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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-truck) |
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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 December 2017
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