Thread: National Railway Museum in SA

Pedro,

When I was a young bugger, my two friends and their father would pick me up in their old Hupmobile (a bit like a Model T Ford) each Tuesday night just before 7pm, and we'd drive to the nearby Unley Park Railway station.

After a few minutes the Overland express would come thundering up the track, hauled by one of these magnificent 500 class locos.
It's be going flat out along the straight stretch from Goodwood to Mitcham, getting up speed and momentum to tackle the very steep grade through the Adelaide Hills. (One in 35 I'm told...one of the steepest mainline track grades in the world).

It was an awesome sight (and sound and smell) and I've been hooked on steam ever since!

Alan

anybody know anything about this?

Must have been impressive in full flight

More?

The one at Peterborough is well worth a look too...

Originally Posted by Pedro_The_Swift

anybody know anything about this?

Not an expert, but that loco is featured in my book "Locomotives of Australia" page 176. It is one of the 520 class introduced by SA railways in 1943. They are a massive engine capable of speeds up to 112km/h. with a 510 tonne load. These loco's weighed 204.5 tonnes.
They regularly operated between Adelaide and Port Pirie. and Terowie and Tailem Bend and also worked over all but the lightest lines in the state.

As their boilers gave out, they were gradually withdrawn from service, this occured in 1961. They were replace by diesels.

My book is 20 years old, but it states that number 520 remains operational for enthusiasts and 523 is at ARHS Mile End Museum.

Originally Posted by Pedro_The_Swift

anybody know anything about this?

No, but thanks, looks like it should be in a Mad Max movie.
Now on the to do list

Originally Posted by Pedro_The_Swift

anybody know anything about this?

Hi Pedro, the South Australia Railways had an American engineer who was responsible for the building a lot of American "copy" locomotives.

The word copy is unfair because the SAR locomotives were very credible engineering feats in their own right, but the genesis of many of the SAR locomotives were inspired by USA locos.

For example, that "Shark Nose" loco is VERY similar in appearance to a Pennsylvania Railroad's T1 ( see the link bellow )

PRR T1 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


The SAR diesel-electric was inspired by ALCO's PA1. This loco, when painted in Santa Fa's "War Bonnet" colours is still considered the best looking diesel locomotive ever made.

BTW ALCO stands for the American Locomotive Company

ALCO PA - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia