Queensland Railways B15 class
B15con 290 working as a shunter in Rockhampton c.1966
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderNasmyth, Wilson & Co (15)
Evans, Anderson, Phelan & Co (21)
Yorkshire Engine Company (10)
Walkers Limited (52)
Build date1889-1899
Total produced98
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte4-6-0
Gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Driver dia.3 ft 0 in (914 mm) (as built)
3 ft 9 in (1,143 mm) (replacements)
Length45 ft 7 in (13.89 m)
Fuel typeCoal
Cylinders2
Cylinder size15 in (381 mm)
Valve gearStephenson
Career
OperatorsQueensland Railways
Numbers3, 23, 42, 54, 95, 205-219, 235-244, 270-280, 289-338, 341-346, 539
Preserved290, 299
Disposition2 preserved, 96 scrapped

The Queensland Railways B15 class locomotive is an old class of 4-6-0 engines operated by the Queensland Railways.

History

In 1889 the first B15 class locomotives built by Nasmyth, Wilson & Co entered service. Further orders from Evans, Anderson, Phelan & Co, Yorkshire Engine Company and Walkers Limited saw the class total of 92 engines by 1899. Per Queensland Railway's classification system they were designated the B15 class engine, B representing they had three driving axles, and 15-inch (381 mm) diameter cylinders. A further six engines were acquired In 1919 when the Queensland Railways took over the Chillagoe Railway & Mining Co.[1][2][3]

Problems with broken rails saw three sets of 45-inch (1,143 mm) driving wheels acquired from the South Australian Railways and fitted to 336 at North Ipswich Railway Workshops in November 1900. Judged a success, most others were fitted over the next 30 years. They spent most of their life operating out of Cairns.[1][2][3][4]

Preservation

Two examples are preserved.

References

  1. ^ a b Armstrong, John (1985). Locomotives in the Tropics Volume 1. Brisbane: Australian Railway Historical Society. pp. 58–63, 101, 102. ISBN 0 909937 13 3.
  2. ^ a b Turner, Jim (1997). Australian Steam Locomotives 1896-1958. Kenthurst: Kangaroo Press. p. 22. ISBN 086417778X.
  3. ^ a b Oberg, Leon (2010). Locomotives of Australia 1850s-2010. Dural: Rosenberg Publishing. pp. 86/87. ISBN 9781921719011.
  4. ^ a b Clark, Peter (2012). An Australian Locomotive Guide. Rosenberg Publishing. p. 50. ISBN 9781921719554.
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