Locomotive 702

South Australian Railways

Broad Gauge

Steam

 

Class operators                                                  South Australian Railways

Condition                                                            Excellent

Ownership                                                          History Trust of South Australia

Provenance                                                        South Australian Railways

Class                                                                  700

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

Number in class                                                 10

Number series                                                   700 - 709

Designer                                                            F. J. Shea

Entered service                                                 20th September 1926

Condemned                                                       9th July 1964

Entered the museum                                         1st June 1965

Length (over coupling points)                            73’ 2’’ (22.3 metres)

Total Weight                                                      171 tons 3 cwt (171,152 kilograms)

Wheel Arrangement                                          2-8-2

Driving Wheels Diameter                                  57’’ (1448mm)

Maximum Axle Load                                          18 tons 18 cwt (18,914 kilograms)

Boiler Pressure                                                 200 lbs psi

Cylinders                                                          2x outside – 22’’ x 28’’ (559mm x 711mm)

Valve Gear                                                       Walschaert

Tractive Effort                                                  40,400 lbs

Coal Capacity                                                  17 tons (17,000 kilograms)

Grate Area                                                       47 square feet (4.36 square metres)

Water Capacity                                                5,900 gallons (26,821 litres)

Mileage                                                           775,526 miles (1,248,088 kilometres)

Maximum Speed                                              45 mph (72 km/h)

 

Historically No.702 is one of the most important locomotives in the museum’s collection, for it represents the third of Fred Shea’s most successful designs for the rehabilitation of the motive power of the South Australian Railways in the 1920s.

Besides the 700-class 2-8-2s, he also produced designs for the 500-class 4-8-2s and the 600-class 4-6-2s. All types were of the same general configuration and, though built in Great Britain by the Armstrong-Whitworth Company, were of classic North American style. No.702 was given builder’s number 645 of 1926 and was placed in service on 20th September 1926.

The 700s were main line freight locomotives and released many Rx-class 4-6-0s, until then the largest engines available for this traffic, for shunting and branch line services. The difference in power between the these two classes can be gauged by the fact that a 700 could lift 390,000kg over Mt Lofty while an Rx could manage only 190,000kg.

The 700-class proved so successful that another 10 were ordered, this time from the SAR’s own Islington Workshops. Though dimensionally similar to the original engines they differed in some minor details and so were classified 710. Unlike the 500 and 600 classes, which were substantially rebuilt, the 700s (with the exception of No.706) retained their classic ‘Webb’ lines throughout their lives. No.702 was the only member of the class to be equipped with a coal pusher in 1951. It was condemned 9th July 1964 and placed in the Mile End Railway Museum on 1st June 1965.

Visit the NRM

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

Adult

$17

Concession

$10

Child
5-15 yrs & with an adult

$7

Family
2 adults & up to 3 children

$40

  • Prices may vary for special events
  • EFTPOS is preferred payment method
  • Open from 12pm on ANZAC Day
  • Closed Christmas Day

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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