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5711 Valley Heights Rail Museum |
This view of 18 January 2009 shows 5711 at Valley Heights,
where it had recently arrived by rail.
It is coupled to a spare 36-class tender
(tab 3617) as a suitable tender was required to effect rail transport and its
own tender was dismantled and under restoration.
The Gresley conjugating valve gear can be seen, together
with the inclined third (middle) cylinder just visible under the smokebox.
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Builder |
Granville NSW |
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Builder’s Number & Year |
435 of 1930 |
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Wheel Arrangement |
4-8-2 |
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5711 was one of 25
members of the D-57 class heavy freight locomotives, designed by the NSW
Government Railways (NSWGR) and built by Clyde Engineering, Granville while
the massive tenders were supplied by the Balmain-based shipbuilding company Morts
Dock. These locomotives featured several innovations including a cast steel
frame, a third / inside cylinder using Gresley conjugating valve gear, power
reversing equipment and an automatic stoker to feed the large firebox. Due to civil
engineering constraints, the class was confined to operations from Sydney to
Thirroul on the Illawarra line, to Junee on the Main Southern line and to
Lithgow on the Great Western line. The D-57 class were around 67% more
powerful than the earlier ‘Standard Goods’ 2-8-0 freight locomotives, and
accordingly their introduction led to significant increases in freight train
loads on those routes. A further batch of 25
similar locomotives of the D-58
class were planned in the 1950's, but certain design modifications proved
less successful. Impending diesel locomotive deliveries led to only 13 D-58
class locomotives being completed, with the unused frames and other
components laying at Chullora for many years. Both the D-57's and
D-58's were withdrawn early in the changeover to diesel and electric traction,
and 5711 was the last in service when withdrawn in October 1961. Photographs
from the early 1960's often feature the melancholy sight of many D-57 &
D-58 ‘big engines’ lined up on the scrap roads at Enfield locomotive depot, most
without tenders as these were given a further lease of life as water tankers.
Fortunately, 5711 was retained for preservation following approaches by
enthusiasts to the NSWGR administration and was safely stored at Enfield No.3
roundhouse pending the formation of a railway museum, which ultimately became
the NSW Rail Transport Museum (NSWRTM - now Transport Heritage NSW). (I
understand that a request to also preserve a D-58 locomotive failed as the
Railways administration considered the D-57's & D-58's as the same class
from an operational perspective.) As such, 5711 is now the last of the NSWGR ‘Big
Engines’ and one of the more significant preserved steam locos in Australia. For
many years 5711 featured in the NSWRTM letterhead logo, symbolising both its
place in the organisation's formation and the golden age of steam traction in
NSW. A static restoration
by a group of NSWRTM members was underway by the early 1970's and contemporary
photos show the tender had been repainted. This restoration ended tragically
in 1972 when three NSWRTM members died in a car accident as they headed north
to photograph steam operations in the Hunter Valley. Following the closure
of the NSWRTM Enfield museum site for proposed redevelopment as a container
terminal, 5711 was transferred to Thirlmere on 17 June 1975 as part of a
train of exhibits hauled by 3801. At this stage the big loco showed the
effects of 14 years of open storage at Enfield and it
continued to deteriorate in the open display conditions of early years of the
Thirlmere museum site. A second volunteer-led restoration began by 1983 with
the intention of returning 5711 to steam. By 1985 the engine unit had been stripped,
with de-rusting of components well underway and the tender dismantled and
stored in the workshop area. Unfortunately technical, operational and
financial constraints have dogged its proposed restoration to steam and,
although many components had been reconditioned, there was no visible
progress with reassembly since the early 1990's. With relatively low running
speed, a hungry firebox and high axle load, alas 5711 is probably not the
most suitable candidate for mainline running, nor is it ideal for NSW Rail
Museum ‘Loop Line’ operations on the secondary route to Buxton – but on the
other hand, it is a loco that inspires enthusiasts and would be an awesome
sight to behold in full steam! The NSWRTM
subsequently decided to proceed with a static restoration of 5711 and
progress restarted during 2007 following transfer of the tender frame &
bogies, locomotive cab and other components to the Valley Heights Rail
Museum. Since that time there has been good progress at Valley Heights with
the repair and restoration of the tender frames and bogies. The locomotive
unit of 5711 also arrived by rail at Valley Heights during the night of 15
September 2008, and in subsequent years the loco has received a full repaint
by the volunteer team at Valley Heights. Details and photographs of the
restoration can be found on the Valley Heights Locomotive Depot Heritage Museum
website. 5711 is one of NSW's
most significant rail heritage items and hopefully its full static
restoration will now be completed, fulfilling the vision of the NSWRTM's
founders and the many members connected with the locomotive over the years. One of the more spectacular D-57 class operations
were freight departures from Lithgow eastwards to Bottom Points (the original
bottom road of the Lithgow Zig Zag) which typically involved a triple-headed train
consisting of a D-57/D-58 plus two Standard Goods locos, with another Standard
Goods banking at the rear. This operation passed into history with route electrification
in 1957, but can be sampled via this YouTube video from Belbin Productions: ‘Triple Headers, Lithgow. 57 and 58 class with three
assistant engines.’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhpEls-a-ho) Another YouTube offering is this D-57 class overview
by Shirokuni Media Group, including excellent historical still photos: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2FYc9T14t0) Update: Restoration of 5711’s tender was later transferred
to the new Chullora Heritage Hub site for completion, supported by grant
funding. The NSW Rail Museum’s ‘Roundhouse’ magazine of Autumn 2025 contained
the welcome news that 5711’s tender restoration at Chullora was now complete,
and the photographs in the article bore testament to a thorough and
high-quality repair including some replacement frame gussets, overhauled
bogies and mechanical items including the stoker, and fully de-rusted tank interior
with enamel coating. The NSW Rail Museum volunteers are to be congratulated
on this achievement. Hopefully funding and resources for the
restoration of the 5711 locomotive
proper will follow the tender’s completed overhaul, but in the
meantime the capable Chullora volunteer team are taking on the static
conservation and refresh of 3820. |
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This view of 17 January 2004 shows 5711 as it appeared from
the early 1990's until its transfer to Valley Heights in 2008.
The cab had been restored but the boiler
sheeting remained piled to the side of the locomotive.
Various other components were stored nearby.
This April 1985 photo shows the early stages of 5711's
restoration at Thirlmere, with components being removed and the firebox being needle
gunned.
Other locos in view are 5096 (front,
tender) and 6040 (behind) with B390 (2419) to the right.
Today this area is enclosed within the NSW Rail Museum
display hall.
These four black & white images are kindly provided by
Rod Hawkes and show 5711 stored at Enfield No.3 turntable in the 1965/66
period.
References
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a |
Grunbach,
A. ‘A Compendium of New South Wales Steam Locomotives’ published by the Australian
Railway Historical Society, New
South Wales Division, 1989, pp.201, 205. |
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b |
Oberg, L. ‘Locomotives of Australia’ published by J. W.
Books Pty Ltd, 1982 reprint. |
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c |
Eardley, G. H. 'Locomotives: A Guide - Enfield Railway
Museum', published by the NSWRTM, 1973. |
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d |
Webmaster’s
observation or comment |
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e |
‘Roundhouse’
magazine published by the NSWRTM, Volume XIII No.2 of July 1976, article
‘Museum on the Move’ pp.16. |
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f |
‘Roundhouse – The NSW Rail Museum Magazine for Members and
Enthusiasts’ Autumn 2025 (Vol.62
No.2) Article ‘5711
Tender restoration complete’ by David Oram. |
Page updated: 16 June 2025
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