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Brimstone & New River Railroad No.35 For restoration as Commonwealth Oil
Corporation No.5 |
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(Photo required)
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Builder |
Lima
Locomotive Works, |
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Builder’s Number & Year |
2366 of 1910 |
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Wheel Arrangement |
C-Type (3 trucks, 3 cylinders) |
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The Wolgan
Valley Railway in the NSW Blue Mountains opened in 1907, linking the
Commonwealth Oil Corporation’s shale oil refinery at Newnes, north of Lithgow,
with the New South Wales Government Railways near Clarence. To traverse
difficult mountain terrain, the railway employed sharp curves and steep
gradients, including the long 1:25 ascent facing loaded trains departing
Newnes through the No.1 ‘Glow-worm’ Tunnel and Penrose Gorge. The innovative
Shay locomotive design was selected for this demanding route, with four
C-type (3-truck) Shay locomotives delivered. Alas the last of these fine machines
disappeared around 1956, having been progressively dismantled for scrap metal
after laying abandoned at Newnes. The loss
of the Wolgan Valley Railway Shays has long been mourned by local rail
enthusiasts. Looking to fill this gap in Australian steam preservation, the
Eskbank Locomotive Depot & Museum embarked on a world-wide search for a
suitable standard-gauge Shay locomotive for import. Following negotiations,
this group has now purchased the dismantled components of Lima B/N 2366 of 1910
from a collector based in California. This locomotive is ideal, being
contemporary and mechanically very similar to the Commonwealth Oil
Corporation 70-ton Shays No’s 2 & 3. The Eskbank Locomotive Depot &
Museum intends to rebuild Lima B/N 2366 in the fictional guise of
Commonwealth Oil Corporation No.5. The Eskbank
Locomotive Depot & Museum website provides the historical background
for the Wolgan Valley Railway Shays and the locomotive they have purchased,
while the Shaylocomotive.com site provides a full list of prior owners. In
summary, Lima B/N 2366 was built in 1910 for the Raleigh Lumber Company of West Virginia and its last use was coal haulage on the
Brimstone & New River Railroad. After retirement in 1965, it was loaned
for display in a Chattanooga, Tennessee museum, before passing through a number of private owners in California. Around 1992 it
was dismantled for inspection, and has remained
thereafter as a kit of parts. The transfer of ownership of Lima B/N 2366 to
the Eskbank Locomotive Depot & Museum should now provide impetus for its
repair and reassembly as a significant addition to the NSW rail heritage
scene. The
Eskbank Locomotive Depot & Museum are currently arranging shipment of
their Shay locomotive to Australia. In the meantime, smaller items required for
its presentation as a Wolgan Valley Railway Shay have been prepared, such as
bronze Commonwealth Oil Corporation No.5 plates. A reproduction Agent’s plate
for Gibson Battle & Co of Sydney has also been prepared using
measurements taken from an original plate found in a Queensland museum;
Gibson Battle & Co held the licence to import Shay locomotives into
Australia, with 20 units of various gauges and configurations supplied. For further
information about the Commonwealth Oil Corporation No.5 project, refer to the
Eskbank
Locomotive Depot & Museum website or their Facebook page. Technical and historical information for
Shay locomotives and Lima B/No. 2366 can also be found at the excellent Shaylocomotive.com
website. |
References
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a |
www.eskbanklocomotivedepotmuseum.com.au
website |
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b |
www.shaylocomotives.com website |
Page updated: 10 August 2026
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