The WAGR Ec class was 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 locomoti ...

heavy passenger and goods

Vauclain compound The Vauclain compound was a type of compound steam locomotive that was briefly popular from the early 1890’s to the mid-1900’s. Developed by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, it featured two pistons moving in parallel, driving a common crosshead ...

locomotive A locomotive is a rail transport, rail vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, Push–pull train, push–pull operation has become common, and in the pursuit for ...

s operated by the

Western Australian Government Railways Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) was the state owned operator of railways 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 respon ...

(WAGR) between 1901 and 1958.

History

A total of 20 Ec class engines were built by

Baldwin Locomotive Works The Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railway locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, Eddystone in the early 20th century. The com ...

, Philadelphia, in the first half of 1901, and entered service with the WAGR later that year. The following year, Baldwin built the first of two batches of the C class, a lighter version of the Ec class. Initially, the Ec class' main task was to haul heavy trains on the

Eastern Goldfields Railway The Eastern Goldfields Railway, was built in the 1890s by the Western Australian Government Railways to connect Perth with the Eastern Goldfields at Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie. It is a part of the interstate standard gauge railway between Per ...

. Between 1920 and 1923, nine Ec class engines were lightened for use on the lightly laid Northam to Mullewa line, and reclassified as the Eca class. All 20 were withdrawn between 1923 and 1925, with the frames, wheels, cabs and tenders married with new boilers, cylinders and valve gear at

Midland Railway Workshops The Midland Railway Workshops in Midland, Western Australia, were the main workshops for the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) for over 80 years, (1904-1994). History The first railway workshops in Western Australia were located at ...

to become the L class. The costs of the rebuilds were recovered within four years through lower maintenance costs. By the early 1930s, frame cracks were beginning to appear with 14 receiving new frames. They were replaced in the 1950s by the W class.

References

Notes

Cited works

External links

{{WAGR Locomotives Baldwin locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1901 Ec WAGR class Vauclain compound locomotives 3 ft 6 in gauge locomotives of Australia 4-6-2 locomotives 2′C1′ locomotives Passenger locomotives Scrapped locomotives

History

See also

References

Notes

Cited works

External links