| New South Wales Z17 class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Class Z17 Locomotive in service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 17 class (formally H.373 class) was a class of steam locomotive built by the Vulcan Foundry for the New South Wales Government Railways of Australia.[1][2][3]
History
Ordered from the Vulcan Foundry, 12 were placed in service in 1887. They had the 4-4-0 wheel arrangement that most locomotives had at the time. Shortly after delivery, the class leader was tested against the Baldwin Locomotive Works built L304 class to see which one could make a faster and better run across the Blue Mountains to Eskbank, with the Baldwin locomotive judged superior. They were also intended to haul passenger service on the steeply graded Sydney to Newcastle and Kiama lines.[4]
They proved unpopular with both locomotive crews because of rough riding and track maintenance staff because of their high axle load and were displaced from mainline working and relegated to branch line work following the arrival of the P6 class (C32 class). In 1905/06, new boilers with Belpaire fireboxes were fitted, the smokeboxes shortened and the cylinder diameter reduced.[2] In 1924, the class was renumbered becoming the Z17 class.
Demise and Preservation
As they became due for reboilering, they began to be withdrawn from January 1934 with only four in service by 1948.[5]
| No. | Description | Manufacturer | Year | Current organisation | Location | Status | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1709 | 4-4-0 Passenger | Vulcan Foundry | 1887 | Transport Heritage NSW | Thirlmere | Static |
See also
References
- ^ Preston, Ron G (1984). Tender into Tank. Sydney: New South Wales Rail Transport Museum. pp. 11–57. ISBN 0-909862-18-4.
- ^ a b Grunbach, Alex (1989). A Compendium of New South Wales Steam Locomotives. Sydney: Australian Railway Historical Society, NSW Division. pp. 41–45. ISBN 0-909650-27-6.
- ^ New South Wales Railways 1855-1955. Published by Department of Railways
- ^ Grunbach, Alex (1989). A Compendium of New South Wales Steam Locomotives. Sydney: Australian Railway Historical Society, NSW Division. p. 87. ISBN 0-909650-27-6.
- ^ Oberg, Leon (1984). Locomotives of Australia 1850's - 1980's. Frenchs Forest: Reed Books. p. 56. ISBN 0-730100-05-7.
- ^ Locomotive, steam 1709 Department of Heritage & Environment
- ^ "140th Celebrations Ready to Roll" Railway Digest October 1995 page 8
Further reading
- "Vulcan Foundry locomotive list". Retrieved 17 June 2008.
- Full Steam across the Mountains by Phil Belpin
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This page was last edited on 13 June 2023, at 03:32