Victorian Railways A2 class

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Victorian Railways A2 Class (Walschaerts)

VR photograph of A2 986 in 1916, as built. 90 years later, this locomotive is being restored to operating condition.
Power type	steam
Builder	VR Newport, Ballarat & Bendigo Workshops
Total production	185
Configuration	4-6-0
Driver size	73 in (1.854 m)
Length	63 ft 3¾ in (19.30 m)
Axle load	17 tons 10 cwt (17.8 tonnes)
Weight on drivers	52 tons 2 cwt (52.9 tonnes)
Locomotive weight	121 tons 7 cwt (123.3 tonnes)
Tender capacity	(after conversion to oil firing) 1,500 imp gal (6,800 l/1,800 US gal) oil, 4,700 imp gal (21,000 l/5,600 US gal) water
Boiler pressure	185 psi (1.28 MPa)
Fire grate area	29 sq ft (2.7 m²)
Heating surface: Total	2,040 sq ft (190 m²)
Cylinders	Two
Cylinder size	22 × 26 in (559 × 660 mm)
Valve gear	Stephenson (125) Walschaerts (60)
Tractive effort	27,480 lbf (122.24 kN) at 85% boiler pressure

The A2 class was an express passenger locomotive that ran on Victorian Railways from 1907 to 1963. A highly successful design entirely the work of Victorian Railways' own design office, its long service life was repeatedly extended as economic depression and war delayed the introduction of more modern and powerful replacement locomotives.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Production 1.2 Regular service 1.3 Design Improvements 1.4 Later Years 2 Accidents 3 Preservation 4 References 5 External links

[edit] History

The introduction of the A2 class marked a turning point in Victorian Railways locomotive design, as it was entirely designed by VR engineers of the newly established Locomotive Design Section and the entire class built in-house at Victorian Railways workshops.^[1]

[edit] Production

Based on the success^[2] of the prototype A2 572, a total of 125 Stephenson valve gear A2 locomotives were built between 1907 and 1915. The design was then altered to incorporate larger diameter cylinders, a higher pressure boiler and Walschaerts valve gear, and a further 60 locomotives of this design were produced between 1915 and 1922.^[1]

[edit] Regular service

For over forty years, the A2 was the main express passenger locomotive on the VR, hauling intrastate and interstate services. With a maximum permitted speed of 70 miles per hour (112.7 km/h)^[3] the A2 was instrumental in the acceleration of timetables on many lines in the years following its introduction. They famously ran the Geelong Flier service^[4] (the first "named" train in Victoria)^[5] slashing journey times between Melbourne and Geelong from 90 minutes^[6] to 63^[7] and finally 55 minutes,^[8] a time not significantly improved upon until the introduction of 160 km/h Regional Fast Rail services in 2006.^[9]

A2s were also used to haul a number of special services, such as the Royal Trains for the Prince of Wales' and the Duke of York's Australian tours in 1920^[10] and 1927 respectively. Towards the end of their lives, A2 995 and 996 also had the distinction of hauling the last broad gauge Spirit of Progress service into Melbourne on 16 April 1962.^[11]

With their comparatively high tractive effort (the Walschaerts A2 had a higher nominal tractive effort than any other VR locomotive, regardless of type, until the introduction of the C class 2-8-0 of 1918) they also saw widespread use as a fast goods locomotive, particularly in their later life.^[1]

[edit] Design Improvements

The majority of A2 locomotives were originally built with saturated steam boilers. The class were gradually fitted with superheaters, and to differentiate between the two variants the saturated steam locomotives were renumbered as A1 class, each being reclassified as A2 class again when fitted with a superheater. The last of the A1 class, No. 808, was converted in October 1949.

The A2 class also underwent the same improvements as other post-1900 VR steam locomotive designs during the 1920s and 1930s, including the fitting of electric lighting, and Modified Front End to reduce back pressure in the exhaust system and increase efficiency, and smoke deflectors.

An experimental A.C.F.I. (Accessoires pour les Chemins de Fer et l'Industrie) feedwater heater was fitted to A2 973 in 1935. However, there was not sufficient improvement in efficiency for the equipment to be fitted to other locomotives and it was removed twelve years later.^[12]

In the years following World War II, problems with the quality and availability of coal supplies caused VR to convert all 60 Walschaerts A2s to oil firing.^[1]

Late in their life, some of the A2s also received Boxpok driving wheels.^[12]

[edit] Later Years

Although initially limited to principle mainlines due to their comparatively heavy axle load, gradual upgrades to secondary lines saw the route availability of the class expand, together with the range of services they hauled.^[12]

In 1928, the A2 was replaced on the principal North-eastern line Sydney Limited and Albury Express services by the considerably more powerful three-cylinder S class Pacifics. However, new locomotive development ground to a halt during the 1930s^[13] as the Great Depression severely affected both VR traffic volumes and operating revenues, and the A2 continued as the main express passenger power on all other VR mainlines.

In 1939, by which time most of the class was already over twenty-five years old, World War II broke out. The massive increase in traffic on the VR the war effort brought saw these ageing locomotives subjected to a punishing regime of heavy utilisation and minimal maintenance.^[13]

With VR's locomotive workshops switched to production of armaments and all available manpower given to the war effort, plans to eliminate the double-headed A2 operations on Melbourne-Adelaide passenger services with the introduction of more powerful H class 4-8-4 locomotives and additional S class locomotives did not come to fruition. The extra S class locomotives were never built and the line to Adelaide did not receive the necessary upgrades to take the weight of the H class.^[14]

The A2's principal express passenger role continued into the postwar years as the VR, struggling with a backlog of repairs and limited capital expenditure, deferred new passenger locomotive construction. It was not until March 1946 when the first of the class, A2 878, was withdrawn from service.^[12]

In 1951, when the first of 70 new R class 4-6-4 express passenger locomotives were introduced, the A2 was finally superseded. In 1953, no fewer than 53 A2s went to scrap, followed by 36 more in 1954.^[12] However, many of the class (particularly the later Walschaerts variants) continued on in secondary roles such as branch-line passenger and goods services and a number lasted into the 1960s. Their last regular mainline duty was hauling services between Flinders Street Station and Leongatha, on the South Gippsland line. The last in service, A2 986, was withdrawn on 2 December 1963, exactly 56 years after the original A2 572 entered service.^[12][15]

[edit] Accidents

Some A2 locomotives were unfortunate enough to be involved in major accidents:

• At 2:58am on 7th September 1951, the westbound and eastbound Overland expresses, both hauled by double-heading A2s, collided head-on at Serviceton.^[16][17] All four locomotives were written off; three were so badly damaged they were scrapped on site.

• Australia's worst level crossing accident occurred on 8th May 1943, when A2 863 collided with a bus carrying troops at Wodonga.^[5] 25 people were killed.^[18]

[edit] Preservation

Only one of the original batch of 125 Stephenson A2 locomotives survives; A2 884 is today preserved at the ARHS North Williamstown Railway Museum, along with (Walschaerts) A2 995. A2 996 is preserved in Victorian regional city of Echuca and A2 964 is preserved in the Melbourne suburb of Reservoir.

A2 986 is currently being restored to full working order by Steamrail Victoria.

[edit] References

• Dee et al, Power Parade, VicRail Public Relations Division, Melbourne, 1981, ISBN 0-7241-3323-2
• Pearce et al, North Williamstown Railway Museum, ARHS, Melbourne, 1980, ISBN 0-85849-018-8
• The Recorder, ARHS, Adelaide, November 1985, ISSN 0158-1856
• AHRS Railway Museum History 1900 - 1950 retrieved on 6th September 2006

Specific

[edit] External links

• National Library of Australia Photograph of prototype A2 572, December 1907.
• victorianrailways.net Stephenson A2 936 hauling a goods train, 11th June 1930.
• victorianrailways.net Walschaerts A2 973 leads a Stephenson A2 on The Overland, circa 1930.
• Public Record Office Victoria The end of the line - A2 856 is cut up for scrap.
• victorianrailways.net A2 986, seen around 1962 near the end of its service life. Various modifications over the years have significantly altered its appearance from when photographed in 1916 (see top of this page).
• Steamrail A2 986 page Photos detailing the progress of current restoration work on A2 986.

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