Notes

This class was the most significant and successful of the locomotives designed in the nineteenth century. The design resulted from a need for more powerful engines for passenger trains. Initially designated as “Passenger” B15, they were later better known as PB15.

They spent many of their early years hauling important passenger trains around the state. With the strengthening of the main lines they were relieved of most of these tasks by more powerful locomotives. Later they were relegated to lesser duties on branch lines and in shunting yards. Engines attached to Wooloongabba and later at Mayne were used on “Southside” suburban passenger trains until 1968.

A number of modifications including cab alterations and fitting of electric headlights were carried out during their lives. Tenders on engines constructed at Toowoomba Foundry and the one at Ipswich had increased water capacity. Some engines based at Cairns had additional boards on their tenders to enable additional coal to be carried. Several engines were fitted with an additional sandbox and electric light on the tender for working on branch lines where no turning facilities were available. In May 1918, Ipswich Workshops converted N°411 into a tank engine. Evidently the results were not completely satisfactory as the engine returned to its original form in March 1922. In the late 1920s, the boiler pressure was increased from 150psi to 160 psi.

They could run on all parts of the system except the Etheridge line, the isolated Normanton and (now closed) Cooktown Lines.

One engine was built in 1924 for the Aramac Shire Council. This engine was subsequently purchased from the Council when the Aramac Shire Tramway was dieselized in 1958. Numbered A1 in Council service, it first ran on QR in February 1958 as N°1052 but was renumbered N°12 in June of that year. This was the only engine of the class to be constructed at Ipswich Workshops.

In 1924, increasing traffic on lines that could not carry C16 engines resulted in orders being placed for an engine of similar proportions but fitted with Walschaerts valve gear. These engines became PB15 (1924) Class.

In November 1969, nineteen members of the class were still operating; eleven in the Mackay District, and four at Maryborough and four at Ipswich.

*Originally 8 x 7½. The larger pumps were fitted between 1928 and 1942

Abbreviations

EAP – Evans, Anderson, Phelan & Co, Brisbane, Qld
Ipswich – Ipswich Workshops, Qld
Kitson – Kitson & Coy, Leeds, UK
Toowoomba – Toowoomba Foundry Ltd, (Southern Cross Works) Toowoomba, Qld
Walkers – Walkers Limited, Engineers, Maryborough, Qld

Notes

These engines were referred to as Large Consolations before the introduction of the new classification system.

They were the first eight coupled engines to run in Queensland and were also the first to have a bogie tenders. An early problem experienced with them was that they were too long for existing turntables and could only be turned on fork lines. They were built by Baldwin and were typical of that company’s products of the time with a large oil headlight, pepper pot steam dome and sandbox and also a wooden cab with glazed windows.

N° 41 was put to good use on the Main Range where it could haul 120 tons compared with 75 tons for the E (B12) Class although it had originally been purchased with the intention of being used on the line beyond Chinchilla. It was shipped to Townsville in June 1881 and was later returned to Ipswich in 1890.

N°42 was imported by the contractors working on the Stanthorpe Extension and named “Queenslander”. It was later bought by the railway after the new line opened in May 1881.

The engines had their original wagon top boilers replaced with round top ones in 1900. Apparently engine loads were not increased even though the new boilers had an increased pressure of 140 psi.

Both finished their days working in the Rockhampton District.

In 1889 locomotives and rollingstock were consolidated into one rollingstock register. This resulted in most items, except those operating on the original Southern and Western Railway (from Ipswich), being renumbered. Numbers shown are state (or former S & W) numbers. Those in brackets are former numbers of individual railways.

Abbreviations

S&W – Southern & Western Railway based on Ipswich
GNR – Great Northern Railway based on Townsville
Baldwin – Baldwin Locomotive Works, Philadelphia USA

Notes

These engines were originally referred to as Small Consolations and later as C13 (Dubs) to distinguish them from the C13 engines built by Baldwin.

They were acquired for use on the Bundaberg and Maryborough Railways. Although based on the American designed 2-8-0, they were obtained from a British manufacturer to comply with government policy of the time. They were original built with diamond shaped chimneys, shallow fireboxes and short smokeboxes.

There were complaints that when the Bundaberg engines entered service they were pushing curves out of alignment on the Mount Perry Railway. This is not surprising as most of the line still consisted of 30lb rail as relaying with 41¼lb material had only recently commenced

The class was modified in 1904-05 with a raised boiler with deep firebox and extended smokebox. This improved their performance and gave them an appearance similar to the B13 Class.

In 1889 locomotives and rollingstock were consolidated into one rollingstock register. This resulted in most items, except those operating on the original Southern and Western Railway (from Ipswich), being renumbered. Numbers shown are state (or former S & W) numbers. Those in brackets are former numbers of individual railways.

Abbreviations

MR – Maryborough Railway
BR – Bundaberg Railway based on (North) Bundaberg
Dubs – Dubs & Co, Glasgow

Notes

These small engines were ordered for the Great Northern Railway. When they arrived from America it was considered that the Southern & Western Railway had a greater need and so they never reached their intended destination. They were tiny machines with only four wheeled tenders. One was used in the Ipswich district and the other was put to use on the Main Range where its load was only 75 tons.

N° 42 was transferred to Bundaberg Railway in 1882 where it became (second) N°1. In 1900, it was sold to Gibson & Howes and continued to work at Bingera Mill until 1946. Eventually N° 43 was considered too small to be useful and was withdrawn from service in 1899 but was not written off until 1902.

In 1889 locomotives and rollingstock were consolidated into one rollingstock register. This resulted in most items, except those operating on the original Southern and Western Railway (from Ipswich), being renumbered. Numbers shown are state (or former S & W) numbers. Those in brackets are former numbers of individual railways.

Abbreviations

S&W – Southern & Western Railway based on Ipswich
BR – Bundaberg Railway based on (North) Bundaberg
Baldwin – Baldwin Locomotive Works, Philadelphia USA

Notes

The initial plan had been to use these engines on the proposed air-conditioned Mail Trains that were being designed at the time. This never eventuated, although they did regularly haul the “Midlander”, mainly between Emerald and Bogantungan for some years. They were used on the Rockhampton Mail and Sunshine Express in the early 1950s.

The first ten engines were constructed at Beyer Peacock & Co Limited Works in Manchester UK. Owing to the number of orders they had on hand, Beyer Peacock (BP) contracted Societe Franco Belge de Materiel du Chemins de fer, Raismes, France (FRB)to build the remaining twenty.

They were painted Midland red and had chrome yellow lining with large QR monograms on the sides of the front tank and bunker. Unfortunately this attractive livery easily discoloured particularly as a result of priming. The engines were not regularly cleaned when relegated to goods train working in latter years and their appearance rapidly deteriorated.

Originally trialled on the Brisbane – Toowoomba route, they were soon withdrawn from this section due to problems with limited clearances in the tunnels. They were used extensively on North Coast Line between Brisbane and Rockhampton. By 1956, this working had become restricted to mainly north of Bundaberg. They did not work north of St Lawrence on the NCL. On the Central Line they initially ran between Rockhampton and Emerald but from 1957 this was extended to Bogantungan.

A few were attached to Mayne until 1955 and some at North Bundaberg until 1956, when all were allocated to Rockhampton. In later years they worked Moura coal trains via Mount Morgan, prior to the opening of the ‘short line’ to Gladstone. One of their last regular tasks was on limestone trains between Tarcoola and Gladstone. Increasing numbers of diesels saw mass withdrawals of these engines. Twenty two were written off in June 1968.

They were subject to much positive publicity when introduced but failed to live up to all expectations. They were attributed with saving 19,500 miles of assistant and goods engine running on the Bundaberg – Rockhampton – Emerald sections between October 1950 and June 1951. Steaming difficulties were encountered with South Queensland coals; however they performed well on Blair Athol coal. The boilers had a tendency to prime. Limited coal and water capacity caused worries. General overhauls cost about three times those for a B18¼.

They had a number of unique features (for QR steam engines) including Ajax air operated butterfly fire doors, Hadfield power reversers, speedometers and also flow meters; the latter being fitted to the class in 1955.The outer bogies and inner trucks had roller bearings but the coupled axles has plain bearings. Several engines received fabricated stove pipe chimneys to replace the original cast ones that had been damaged.

N°1009, preserved as a static exhibit, was taken into Ipswich Workshops in 1993 and restored to working order. Subsequently due to a leaking fused plug, it has been out of service for quite some time.

* Test weighing proved some engines to be 11 tons over this design weight with 11TAL

Notes

This design was an improvement on earlier successful B18¼ incorporating modern appliances. Some modifications to the original design were suggested by Vulcan Foundry and subsequently adopted. A number of features, including the mounting of WH pump on fireman’s side, stainless steel rather than brass boiler bands, SCOA-P coupled wheels and pressed steel sand box, distinguished these engines from the earlier B18¼ class. Engines constructed by Walkers Limited used electricity for the light on the rear of the tender, for side lamps and to illuminate the motion. All were fitted with Roller Bearings and chime whistles. The engines were painted green when introduced.

The first batch was constructed by Vulcan Foundry and the last 20 by Walkers Ltd, Maryborough. Contracts were let to both manufacturers in 1948 but Walkers did not deliver its first engine until 1955 due to shortages of materials. Delays in these deliveries resulted in the last of the order, N°1089, not entering service until March 1958 and thus becoming the last mainline steam locomotive to be built and placed in service in Australia. In fact Walkers had delivered some diesels to QR before completing this order.

Several members of the class that were overhauled in the final years were repainted black. In the 1950’s a “standard” boiler was designed to be suitable for both this class and B18¼ engines.

They proved to be a most successful design and were popular with crews. Initially they were used on mail trains, long distance passenger and goods trains and northside suburban services. The introduction of diesels saw them gradually relegated to lesser duties and ultimately cut short their careers.

Last engines in service were N°1012, 1030, 1037, 1039, 1070, 1073, 1081 and 1084 at Mackay and N°1088 at Ipswich.

Abbreviations

Vulcan – Vulcan Foundry, Newton-le-Willows, Lancs.,
Walkers – Walkers Limited, Engineers, Maryborough, Qld
ZZR – Zig Zag Railway Lithgow NSW

Notes

The engines were designed to haul Mail Trains and were the principal engines used on these services until the introduction of the BB18¼ and diesels. Nevertheless, they spent much of their working lives on goods trains and suburban passenger workings. They were generally popular with crews and had free-steaming boilers.

A prototype engine, N°84, was constructed by Ipswich Workshops and ran to Grandchester on 16th July 1926. After successful trails on both the Sydney and Townsville Mail Trains, approval was granted in 1927 to construct a further eight engines at Ipswich and another eight were ordered in 1929. A proposal to fit a Franklin booster to the trailing truck was rejected. These first seventeen engines were constructed with open cabs and C16 style tenders. Six engines built in 1935 were the first to be fitted with sedan cabs but retained old style tenders. Commencing with N°841 in 1936, all engines were built to what was considered the “standard” B18¼ design with sedan cabs, new style tenders and larger 9½” diameter piston valves.

A number of modifications were carried out during their lives. The 1935 engines were fitted with MeLeSco multiple valve regulators mounted on the superheater header. These were later replaced with standard regulators in the boiler dome. N° 843 was fitted with an ACFI feed water heater when it entered service in 1936 but had it removed in 1942. Early engines were fitted with Alligator crossheads. The Laird type was used on those constructed at Ipswich in 1939 commencing with N°870. Minor changes were made to boilers over the years. A few engines acquired BB18¼ boilers during overhaul and later a “standard” boiler was designed for use by both classes. All B18¼ chimneys were cast with capuchions, but several were later ground off due damage in service.

All members of the class were painted green commencing with N°50 & N°911 in 1949; however, several engines that were overhauled in the final years were repainted black. N°895 was the first of the class to have its headlight moved to a bracket in the centre of the smokebox door. Most other members of the class were similarly altered.

The last two engines in service were N°770 at Mackay and N°842 at Ipswich.

N°84 attained the highest mileage of any QR steam engine, travelling 1,472,859 miles during its life of 42¼ years.

~ Some tenders types were exchanged during service
* Engines constructed since 1936 (N°841 onwards)
** Engines constructed since 1939
# Some WH pumps later changed when engines underwent boiler exchanges.

Abbreviations

Ipswich – Ipswich Railway Workshops
Walkers – Walkers Ltd, Engineers, Maryborough

Notes

These were the largest non superheated six coupled engines to operate in the state. The class was introduced when it was proposed to increase the size of the Sydney Mail (via Wallangarra). They were originally used for this train and mail trains between Brisbane and Rockhampton. By 1930s, with the availability of superheated engines they were relegated to lesser duties. Four engines were attached to the Central Division during World War 2 and they worked as far north as Bowen. Upsurge of traffic during those hostilities caused them to again be pressed into heavy main line passenger work. In their final years they were restricted to slow goods and shunting trains. Like many saturated engines, they were heavy on coal and water. They were generally unpopular with crews particularly with poorer coals and heavy loads. Superheating was trialled on two engines, N°678 and N°610, in 1917 but proved unsuccessful, apparently due to problems lubricating the slide valves. Superheaters were removed when the engines were reboilered between 1929 and 1931. The class contained a number of unusual features. The safety valves were contained in a small dome mounted behind the large regulator dome. There was a large gap between the second and third sets of coupled wheels. One standard Sellers injector was fitted on the fireman’s side whilst the other was a Davies and Metcalfe combined injector and clack valve mounted on the boiler back plate. They were the first engines to be fitted with what became the standard QR whistle for the next 35 years. Scrapping of the class commenced in 1950 and the last two engines in service, N°689 and N°690, were written off in November 1960.

Notes

Engine N°204 was an “experimental” engine in that it contained a number of unusual features. It was originally designed to burn coke in an attempt to reduce smoke nuisance caused by south east Queensland coal in Brisbane suburban tunnels. Coke burning proved unsuccessful and the engine operated burning various mixtures of coal and coke until the idea of coke as a fuel was finally abandoned. It was also the only engine to operate in Queensland with Southern Valve Gear and “Prairie” wheel arrangement. Other notable features were that it one of the first superheated engines and also the first to be fitted with a “wide” firebox. A new boiler was constructed in 1926 with a reduced grate area following the abandonment of coke fuel. The engine was originally fitted with the surplus tender from PB15 N° 411 that was altered to carry coke. This was later changed to a standard “C16” type to increase its potential range. The engine spent its working life in the Brisbane – Ipswich area mainly on coal trains. It was withdrawn from traffic in February 1950 as the post war engine shortage was being overcome and written off the books in September of that year.

Notes

* Six engines were obtained from Chillagoe Railway and Mining Coy after its collapse. These engines were designed to provide an engine more powerful than the B13 class. A number of different features were introduced to various batches of this class. The first fifteen engines built by Nasmyth-Wilson had British style “pull over” regulators, separate regulator and safety valve domes on the boiler and spartan cabs but no air brakes. The second batch of engines, constructed by Evans Anderson Phelan, were fitted with an enclosed cab with glass windows on the spectacle plate, American style “pull out” regulator and Westinghouse Brakes. These engines also had steel boilers in place Yorkshire iron used on the earlier batch. This allowed the boiler pressure to be raised to 140 psi. Further improvements were made to the cab on the engines built by Yorkshire Engine Company in 1895. This design of cab became standard on all subsequent engines until the “sedan” cab was introduced in 1935. American Balance slide valves were fitted to all B15 engines built from 1898. The “balanced” valves proved successful and were fitted to all subsequent slide valve engines.

The modifications introduced with various batches were later incorporated into the older engines as they underwent overhaul. The large awing in front of the spectacle plate of earlier cabs disappeared when the new style cabs were fitted. Sand boxes were originally on the running boards but later replaced with the more common sandbox mounted on top of the boiler. As boilers were renewed the safety valves were incorporated into the regulator dome. In 1900, N° 336 was fitted with 45″ coupled wheels to increase the engines speed and so make it suitable for use on passenger trains. The experiment was successful and a further 92 engines were similarly rebuilt. They became known as the “B15 Converted” class to distinguish them from the original designed engines. The five engines that did not undergo conversion were all condemned in 1934. This class was sometimes referred to as “B15 Goods”.

* Average price for first 30 constructed

Abbreviations

NW – Nasmyth, Wilson & Co, Manchester, UK
EAP – Evans, Anderson, Phelan & Co, Brisbane, Qld
York – The Yorkshire Engine Co, UK
Walkers – Walkers Ltd, Engineers, Maryborough, Qld
WO – Written off Register