Queensland DD17 class locomotive

Queensland Railways DD17 class
949
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer Cyril Renton Builder North Ipswich Railway Workshops Serial number 199-210 Build date 1948-1952 Total produced 12
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-6-4T Gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Driver dia. 4 ft 3 in (1,295 mm) Loco weight 62 long tons (63 t; 69 short tons) Fuel type Coal Boiler pressure 180 psi (1,241 kPa) Heating surface: ​  • Firebox 18.5 sq ft (1.72 m^2) Cylinders 2 outside Cylinder size 17 in (432 mm)
Performance figures Tractive effort 20,800 lb (9,400 kg)
Career Operators Queensland Railways Numbers 949-954, 1046-1051 Nicknames Blue Baby Preserved 1046, 1047, 1049, 1051 Disposition 4 preserved, 8 scrapped

The Queensland Railways DD17 class locomotive was a class of 4-6-4T steam locomotives operated by the Queensland Railways. It is an improved version of the earlier Queensland D17 locomotive.

History

With the D16 and D17 class locomotives becoming life expired, between 1948 and 1952, twelve DD17s were built at North Ipswich Railway Workshops. Per Queensland Railway's classification system they were designated the DD17 class, D representing they were a tank locomotive, and the 17 the cylinder diameter in inches.^[1][2][3][4]

The first tank engine was painted black with red lining. The next five tanks were painted blue and the last six engines midway blue. They operated suburban passenger trains in Brisbane out of Mayne depot, mostly on the northside. They also operated freight trains in the off-peaks.^[1][2][3]

Preservation

Four examples have been preserved:

• 1046 by the Zig Zag Railway, Lithgow, NSW, having been operational between 1975 and the mid-1980s. It is now dismantled.^[5]
• 1047 is stored on the Zig Zag Railway having been operational between the 1970s and the mid-1990s.^[5]
• 1049 is currently stored at the Zig Zag Railway. It was restored to operation in 1994 and was the workhorse of the Zig Zag railway until 2011. It is stored awaiting a major overhaul^[6]
• 1051 is currently undergoing overhaul and is part of the Queensland Rail Heritage Fleet, based at the Workshops Rail Museum.^[5]

References

1. Armstrong, John (1994). Locomotives in the Tropics Volume 2. Brisbane: Australian Railway Historical Society. pp. 114–121. ISBN 9780909937263.
2. Turner, Jim (1997). Australian Steam Locomotives 1896-1958. Kenthurst: Kangaroo Press. p. 155. ISBN 086417778X.
3. Oberg, Leon (2010). Locomotives of Australia 1850s-2010. Dural: Rosenberg Publishing. pp. 233, 234. ISBN 9781921719011.
4. Clark, Peter (2012). An Australian Locomotive Guide. Rosenberg Publishing. p. 47. ISBN 9781921719554.
5. "QGR Preserved Steam Locomotives". www.australiansteam.com. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
6. "Preserved Steam Locomotives Down Under - DD17 1049". www.australiansteam.com. Retrieved 21 March 2020.

External links

Media related to Queensland DD17 class locomotives at Wikimedia Commons