Beyer Peacock     Works No 4471   Class C30T    3028T      4-6-0        NSW Government Railway, Australia       Gauge 4ft 8½in

Weight – Locomotive54t
Driving Wheels4ft 7ins
Boiler Pressure160psi
CylindersOutside – 19in x 24in
Tractive Effort21,424lbf

This locomotive was originally built by Beyer Peacock in Manchester in 1904 as a 4-6-4T tank engine which became part of the C30 class. It was one of the first batch of 35 locomotives of the S636 class for the New South Wales Government Railway (NSWGR). This batch entered service in 1903/04. Between 1905 and 1917 Beyer Peacock built a further 60 locomotives and the NSWGR constructed 50 at their Eveleigh Railway Workshop at Redfern in the Sydney suburbs.

The 145 locomotives were reclassified as C30 in 1924. At the same time this locomotive was renumbered from S663 to 3028.

The locomotives were designed to haul the growing traffic on the Sydney suburb services and especially over the heavy gradients on the Northern, Northern Shore and Illawarra lines.

The Sydney railway network was electrified from the mid 1920s which resulted in the locomotives being no longer required to perform the tasks for which they were designed. As the locomotives were regarded as too valuable to scrap 77 locomotives, including this one, were rebuilt as 4-6-0 locomotives.

The rebuild took place between 1928 and 1933 and the locomotives were attached to tenders from older locomotives that they replaced. The first locomotive to be converted was delivered by Clyde Engineering in August 1928 and that company went on to rebuild another nine 4-6-0 locomotives. The rest of the conversions were undertaken at the NSWGR workshops at Eveleigh.

The rebuilt locomotives became the C30T class with the T denoting tender engines to differentiate them from the original 4-6-4 tank engines. The T was only used on official correspondence and was not added to the number on the locomotive.

The rebuilt locomotives replaced various older 4-4-0 and 2-6-0 locomotives allocated to country depots. Many of the C30T engines were fitted with tenders from the locomotives they replaced.

This locomotive was not one of the 29 members of the class that were fitted with superheaters between 1940 and 1957. This work included fitting new cylinders with piston valves and extended smokeboxes. Most of the these were fitted with riveted on extensions to their smokeboxes. Some were given entirely new extended smokeboxes fully supported by the frames, giving these few a more modern, purposeful look.

In their heyday, they could be found working almost every light branch line in New South Wales. Even in the final years of steam power, they could still be found well spread over the state in such places as Temora, Griffith, Cowra, Dubbo and Narrabri West.

The first member of the class was withdrawn from service in December 1958 but the last remained in service until August 1972. The final locomotive in service (3090) was built to the Beyer Peacock design at the NSWGR Eveleigh Workshops.

This locomotive spent some of its later time in service based at Dubbo where it was employed as a shunter.

Following its withdrawal from service the locomotive was one of many withdrawn steam locomotives placed in sidings at Enfield.

The locomotive was then purchased for preservation and spent some time in store at Rhondda Colliery before being taken to Glenreagh. It was one of the locomotives used to haul a  train from Glenreagh to Dorrigo as part of the re-opening of the Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum in 1986. The locomotive has been stored in the yard at Dorrigo since then.

Four other members of the C30T class built by Beyer Peacock are preserved.

Three members of the C30 class built by Beyer Peacock are preserved.

There are also two class C30T locomotives preserved which were built at the Eveleigh Railway workshops.

  • 3075 – Works number 42
  • 3090 – Works number 57

There are also two class C30 locomotives preserved which were built at the Eveleigh Railway workshops.

  • 3085 – Works number 52
  • 3137 – Works number 134

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