14 long tons 6 cwt (32,000 lb or 14.5 t)[2] 1904 diagram: 13 long tons 10 cwt (30,200 lb or 13.7 t)[1] 1914 diagram: 13 long tons 12 cwt (30,500 lb or 13.8 t)[3]
Loco weight
37 long tons 2 cwt (83,100 lb or 37.7 t)[2] 1904 diagram: 35 long tons 6 cwt 2 qr (79,130 lb or 35.89 t)[1] 1914 diagram: 36 long tons 10 cwt (81,800 lb or 37.1 t)[3]
Tender weight
26 long tons 0 cwt (58,200 lb or 26.4 t)[2] 1914 diagram: 26 long tons 7 cwt 2 qr (59,080 lb or 26.8 t)[3]
Total weight
63 long tons 2 cwt (141,300 lb or 64.1 t)[2] 1904 diagram: 61 long tons 6 cwt 2 qr (137,370 lb or 62.31 t)[1] 1914 diagram: 62 long tons 17 cwt 2 qr (140,840 lb or 63.88 t)[3]
Fuel capacity
Rebuilt 1865: 70 long cwt (7,800 lb or 3,600 kg)[2]
Water cap.
1,400 imp gal (6,400 L; 1,700 US gal)[2] Rebuilt 1865: 1,915 imp gal (8,710 L; 2,300 US gal)[2] 1904 diagram: 2,150 imp gal (9,800 L; 2,580 US gal)[1] 1914 diagram: 2,100 imp gal (9,500 L; 2,500 US gal)[3]
Numbers at delivery: 32-51, 64-69, 82-87 (never ran with these), Numbers in service: 46-96, 102-112, 186-188 (even only)
Nicknames
Overarmers
Delivered
1861
First run
July 1862
Last run
9 June 1917 (54.9 years)
Withdrawn
1884 - 1917
Disposition
All scrapped
The Victorian Railways B class was a class of 2-4-0 passenger locomotives operated by the Victorian Railways (VR) between 1862 and 1917, built by various builders. The B class locomotives are regarded as the first mainline VR motive power, and were highly successful in passenger operations.[4]
History
Victorian Railways initially numbered passenger and goods locomotives separately, the engines were delivered with numbers 32–51, 64–69, 82–87. This system was changed before these locos entered service to odd numbers for goods locomotives and even numbers for passenger locos with these locomotives taking the even numbers 46–96, 102–112, 186–188.[5] This odd and even system remained in use until 1912. In 1886, they were allocated to Class B.
Production
The first order for seven locomotives was placed with R and W Hawthorn in February 1861 and in April 1861 for seven locomotives of the same design with Beyer, Peacock & Company. These were extended to, a further six from Hawthorn in October 1861 and a further six from Beyer Peacock in January 1862. The thirteen locomotives built by Beyer Peacock (builder's numbers 231–237, 261–266) arrived in Port Phillip mid 1862, while the thirteen locomotives built by Hawthorn (B/n 1138–1144, 1155–1160) arrived in Port Phillip late 1862[5].
In June 1871, further order for six locomotives was placed with Beyer Peacock (B/n 1034–1039) which arrived May 1972. The average of the imported locos was a cost of £3688-13-9 each[5].
A further two were locally built by the Phoenix Foundry of Ballarat in 1880 (B/n 65–66).[5]
Design features
The B class locomotives were easily recognisable by their use of external frames and bearings, with coupling rods mounted outside the frames, earning them the nickname "overarmers".
They featured an unusual design of firebox, which had two separate chambers, each with its own firedoor, divided by a water space that effectively acted as a thermic syphon, and joined at the tubeplate. The two fireboxes were designed to be worked separately, with one fire being built while the other was burning. That configuration was designed to extract the maximum heat from the wood fuels the VR used in its early years. However, the last two locomotives, built in the 1880s, had a conventional single firebox.[4]
They used a 2-4-0 wheel arrangement, which provided greater traction on the new, more heavily graded Geelong–Ballarat railway and the Melbourne-Bendigo-Echuca railway, as opposed to the 2-2-2 arrangement previously selected for the relatively level Geelong line
Regular service
The Sydney Express circa 1900, with a New A class locomotive leading a B class locomotive
None of the locomotives had arrived in time for the opening of the Geelong to Ballarat line in April 1862, and passenger services on the line had to be worked by suburban saddle tank locomotives (later designated as L class) until the arrival of the first of these new main line locomotives in July 1862[6][7].
They were initially used on passenger trains to cope with the steeper 1 in 50 grades of the Geelong–Ballarat railway, the Melbourne-Ballarat railway and the Melbourne-Bendigo-Echuca railway[8].
B50 was selected to haul the first Victorian Railways Royal Train in 1867,[9] taking Prince Alfred Duke of Edinburgh to Ballarat, Bendigo and Castlemaine. The Royal Train was recorded running the 45 miles (72 km) between Melbourne and Geelong in as little as 52 minutes.[10]
B88 had the honour of leading the first VR train to Albury on 14 June 1883[4].
In 1894, they were allocated; two at Stawell; six at Melbourne; five at Bendigo; three at Geelong; six at Ballarat; four at Benalla; three at Seymour; and three stored[5].
While the B class locomotives were highly successful on the expensively engineered 1860s mainlines for which they were designed, they were less suited for the more cheaply built extensions to the VR system.[11] Future VR express passenger locomotives were to use a four-wheel leading bogie to steer the locomotive, and from 1884, a class of 4-4-0 locomotives (later classed 'Old A') began to supplement, and eventually supersede the B class. Despite the delivery of the Old A, and the later and increasingly larger 'New A' and AA class 4-4-0s of 1889 and 1900 respectively, the entire B class (other than a couple of accident write-offs) lasted into the 20th century, with their roles ranging from double heading on express passenger trains to shunting duties. The last two in service (B56 & B76) spent their final days shunting carriages at Spencer Street Station and North Melbourne yards, and were withdrawn for scrapping in May and June 1917.[4]
Design improvements
Over the years they were fitted with various alterations to the cabs. There were also various upgrades over the years; with constant improvements to safety — these including things like updates to safety valves (and domes), smokeboxs and chimneys (with spark arrestors), cowcatchers, and brakes.
B 50 and B 108 were used in comparative trials of the Woods hydraulic brake and the Westinghouseair brake systems in January 1884, leading to the Westinghouse system being adopted as the standard[5].
During the 1880s, the boiler pressure of the locomotives was increased from 130 psi (900 kPa) to 140 psi (970 kPa),[4] and their cylinder bore was increased from 16 to 17 inches (410 to 430 mm), with those rebuilt after 1896 being fitted with 17.5 inches (440 mm) cylinders.[5] These changes led to considerably increased tractive effort.
Accidents
1860's - B78 ran away on Warrenheip Bank and through dead end Ballarat[5]
c.November 1876 - B82 cut rail in halves without derailing[5]
13 April 1904 - B110 derailed when it pushed a rake of coal wagons off the end of the coal stage at Seymour and was left suspended by its tender, resting on the wreckage of the wagons below[12][5]
Demise
B82 & B92 were accident write-offs in 1884[5].
The remainder were withdrawn between 1904 and 1917[5].
An unknown boiler from either a B or O class was used until 1941 to power refrigeration plant at Spencer Street where ice was made for T vans.[5]
Dee; et al. (1981). Power Parade. Melbourne: VicRail Public Relations Division. p. 5. ISBN0-7241-3323-2.
Cave, Norman; Buckland, John; Beardsell, David (2002). "Chapter 5". Steam Locomotives of the Victorian Railways. Vol. 1: The First Fifty Years. Melbourne, Vic: ARHS Victoria Division. pp. 37–52. ISBN1876677384.
Specific
^ abcdefghijklmnVictorian Railways Rolling Stock Branch: Diagrams & Particulars of Locomotives, Cars, Vans & Trucks (1904 ed.). Vic: Victorian Railways. 1904. p. 2.
^ abcdefghijklmCave, Norman; Buckland, John; Beardsell, David (2002). Steam Locomotives of the Victorian Railways. Vol. 1: The First Fifty Years. Melbourne, Vic: ARHS Victoria Division. p. 50. ISBN1876677384.
^ abcdefVictorian Railways Rolling Stock Branch: Diagrams & Particulars of Locomotives, Cars, Vans & Trucks (1914 ed.). Vic: Victorian Railwaysas reproduced by the ARHS Victoria Division in 2008. 1914. p. 9. ISBN9781920892173.
^ abcdeOberg, Leon (2010). Locomotives of Australia 1854–2010 (5th ed.). Dural, NSW: Rosenberg Publishing. p. 24. ISBN978-1921719011.
^Cave, Norman; Buckland, John; Beardsell, David (2002). Steam Locomotives of the Victorian Railways. Vol. 1: The First Fifty Years. Melbourne, Vic: ARHS Victoria Division. pp. 37–38. ISBN1876677384.
^Oberg, Leon (2010). Locomotives of Australia 1854–2010 (5th ed.). Dural, NSW: Rosenberg Publishing. p. 21. ISBN978-1921719011.
^Cave, Norman; Buckland, John; Beardsell, David (2002). Steam Locomotives of the Victorian Railways. Vol. 1: The First Fifty Years. Melbourne, Vic: ARHS Victoria Division. p. 27. ISBN1876677384.
^Hartigan, Leo J. (1962). Victorian Railways to '62. Victorian Railways Public Relations and Betterment Board. p. 269.
^Cave, Norman; Buckland, John; Beardsell, David (2002). Steam Locomotives of the Victorian Railways. Vol. 1: The First Fifty Years. Melbourne, Vic: ARHS Victoria Division. p. 118. ISBN1876677384.
