The WAGR E class were a class of

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 ...

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 built for 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) by English manufacturers Nasmyth, Wilson & Co,

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 ...

and

North British Locomotive Company The North British Locomotive Company (NBL, NB Loco or North British) was created in 1903 through the merger of three Glasgow locomotive manufacturing companies; Sharp, Stewart and Company (Atlas Works), Neilson, Reid and Company (Hyde Park Wor ...

, from 1902. The locomotives provided a huge increase in locomotive power available to the WAGR and were the mainstay traction of WAGR passenger services for two decades. The Es class was the name given to a reconstruction of all but four of the class carried out between 1924 and 1925.

Background

In the early 20th century, the WAGR was using a wide range of locomotives for a variety of operational roles. One type of locomotive lacking, however, was a dedicated long-distance of express passenger locomotive. The

R class R class or Class R may refer to: Locomotives * LCDR R class, a British steam locomotive class *NER Class R, a British steam locomotive class *NZR R class, a type of New Zealand steam locomotive *Rhymney Railway R class, class of tank locomotive * V ...

engines of 1897 had not proved appropriate for the steep gradients made necessary by the crossing of the

Darling Scarp The Darling Scarp, also referred to as the Darling Range or Darling Ranges, is a low escarpment running north–south to the east of the Swan Coastal Plain and Perth, Western Australia. The escarpment extends generally north of Bindoon, to th ...

, due to their lack of power. In 1900, orders were placed with British manufacturers, Nasmyth, Wilson & Co and

for forty-five

locomotives. These became the WAGR E class locomotives and were the first 4-6-2 locomotives in Australia. A further 20 were ordered in April 1911 from the

History

Due to slow delivery times by the British companies as a result of full-order books and a preference for larger orders, twenty modified E class locomotives were ordered from the 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 ...

and became the

WAGR Ec class The WAGR Ec class was a class of 4-6-2 heavy passenger and goods Vauclain compound locomotives operated by the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) between 1901 and 1958. History A total of 20 Ec class engines were built by Baldwin L ...

. They differed from the E class in that they were

compound engine A compound engine is an engine that has more than one stage for recovering energy from the same working fluid, with the exhaust from the first stage passing through the second stage, and in some cases then on to another subsequent stage or even s ...

s. The E class eventually totalled 65, with 15 examples being built by Nasmyth, Wilson, 30 by Vulcan Foundry and 20 by North British. The first fifteen entered service in 1903/04 and were successful from the outset, providing a much needed boost to WAGR locomotive power. In 1924/25, all except 306, 336, 338 and 353 were rebuilt with superheated boilers and reclassified as the Es class. The E and Es class revolutionised the long-distance travel between

Perth Perth is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth most populous city in Aust ...

and Kalgoolie. They were later replaced on this service by the P class in 1924. In 1934, 336 and 346 underwent a weight reduction programme to allow them to operate on lightly laid lines. They were reclassified as the Ea class, being converted back in 1939. In 1945 the chassis, cylinders and wheels of eight Es class were used in the building of the Dm class. The last was withdrawn in October 1963. Es308 has been preserved at the

Western Australian Rail Transport Museum The Railway Museum, also known as the Rail Transport Museum, is situated in Bassendean, Western Australia. It is run by the Western Australian division of the Australian Railway Historical Society The Australian Railway Historical Society ...

.E and Es Pacific Type Steam Locomotives
Railway Heritage WA

Namesakes

The E class designation was previously used for the E class locomotives that were withdrawn in the 1890s. It was reused in the 1960s when an E class diesel locomotive was acquired with the

Midland Railway of Western Australia The Midland Railway of Western Australia (MRWA) was a railway company that built and operated the Midland line in Western Australia. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange. Although having its headquarters in London, it had no association ...

References

External links

{{WAGR Locomotives Nasmyth, Wilson and Company locomotives NBL locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1903 E WAGR class Vulcan Foundry locomotives 3 ft 6 in gauge locomotives of Australia 4-6-2 locomotives Passenger locomotives

Background

History

Namesakes

See also

References

External links