New South Wales AD60 class locomotive

The locomotives of the class AD60 the New South Wales Government Railways ( NSWGR ) were steam type locomotives Garratt. The machines were the heaviest steam locomotives of the Southern Hemisphere, the most powerful of Australia.

History

The New South Wales Government Railways was the last railway company in Australia that has procured Garratt locomotives. For heavy coal and ore trains on branch lines with a lighter superstructure, the Railways ordered in the early 1950s 60 Garratts at Beyer- Peacock. Steifrahmige locomotives for the desired application had six driving axles are needed, which did not come into question because of the tight curve radii.

1952, when already was the conversion to diesel locomotives in progress on the main routes, the first copies were delivered. This situation created difficulties in operation and maintenance, and the order was reduced to 50 locomotives, of which the last 5 were delivered unassembled as spare parts. The initial problems were solved, however, and AD60 were able to hold on tracks which were too weak for American diesel locomotives, until the early 1970s, especially in northern New South Wales. Not infrequently, the machines were used in the opening credits operation.

In 1969, the locomotive No. 6042, which would have major repairs needed rebuilt as practically new locomotive from the available spare parts; the total number of locomotives built therefore actually located at 43

Four AD60 have been preserved; one of them, No. 6029, is currently (2011) returned to an operational state.

Technology and conversions

The AD60 had the wheel arrangement ( 2'D2 ) ( 2'D2 '), so possessed 2 × 4 driving axles and 4 two-axle bogies. Thus, only half of the total of 16 axes was driven.

Constructive were the AD60 on the latest stand The engine frames were built on cast steel frame, and all axes and the blowing cones were equipped with roller bearings. The operation was facilitated by a stoker and a Reversing on obstacle.

In 29 locomotives, as AD60 denotes the tensile force was increased by an enlarged cylinder diameter and an increased tip salmon load. These locomotives were also given at the back of the cab a second set of controls, because the view of the engineer to the signals at the " astern " was very poor and the conversion of the train drivers union was required.

Comparison with other Garratts

The wheel arrangement ( 2'D2 ) ( 2'D2 ') has been used worldwide only very rarely; except in the case of AD60 only in the meter-gauge class of the Kenya - Uganda Railway EC3 (CVC ) and the almost identical class 58 of the East African Railways (EAR ).

While the AD60 were the hardest, but not - as we read in some publications - the most powerful steam locomotives of the Southern Hemisphere. Both the tensile force is obtained by calculation of boiler pressure, piston diameter, piston stroke and coupled wheel, and in the grate surface and thus the boiler output you were superior to some Garratt series in Africa and South America, which was a higher axle load available. As the largest Garratt the southern hemisphere is considered the EAR class 59; the highest tensile force applied on the class GL of the South African Railways (SAR ).