Thread: 3801 Steam Locomotive

Saw 3801 in bright green this morning at Central, warming up before reversing up to a long train of heritage brown carriages. It had an enormous black tender thing behind it.

PICS Gromit,, PICS!!!!!!!

I had my camera at work last night when it came past double heading with 3830. I was nearly going to call the driver and ask him to slow down as he went through so we could get some pics. He probably would have as it's at the beginning of a very steep down grade.

I did speak to the driver but only to warn him of a grass fire at Emu Plains.

The new boiler doesn't fit!

HERE are few things more exasperating than buying a spare part for something, bringing it home and finding it doesn't fit.

Imagine the frustration when that part took a year to make, had to be shipped from the other side of the world, weighed 30 tonnes and cost $1.5 million of NSW taxpayers' money.

This is the embarrassing predicament the Office of Rail Heritage found itself in with the refurbishment of Australia's most famous steam locomotive, the 3801.

The giant green locomotive is in pieces in Chullora. And Germany.

Built in 1943, 3801 was the first of 30 Pacific-class steam locomotives, a marvel of Australian engineering created during one of the nation's darkest moments.

In the 1980s, 3801 was saved from the scrapyard and fully restored to commemorate Australia's bicentennial in 1988. It travelled on lines around the nation, often double-heading with the famous Flying Scotsman on its Australian tour.

In 2008 the locomotive was placed under the custodianship of the Rail Transport Museum in Thirlmere and was stripped down at the Railway workshops in Chullora for full refurbishment.

Last October, the new German-made boiler and firebox arrived at the railway workshops in Chullora to be lowered on to the Australian-refurbished rolling chassis. It was only then engineers realised it didn't fit.

In April, representatives from the German engineering firm Dampflokwerk Meiningen, which built the boiler, arrived in Sydney for discussions as to what to do with the great lump of unusable steel.

Since it was under warranty it will be returned to the place of purchase.

Due back on the rails last year, 3801 probably won't run until late next year.

See Driven loco by a spare part bungle | thetelegraph.com.au

Did you purchase it on their behalf Ron ?