The WAGR C class was a class of light

axle load An axle or axletree is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear. On wheeled vehicles, the axle may be fixed to the wheels, rotating with them, or fixed to the vehicle, with the wheels rotating around the axle. In the former case, bearin ...

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, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the loco ...

s operated by the

Western Australian Government Railways Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) was the operator of railway services in the state of Western Australia between October 1890 and June 2003. Owned by the state government, it was renamed a number of times to reflect extra respons ...

(WAGR) between 1902 and 1961. A total of 22 were built in two batches.

History

The first batch of 12 engines was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works,

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

in 1902. This batch was originally of a 4-6-0

wheel arrangement In rail transport, a wheel arrangement or wheel configuration is a system of classifying the way in which wheels are distributed under a locomotive. Several notations exist to describe the wheel assemblies of a locomotive by type, position, and ...

, and was a lighter version of the Ec class, gaining them the ''Baby Yanks'' nickname. Between 1908 and 1918 these were fitted with larger, improved boilers and converted to a

4-6-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and two trailing wheels on one axle. The loco ...

configuration. A second batch of 10 engines was built by the WAGR's

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in 1915, to the modified 4-6-2 design. They entered service on mixed passenger and mail services on the Eastern,

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and Great Southern lines. They later operated on the Northern and South Western lines. Seventeen members of the class were later fitted with

superheater A superheater is a device used to convert saturated steam or wet steam into superheated steam or dry steam. Superheated steam is used in steam turbines for electricity generation, steam engines, and in processes such as steam reforming. There ar ...

s and reclassified as the Cs class with the first completed in June 1929. In the 1940s, five received new frames. Four of these, Cs270 '' Black Butt'', Cs432 ''Marri'', Cs439 ''

Banksia ''Banksia'' is a genus of around 170 species in the plant family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes, and fruiting "cones" and heads. ''Banksias'' rang ...

'' and Cs440 '' Jarrah'' were transferred to the Railway Department Sawmill at Banksiadale in the early 1950s and named. All were included in the sale of the timber mill to

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Building Supplies in October 1961. After being replaced by road transport, all were scrapped at Subiaco in June 1964.

Namesakes

The C class designation was previously used for the C class locomotives that were withdrawn in 1902. It was reused in the 1960s when the C class diesel locomotives entered service.

References

Notes

Cited works

External links