Commonwealth Railways NM class

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Commonwealth Railways NM class
Preserved NM34 at the National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide in 2010
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderThompson & Co, Castlemaine, Victoria
Build date1925-1927
Total produced22
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte4-8-0
Gauge1067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Fuel typeCoal
Firebox:​
 • Grate area18.5 sq ft (1.72 m2)
Boiler pressure160 psi (11 bar; 1,100 kPa)
Cylinder size17 in × 22 in (432 mm × 559 mm)
Performance figures
Tractive effort18,085 lbf (80.45 kN)
Career
OperatorsCommonwealth Railways
NumbersNM15-NM28
NM31-NM38
First runJune 1925
PreservedNM25, NM34
Current ownerNational Railway Museum
Pichi Richi Railway
Disposition2 preserved, 20 scrapped

The Commonwealth Railways NM class is a class of 4-8-0 locomotives owned by the Commonwealth Railways, Australia. The class operated on 1067 mm (3 ft 6 in) narrow gauge lines in South Australia and the Northern Territory.

History

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Between June 1925 and December 1927, the Commonwealth Railways took delivery of 22 locomotives built by Thompson & Co, Castlemaine, Victoria for use on the Central Australia Railway. Their design was the same as the Queensland Railways C17 class, but with larger tenders and vacuum brakes rather than air brakes.[1][2]

The final locomotive, dispatched to the North Australia Railway, was moved to the Central Australia Railway in 1941.[2]

Eighteen were converted to burn oil during the 1949 Australian coal strike and were converted back to coal burning after the strike ended. All were withdrawn between 1954 and 1956 as NSU class diesel-electric locomotives entered service.[1]

Preservation

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Two have been preserved: NM25 in operational condition at the Pichi Richi Railway[3] and NM34 on static display at the National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide.[4]

NM class locomotive no. 25, operated by the Pichi Richi Railway

References

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  1. ^ a b Oberg, Leon (1984). Locomotives of Australia 1850s-1980s. Frenchs Forest: Reed Books. p. 129. ISBN 0-730100-05-7.
  2. ^ a b Drymalik, Chris (2025). "Narrow Gauge NM". Chris's Commonwealth Railways Pages. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
  3. ^ "Commonwealth Railways NM class locomotives". Pichi Richi Railway. 2026. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
  4. ^ "Locomotive NM34". National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide. 2026. Retrieved 10 December 2025.

Further reading

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  • Fluck, Ronald E; Marshall, Barry; Wilson, John (1996). Locomotives and Railcars of the Commonwealth Railways. Welland, SA: Gresley Publishing. ISBN 1876216018.
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Media related to Commonwealth Railways NM class locomotives at Wikimedia Commons