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Class of 19+16 Australian 4-6-2 locomotives
WAGR Pm and Pmr classes
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder
North British Locomotive Company Serial number 26545-26569, 26921-26930 Build date 1949-1950 Total produced 35 (Pm: 19, Pmr: 16)
Specifications Configuration: •
Whyte
4-6-2
Gauge
3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm )
Driver dia. 4 ft 6 in (1,372 mm) Length 63 ft 7.4 in (19.39 m) Width 8 ft 9.9 in (2.69 m) Height 12 ft 6 in (3.81 m) Total weight 109
long tons 0 cwt (244,200 lb or 110.7 t) Tender type 4-axle Fuel type Coal Water cap. 4,000 imp gal (18,000 L; 4,800 US gal) Tender cap. 8
long tons 0 cwt (17,900 lb or 8.1 t) Firebox: • Grate area 35 sq ft (3.3 m2 ) Boiler pressure 175 lbf/in2 (1.21 MPa)
Cylinder size 19 in × 26 in (483 mm × 660 mm)
Valve gear
Walschaerts
Career Operators
Western Australian Government Railways Numbers Pm701-Pm714, Pm716-Pm719, Pmr715, Pmr720-Pmr735 First run 4 January 1950 Withdrawn 1970-1972 Preserved Pm701, Pm706, Pmr720, Pmr721, Pmr729, Pmr735 Disposition 6 preserved, 29 scrapped
The WAGR Pm and Pmr classes were two classes of
4-6-2 tender engine
steam locomotives operated by the
Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) between 1950 and the early 1970s.
History
With the WAGR suffering from a shortage of locomotives and having a backlog of repairs deferred from
World War II , authorisation was granted for the construction of 35
4-6-2 locomotives. Initially it was planned that
Midland Railway Workshops build 10 with the balance built externally. However capacity constraints at Midland saw the order for the full 35 placed with the
North British Locomotive Company ,
Glasgow .
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
Nineteen were built as the Pm class with
plain bearings on the
coupled axles and
roller bearings on the carrying axles. The other sixteen were built as the Pmr class with roller bearings on all axles. One Pm was later converted to a Pmr at
Midland Railway Workshops .
[2]
[3]
[4]
All entered service in 1950. Although intended to operate passenger services, their independently sprung driving wheels gave a rough ride meaning they could not maintain schedules, hence they were quickly relegated to fast freight trains on the
Eastern Goldfields and
Great Southern lines and associated branches. Later they were concentrated on the Great Southern and
South Western lines. All were withdrawn between 1970 and 1972.
[2]
[3]
[4]
Classes list
Pmr class locomotive no. 720 was the flagship of the
Steamtown Peterborough Railway Preservation Society in the
Mid North of
South Australia . In May 1984, on an excursion trip, it traversed the iron floodway bridge 2 km south of
Black Rock .
The numbers and periods in service of each member of the Pm and Pmr classes were as follows:
Builder's number
Class
Road number
In service
Withdrawn
Notes
26545
Pm
701
4 January 1950
17 June 1971
Preserved at the
Western Australian Rail Transport Museum
[4]
26546
Pm
702
7 February 1950
14 August 1972
26547
Pm
703
16 February 1950
10 September 1970
26548
Pm
704
23 February 1950
14 August 1972
26549
Pm
705
2 March 1950
14 August 1972
26550
Pm
706
7 March 1950
17 June 1971
Preserved by
Narrogin
Apex Club /
Hotham Valley Railway
[6]
26551
Pm
707
15 March 1950
10 September 1970
26552
Pm
708
19 April 1950
14 August 1972
26553
Pm
709
24 April 1950
10 September 1970
26554
Pm
710
27 July 1950
17 June 1971
26555
Pm
711
23 June 1950
14 August 1972
26556
Pm
712
15 September 1950
14 August 1972
26557
Pm
713
28 September 1950
14 August 1972
26558
Pm
714
9 October 1950
14 August 1972
26559
Pmr
715
15 November 1950
14 August 1972
Built as Pmr class
26560
Pm
716
26 September 1950
14 August 1972
26561
Pm
717
16 August 1950
10 September 1970
26562
Pm
718
10 May 1950
14 August 1972
26563
Pm
719
9 May 1950
10 September 1970
26564
Pmr
720
29 June 1950
14 August 1972
Preserved at
Steamtown Heritage Rail Centre , named Keith Smith previously operational
[7]
26565
Pmr
721
24 July 1950
14 August 1972
Preserved at
Northam railway station
[8]
26566
Pmr
722
20 June 1950
14 August 1972
26567
Pmr
723
11 July 1950
14 August 1972
Fitted with Pr class dome cover, December 1967
26568
Pmr
724
29 June 1950
17 June 1971
26569
Pmr
725
5 July 1950
14 August 1972
26921
Pmr
726
5 July 1950
17 June 1971
26922
Pmr
727
8 July 1950
14 August 1972
26923
Pmr
728
19 July 1950
14 August 1972
26924
Pmr
729
27 July 1950
10 September 1970
Preserved at
Coolgardie station
[3]
26925
Pmr
730
4 August 1950
17 June 1971
26926
Pmr
731
8 August 1950
10 September 1970
26927
Pmr
732
18 August 1950
17 June 1971
26928
Pmr
733
6 September 1950
10 September 1970
Built as Pm, converted to Pmr 14 October 1955
26929
Pmr
734
6 September 1950
14 August 1972
26930
Pmr
735
31 August 1950
14 August 1972
Sold to
TVW displayed at
Bennett Brook Railway 1984-87, resold to Hotham Valley Railway, stored at
Meelon
[9]
[10]
See also
References
Notes
Bibliography
Gunzburg, Adrian (1968). WAGR Locomotives 1940–1968 . Perth: Australian Railway Historical Society (Western Australian Division). pp. 20–21, 47.
OCLC
219836193 .
Gunzburg, Adrian (1984). A History of WAGR Steam Locomotives . Perth: Australian Railway Historical Society (Western Australian Division).
ISBN
0959969039 .
External links
Media related to
WAGR Pm and Pmr classes at Wikimedia Commons