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Renison Associated Tin Mining Co No. 2 Hybrid combined from two locomotives |
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This view of May 2003 shows Krauss b/n 4087 in storage at
the rear of the West Coast Pioneers Museum, Zeehan.
I believe it is a well-tank (WT) loco, with the main water
reservoir situated between the frames.
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Builder |
Munich,
Germany |
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Builder’s Number & Year |
4087
of 1899 |
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Wheel Arrangement |
0-4-0WT |
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This 0-4-0WT
locomotive was originally constructed for the North Mt Lyell Copper Company,
later transferring to their competitor the Mt Lyell Mining & Railway Company
as their second No.6, one of the fleet of small Krauss locomotives at their
Queenstown mines and smelter. From 1945 onwards it was in use by a third
Tasmanian owner, the Renison Associated Tin Mining Company, where I believe
it was No.2. This
locomotive was rebuilt in 1959 by the Renison Associated Tim Mining Company
using components of sister Krauss b/n 5800 of 1907, which perhaps explains
why the cab spectacle plate has one round window and one square! (Interestingly,
the frame of Krauss b/n 5800 was used in creation of the 0-4-0WT Krauss locomotive at the Redwater
Creek Railway.) The little
Krauss loco was plinthed in the Rotary Playground, Devonport from 1965 but
photographs show that it became rather derelict during its time as a
playground exhibit. Fortunately, it was rescued by the West Coast Pioneers
Memorial Museum in 1983 and placed in storage at the rear of their museum at
Zeehan. It was still stored at my last visit to Zeehan in May 2003, with the
'metal moths' having eaten further into the platework, no doubt encouraged by
the wet west coast weather. More
recent photographs from the West Coast Pioneers Memorial Museum (now known as
the West Coast Heritage
Centre) show that, by 2019, Krauss b/n 4087 had moved under cover near
the blacksmith's workshop at the rear of the museum. Hopefully this is the
first step towards static restoration and display of this interesting and
historic little steam locomotive. |
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This scanned photograph of May 1993 shows Krauss 4087 stored
on blocks at the rear of the West Coast Pioneers Museum, Zeehan.
Krauss b/n 4087 plinthed in Devonport during January 1980.
This scanned slide view was kindly contributed by Graeme
Nitz.
References
|
a |
'Light Railways - Australia's Magazine of
Industrial & Narrow-Gauge Railways', Number
153, June 2000. Article ‘Krauss Locomotives in Australia – A
close look at their characteristics and an overview of their migrations’ by
Bruce Macdonald. Published
by Light Railway Research Society of Australia Inc. pp.10-18. (This article is also available online.) |
|
b |
Wikipedia page for Lokomotivfabrik
Krauss & Co / George Krauss, retrieved 10 September 2021. |
Page updated: 14 September 2021
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