The South Australian Railways F class is a class of 4-6-2T steam locomotives operated by the South Australian Railways.
History The F class hauled the majority of Adelaide's suburban passenger trains after its introduction in 1902. The first 22 were built by the Islington Railway Workshops. James Martin & Co built 12 units, and Perry Engineering built the remaining 10, the last entering service in October 1922.
The F class replaced another class of tank locomotives, the smaller P class (2-4-0T), which were struggling with the increasing sizes of suburban passenger trains. From the 1930s on lightly patronised routes, F class locomotives were replaced by Brill model 55 and 75 railcars. They continued to be deployed on busier suburban routes until they were displaced after 1955 by increasing numbers of 300 and 400 class "Red Hen" railcars. Some locomotives were retained for shunting duties at Port Adelaide and Mile End. F225, the final member of the class to operate, was condemned in 1969.
The locomotives had saturated steam boilers and were considered attractive. While slow to accelerate away from stations, the locomotives were capable of reaching speeds of up to 60 mph (100 km/h). They were a capable locomotive that faced few restrictions other than on the Belair line in the Adelaide Hills, on which they were limited to hauling three carriages.
Preserved examples Three members of the class have been preserved: F177 (re-numbered to 245): under a shelter at Gawler railway stationF249 Australian Steam F251: in storage at SteamRanger Heritage RailwayF251 SteamRangerF251 Australian Steam F255: on static display at the National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide.F255 Australian Steam
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