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Fyansford No.2 Bellarine Railway |
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Fyansford No.2 stored in the car barn at the Bellarine
Railway on 10 October 2013.
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Builder |
Beyer
Peacock & Co, Manchester |
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Builder’s Number & Year |
6935 of 1939 |
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Wheel Arrangement |
2-6-0 + 0-6-2 |
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This Beyer-Garratt locomotive is one of the more
interesting Australian steam loco survivors and has a significant pedigree.
It was one of two 2-6-0 + 0-6-2 locomotives built new for Australian Portland
Cement, Fyansford as essentially a repeat order of the Western Australian
Government Railways (WAGR) Ms-class design. The WAGR M-class were introduced
in 1912 as only the third Beyer-Garratt type in the world, and the first
ordered in any quantity with 6 locomotives delivered. Beyer Peacock & Co
later supplied an additional 7 locomotives to the WAGR fitted with
superheaters and known as the Ms-class, and design was further developed in
1930 with a further 10 members built at the WAGR Midland Workshop as the
Msa-class. The two Fyansford locomotives were constructed by Beyer
Peacock & Co, with No.1 (builder's no. 6794 of 1936) followed a few years
later by No.2 (builder's no. 6935 of 1939). These locomotives were built to
the WAGR Ms-class design but with boiler pressure increased from 160psi to
180psi, a more modern superheater and minor changes such as an improved cab.
Interestingly, the Victorian Railways had also essentially copied the WAGR
Ms-class with their order for Beyer-Garratts G41 and G42, although these were
built to 2' 6" gauge with driving wheels within the frames. Unfortunately the WAGR M/Ms/Msa-class Beyer-Garratts
became extinct with the accidental scrapping of Msa 496 which had been retained at Midland Workshops,
Perth for intended preservation. Today the preserved Fyansford No.2 remains
as a close link to that important WAGR design in the evolution and ultimate
success of the Beyer-Garratt type of locomotive. Australian Portland Cement at Fyansford operated a 3'
6" haulage line between their limestone quarry and the cement processing
plant at Fyansford. Over the years they collected an interesting assortment
of locomotives to operate this line, ranging from diminutive shunting
locomotives to the two 2-6-0 + 0-6-2 Garratts and culminating in G 33, the only survivor of the Australian
Standard Garratt 4-8-2 + 2-8-4. This interesting locomotive fleet made a
contrast to the 5' 3" and 2' 6" operations of the Victorian
Government Railways, and the Fyansford site became well known to steam locomotive
enthusiasts. The Australian Portland Cement Fyansford railway was rendered
obsolete in 1966 when replaced by a conveyor belt system, and the donation of
the surviving fleet of APC locomotives represents one of the more significant
moments in Australian steam locomotive heritage. The preserved locomotive Fyansford No.2 carries the engine
units from sister No.1, Beyer Peacock & Co. builder's No. 6794 of 1936.
Photos taken in 1966 show the boiler cradle and cab of the sister in storage
outside the APC running shed, and evidence suggests the best parts of the two
locomotives had been combined to make one operable by that time. No.1’s boiler
also survived, being overhauled and fitted to Puffing Billy's G42 during the 1990's as part of that loco’s
protracted restoration. Fyansford No.2 was statically displayed for many years
under a weather roof at the Puffing Billy Museum at Menzies Creek. Together
with several other locomotives from the Menzies Creek collection, it was
transported to the Bellarine
Railway on 7 June 2010 and is now stored at Lakers Siding. The majority
of photos on this page date from the webmaster’s visit to the Bellarine
Railway on 10 October 2013; alas my camera struggled with the low light
levels in the carriage shed (leading to its replacement with a better SLR
shortly afterwards!). During this trip I was intrigued to discover surviving
components of the second Fyansford Garratt also stored at the Bellarine
Railway; apparently the number plates, builders plates and portions of the cab
and backhead fittings had been retained at Fyansford as a display and these
had also been donated to the Bellarine Railway in recent years. Hopefully this interesting and significant Beyer-Garratt
locomotive will one day be restored to operation. |
Front view. One of the two maker
lights on the front tank is dangling!
Side view
Rear view. A full set of fire
irons are racked above the coal space.
Cabside & number plate. The
two fixing holes for the builder’s plate are below.
The ‘No.1’ plate is attached but
Beyer-Garratt locomotives take their identity from the boiler cradle, which I
believe is from No.2.
Cylinder detail
Builder’s plate for Beyer-Peacock
B/n 6794 (resting on the footplate, below the two fixing holes) – This plate
belongs to Fyansford No.1.
Detail of the reversing mechanism
(with the box that normally encloses this machinery opened).
This red canister with a small
steam inlet seems to be an urn fitted on the footplate!
Did this Fyansford loco have an
auxiliary purpose dispensing cups of tea around the mine site!
This much earlier scanned photograph shows the Fyansford
Garratt at the Puffing Billy Museum, Menzies Creek in 1996.
References
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a |
‘Garratt Locomotives of the World’ by A. E. Durrant, published by Bracken Books, London, 1987 |
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b |
Information provided by D. Price via email dated 27 January 2011. |
Page updated: 4 June 2026
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