around 1920 a half-hearted attempt was made at designing a more powerful locomotive, but it was left to the Webb administration to solve the problem.

W. A. (Bill) Webb had come from the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad to rehabilitate an ailing SAR, and one of his first tasks was to upgrade its motive power. This job was given to his Chief Mechanical Engineer, Fred Shea, who set about designing three classes of very powerful locomotives, the likes of which had not before been seen in South Australia. They were the 500, 600 and 700 classes.

The 500-class 4-8-2 was a machine of magnificent size and power and was to immediately capture the imaginations of South Australians. At 225,304kg and exerting a tractive effort of 51,000 lbs, it was almost two-and-a-half times more powerful than the Rx-class. Whereas an Rx unaided could haul 190,000kg over Mt. Lofty, the 500s could lift 400,000kg - later increased to 450,000kg.

In a constant quest for more power it was decided to equip the 500s with boosters (small auxiliary steam engines). This necessitated the replacement of the two-wheel trailing truck with one of four wheels. The booster contributed an extra 8,000 lbs to the tractive effort and permitted an increase in the engine load over Mt. Lofty to 540,000kg. The 500s were now 4-8-4s and were reclassified 500B. No.504 was modified and reissued to traffic on 23rd August 1929.

During the 1930s the 500s underwent yet another change in appearance when they were semi-streamlined after the style of the Southern Pacific’s (USA) GS-2 class "Daylights", and with their silvered smokebox doors they soon became known as "Palefaces". They provided the head-end power for The Overland between Adelaide and Tailem Bend for 30 years. They were permitted a maximum load of 11 E-class Joint Stock cars, and the sight and sound of them blasting upgrade presented a truly magnificent spectacle. In addition, together with the 720B-class 2-8-4s, they hauled most south line freight trains with occasional turns on the Terowie and Port Pirie lines.

With the introduction of the 900-class diesel electrics in the early 1950s, the 500Bs began to relinquish their exalted status and by the early 1960s only Nos.500 and 504 remained available for traffic. Both were used for a time on ARHS excursions, but 504 was earmarked for preservation. It was written off and placed in the Mile End Railway Museum on 23 July 1965.

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76 Lipson Street
Port Adelaide
South Australia  5015
Australia
Open Daily / 10am – 4:30pm

Adult

$17

Concession

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Child
5-15 yrs & with an adult

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2 adults & up to 3 children

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Phone: 8341 1690

The National Railway Museum acknowledges the Kaurna people as the traditional owners and custodians of the Adelaide Plains. We honour and respect their ongoing cultural and spiritual connections to this country. We aim to respect the cultural heritage, customs and beliefs of all Indigenous people.

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