South Australian Railways 720 class

South Australian Railways 720 class

724 at North Adelaide station in 1952

Type and origin Power type Steam Designer Fred Shea Builder Islington Railway Workshops Build date 1930-1943 Total produced 17

Specifications Configuration 2-8-4 Gauge 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) Driver dia. 4 ft 9 in (1.45 m) Total weight 227 long tons 4 cwt (508,900 lb or 230.8 t) Fuel type Coal Oil Boiler pressure 215 psi (1,482 kPa) Cylinder size 22 in × 28 in (559 mm × 711 mm)

Performance figures Tractive effort 43,450 lbf (193.28 kN)

Career Operators South Australian Railways Numbers 720-736 Disposition all scrapped

The South Australian Railways 720 class was a class of 2-8-4 steam locomotives operated by the South Australian Railways.

History

The 720 class were built by the South Australian Railways as an improved version of the 710 class locomotives. The initial order was for five locomotives. They were intended to operate on the lighter narrow gauge lines, but after they began to spread rails, they were confined to the heavier lines. A further twelve were built between 1938 and 1943. The final seven differred in having streamlines valances and boiler lagging tinwear. Coal shortages after World War II saw 14 converted to burn oil. All were later converted back to coal burners. The last were withdrawn in April 1960.^[1][2]

References

1. 720 class Chris' Commonwealth Railways Information
2. Oberg, Leon (1984). Locomotives of Australia 1850s-1980s. Frenchs Forest: Reed Books. p. 161. ISBN 0730100057.

External links

Media related to South Australian Railways 720 class locomotives at Wikimedia Commons