Victorian Railways J Class (1954)
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The Victorian Railways J class is a
branch line A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Branch lines may serve one or more industries, or a city or town not located ...
steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, Fuel oil, oil or, rarely, Wood fuel, wood) to heat ...
operated by the
Victorian Railways The Victorian Railways (VR), trading from 1974 as VicRail, was the state-owned operator of most rail transport in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companie ...
(VR) between 1954 and 1972. A development of the successful
Victorian Railways K class The K class is a branch line steam locomotive that ran on Victorian Railways in Australia from 1922 to 1979. Although its design was entirely conventional and its specifications unremarkable, the K class was in practice a remarkably versatile a ...
2-8-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels. ...
, it was the last new class of steam locomotive introduced on the VR. Introduced almost concurrently with the
diesel-electric locomotive A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the power source is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving whee ...
s that ultimately superseded them, the locomotives were only in service for a relatively short time.


History

During the early 1950s, the
Victorian Railways The Victorian Railways (VR), trading from 1974 as VicRail, was the state-owned operator of most rail transport in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companie ...
(VR) embarked on a massive upgrading of its ageing locomotive fleet as part of Operation Phoenix, an £80 million program to rebuild a network badly run down by years of underinvestment during the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
, and the heavy workload imposed by
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Victoria's branch line railway network, laid with
rail Rail or rails may refer to: Rail transport *Rail transport and related matters *Railway track or railway lines, the running surface of a railway Arts and media Film * ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini * ''Rail'' (1967 fil ...
and featuring gradients of up to 1 in 30 (3.33 %), was still largely served by the D1, D2 and D3 variants of the once 261-strong 1902-era Dd class
4-6-0 A 4-6-0 steam locomotive, under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement, has four leading wheels on two axles in a leading bogie and six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles with the abs ...
which, by the early 1950s, were at the end of their life. The new J class locomotives were supplemented by 53 K class locomotives, some of which had been built as recently as 1946. Although highly successful, K class locomotives were unsuitable for
conversion Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''The Convert'', a 2023 film produced by Jump Film & Television and Brouhaha Entertainment * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * ...
from to in the event of the Victorian network being standardised, and VR policy was for all new locomotives to be engineered for easy conversion. Consequently, the building of further K class was not a feasible option. With mainline
electric Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...
and diesel-electric locomotives already on order, the VR design team opted for an updated, gauge-convertible K class, which would turn out to be their final steam locomotive design.


Design features

The key problem with the K class design was the placement of the firebox between the locomotive frame and rear
driving wheel On a steam locomotive, a driving wheel is a powered wheel which is driven by the locomotive's pistons (or turbine, in the case of a steam turbine locomotive). On a conventional, non-articulated locomotive, the driving wheels are all coupled t ...
s, making conversion to a narrower gauge impossible without a radical redesign of the firebox. A previous attempt to develop a gauge-convertible K class, the N class, utilised a
2-8-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and two trailing wh ...
wheel arrangement and positioned the firebox above the frames and behind the driving wheels. However, the extra length of those locomotives (being a total long) made them unsuitable for a number of branch lines where only a
turntable A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration waveforms are recorded as corresponding phys ...
was available. The J class adopted an alternative approach to the problem by employing a high-set boiler (with the boiler centre above rail level, compared with for the K class) setting the firebox above the frames and driving wheels, and retaining the K class' short wheelbase. The J class also featured a number of other design advances over the K class. It had a larger grate, enabling grate sections to be compatible with those of the N class and permitting an increase in firebox volume sufficient to allow two arch tubes to be installed. Another innovation was the use of a regulator valve incorporating a centrifugal steam separator (to draw away any water and thus provide the driest steam), rather than the simpler (though extremely reliable) D regulator valve used in the K class. The J class also featured substantially redesigned cylinder porting to improve steam flow and efficiency. The innovative SCOA-P type driving wheel centre developed for the
Victorian Railways R class The R class is an express passenger steam locomotive that ran on Australia's Victorian Railways (VR) from 1951 to 1974. A much-needed replacement for the 1907-era Victorian Railways A2 class, A2 class 4-6-0, their development and construction wa ...
was adapted for the diameter J class drivers. The high-set boiler, together with the German-style
smoke deflector Smoke deflectors, sometimes called "blinkers" in the UK because of their strong resemblance to the blinkers used on horses, and "elephant ears" in US railway slang, are vertical plates attached to each side of the smokebox at the front of a ...
s, gave the J class a distinctly European appearance.


Production

A total of fifty J class locomotives were initially ordered from the
Vulcan Foundry The Vulcan Foundry Limited was an English locomotive builder sited at Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire (now Merseyside). History The Vulcan Foundry opened in 1832, as Charles Tayleur and Company to produce girders for bridges, switches, crossi ...
in
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
, England. However, the VR reassessed its motive power requirements and opted to sell 10 of its brand-new, second-generation N class locomotives to the
South Australian Railways South Australian Railways (SAR) was the organisation through which the Government of South Australia built and operated railways in South Australia from 1854 until March 1978, when its non-urban railways were incorporated into Australian Natio ...
, and increased the J class order to 60. At the time of order, the per-unit cost of the locomotives was £36,000 ( $72,000) each. With fluctuating oil prices and an unreliable supply of coal in the early 1950s, the VR appeared to take something of a bet either way, ordering thirty of the class as coal burners and thirty as oil burners. By the time the contract for the J class had been awarded, the VR had already begun to receive deliveries of the B class mainline diesel-electric locomotives, and it unsuccessfully attempted to cancel the J class contract in favour of an order for branch line diesel locomotives.


Service

The J class was introduced for both passenger and goods traffic on Victoria's branch line network, with a maximum permissible speed of 45 mph (72 km/h), later raised to 50 mph (80 km/h).
Dynamometer car A dynamometer car is a railroad maintenance of way car used for measuring various aspects of a locomotive's performance. Measurements include tractive effort (pulling force), power, top speed, etc. History The first dynamometer car was probably ...
tests showed the locomotive developed at the drawbar at around 20–25 mph (32–40 km/h), which suited the relatively low speed limits of much of the Victorian branch line network. Coal-fired J class locomotives were the regular engine on the 09:00
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
to
Yarram Yarram (formerly Yarram Yarram) is a town in the Shire of Wellington, Victoria, Australia, located in the southeast of Gippsland. At the , the population of the town was . Nearby towns include Welshpool, Alberton and Foster. Etymology The term ...
passenger service, with other duties being from Lilydale to Warburton and local services from
Spencer Street Spencer Street is a major street and thoroughfare in the Melbourne central business district, Victoria, Australia. The street was gazetted in 1837 as the westernmost boundary of the Hoddle Grid. Spencer Street is named for John Spencer, forme ...
to
Werribee Werribee is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the local government area of the City of Wyndham. Werribee recorded a population of 50,027 at the 2021 census. Werrib ...
. The oil-fired J was also pressed into service hauling the final leg of '' The Gippslander'' express from Sale to
Bairnsdale Bairnsdale (locally ) (Gunai language, Ganai: ''Wy-yung'') is a city in East Gippsland, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, situated in a region traditionally inhabited by the Tatungalung clan of the Gunaikurnai people. The estimated popu ...
. In their later years, J class locomotives also ran the
Horsham Horsham () is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...
to
Dimboola Dimboola is a town in the Shire of Hindmarsh in the Wimmera region of western Victoria, Australia, 334 kilometres north-west of Melbourne. History Situated on the Wimmera River, Dimboola was previously known as 'Nine Creeks'. Following a survey ...
leg of the morning service from Melbourne, one of the last regular steam-hauled passenger train services in Victoria. Although J class locomotives produced the same nominal
tractive effort In railway engineering, the term tractive effort describes the pulling or pushing capability of a locomotive. The published tractive force value for any vehicle may be theoretical—that is, calculated from known or implied mechanical proper ...
as the K or N class, they had a slightly higher adhesive weight (and so a better
factor of adhesion An adhesion railway relies on adhesion traction to move the train, and is the most widespread and common type of railway in the world. Adhesion traction is the friction between the drive wheels and the steel rail. Since the vast majority of railw ...
) and were permitted to haul heavier loads on gradients. They could be found in goods service on branch lines across the state, but were also found on mainlines, running roadside goods services. Within a year of the introduction of the J class, the T class diesel electric locomotive was also introduced. Although the VR did not publicly indicate the T was intended to replace the J class, the T class proved to be such a successful design that further orders of that locomotive class were made during the late 1950s and 1960s, and T class units gradually displaced the J class from many of the latter's normal duties.


Design Improvements

Together with the K and N classes, the J class had its boiler pressure raised in the early 1960s from , which raised their nominal tractive effort to . Following recommendations from the 1957 Australian and New Zealand Railway Conference, locomotive J546 was selected for the installation of a Laidlaw-Drew oil firing system in place of the convention weir-type burner. However, the locomotive was found to steam poorly under load using the Laidlaw-Drew system and was converted back to weir burner operation. No further locomotives were converted.


Demise

By the late 1960s, the J class was largely relegated to shunting at various country yards, with many losing their cowcatchers and gaining shunter's steps on sides of the tender. The introduction of the Y class diesel electrics saw the J class even superseded in that role and, in November 1967, J523 became the first J class to be scrapped. Scrappings continued until June 1978, with J538 the last to go. J550 holds the distinction of being the very last steam locomotive in normal revenue service on the Victorian Railways, being rostered on the 6 a.m.
Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is an Australian city in north-central Victoria. The city is located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2022, Bendigo has a popula ...
pilot on 25 May 1972.


Accidents and incidents

* At around midnight on January 15, 1966, J class #J503 had rear-ended N class #N476 causing the N476 to crash through the shed wall of the depot. N476 was damaged beyond repair and was scrapped after the wreck while J503 had survived.


Preservation

The J class lasted as a complete class later than any other VR steam locomotive class. By the time that J class scrapping commenced, interest in railway preservation was sufficient for eleven examples to be preserved.


Operational

*J549: Owned and operated by the
Victorian Goldfields Railway The Victorian Goldfields Railway is a Victorian broad gauge, broad gauge Heritage railway, tourist railway in Victoria, Australia. It operates along a formerly disused branch line between the towns of Maldon, Victoria, Maldon and Castlemaine, V ...
, the locomotive was out of service between March 2004 and October 2013, undergoing a major overhaul. It underwent load trials along the Maldon branch line on 21 October 2013, and its first public outing was on 26 October 2013. The official re-launch of the engine was held on 27 January 2014. The Locomotive was withdrawn in November 2022 for a major overhaul and repairs carried out at Castlemaine. The Locomotive returned to service on 11th May 2024 after 493 days undergoing overhaul, hauling the Victorian Colonial Express


Under Restoration

*J515: Owned by
Seymour Railway Heritage Centre The Seymour Railway Heritage Centre (SRHC) is a railway preservation group based in Seymour, Victoria, Seymour, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The volunteer non-profit incorporated association was established in 1983 as the Seymour ...
and loaned to
Victorian Goldfields Railway The Victorian Goldfields Railway is a Victorian broad gauge, broad gauge Heritage railway, tourist railway in Victoria, Australia. It operates along a formerly disused branch line between the towns of Maldon, Victoria, Maldon and Castlemaine, V ...
in December 2006, it was returned to service April 2012 after two years out of traffic due to boiler repairs. It was returned to Seymour Railway Heritage Centre in January 2015 for an overhaul. *J541: Transferred to
Newport Workshops The Newport Railway Workshops is a facility in the Melbourne suburb of Newport, Victoria, Newport, Australia, that builds, maintains and refurbishes Rolling stock, railway rollingstock. It is located between the Williamstown railway line, Willia ...
April 2012, after its lease to
Victorian Goldfields Railway The Victorian Goldfields Railway is a Victorian broad gauge, broad gauge Heritage railway, tourist railway in Victoria, Australia. It operates along a formerly disused branch line between the towns of Maldon, Victoria, Maldon and Castlemaine, V ...
ended. Whilst at Newport Workshops, repairs and maintenance was to be carried out by
Steamrail Victoria Steamrail Victoria is a not-for-profit volunteer group established in 1965 to restore and operate historic locomotives and rolling stock used on the Rail transport in Victoria, railways in Victoria, Australia. The main depot of the group is at ...
, prior to its transfer to a new home at Yarra Valley Tourist Railway. It is owned by a private syndicate, which includes Yarra Valley Railway members and the railway itself.


Static

*J507 is plinthed at
Mulwala Mulwala (locally , elsewhere also ) is a town in the Federation Council local government area in the Riverina district of New South Wales, Australia. Situated on Lake Mulwala, an artificial lake formed by the damming of the Murray River, it fo ...
,
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
. This is the only Broad Gauge Australian Steam Locomotive outside Victoria and South Australia that is still Broad Gauge. *J512 is owned by
Seymour Railway Heritage Centre The Seymour Railway Heritage Centre (SRHC) is a railway preservation group based in Seymour, Victoria, Seymour, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The volunteer non-profit incorporated association was established in 1983 as the Seymour ...
and is awaiting restoration. As part of the restoration, it is to be converted from broad to standard gauge. , the engine frames had been converted. *J516 is owned by the Yarra Valley Tourist Railway. In June 2009, it was being stripped down for a restoration assessment. *J524 is plinthed at
Donald Donald is a Scottish masculine given name. It is derived from the Gaelic name ''Dòmhnall''.. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *''Dumno-ualos'' ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder"). The final -''d'' in ''Donald'' is partly derived from a misinter ...
. *J536 was plinthed at Colac station until 1998. It was acquired by West Coast Railway (WCR) in 1997 and taken to
Ballarat East Ballarat East is a suburb of Ballarat in Victoria, Australia. From 1857 until 1921 the suburb had its own council (see below). The suburb covers a large area east of the city centre. It is the oldest urban area in Ballarat and was the site of ma ...
for restoration. Following the demise of WCR, the loco was sold to heritage group 707 Operations for eventual restoration to operating service, and moved to
Newport Workshops The Newport Railway Workshops is a facility in the Melbourne suburb of Newport, Victoria, Newport, Australia, that builds, maintains and refurbishes Rolling stock, railway rollingstock. It is located between the Williamstown railway line, Willia ...
. *J539 is plinthed at
Dimboola Dimboola is a town in the Shire of Hindmarsh in the Wimmera region of western Victoria, Australia, 334 kilometres north-west of Melbourne. History Situated on the Wimmera River, Dimboola was previously known as 'Nine Creeks'. Following a survey ...
*J550 was plinthed at
Warragul Warragul () is a town in Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne. Warragul lies between the Strzelecki Ranges to the south and the Mount Baw Baw Plateau of the Great Dividing Range to the north. As of the , the town had a population of ...
until 24 March 2013. It is now on public display at
Noojee Noojee is a town in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia, north of Warragul and east of Melbourne, in the Baw Baw local government area. At the 2016 census, Noojee and the surrounding area had a population of 157. The town benefits from ...
, ahead of a planned restoration to working order. *J556, is preserved at the
Newport Railway Museum The Newport Railway Museum is located on Champion Road, Newport, Victoria, near the North Williamstown railway station, North Williamstown station. History The museum opened on 10 November 1962, after the Australian Railway Historical Society (A ...
in
Newport, Victoria Newport is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Hobsons Bay local government area. Newport recorded a population of 13,658 at the 2021 census. Ne ...
, wearing the historically significant plates of scrapped J559, the last steam locomotive to enter service on the VR.


References


External links


Details and further photographs of J class locomotives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Victorian Railways J Class 1954 1′D locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1954 Preserved steam locomotives of Australia Broad gauge locomotives in Australia J class 1954 Vulcan Foundry locomotives Passenger locomotives Freight locomotives