Railways and Tramways of Australia

21 August

Workers at Eveleigh Workshops, 1889. Photo: NSW State Archives, NRS-17420-2-19-601/022.

Eveleigh’s first

P Class 4-6-0 locomotive no. 83 entered service in New South Wales on 21 August 1908.

No. 83 was the first locomotive to be built at Eveleigh Workshops in Sydney and had builder’s number 1. In 1924 it was renumbered 3300. A total of 191 P Class locomotives entered service, 20 of them built at Eveleigh.

Eveleigh Railway Workshops was opened in 1887 and played an important role within the New South Wales Railways. Steam locomotives were repaired, overhauled and maintained at the locomotive workshops, ensuring that the railways continued to provide service to the community. Thousands of workers were employed, with trades including blacksmiths, boilermakers, coppersmiths, electricians, fitters and machinists, plumbers, sheet metalworkers and toolmakers. The nearby carriage workshops had responsibility for locomotive-hauled carriages and rail motors, and also employed cabinet makers, car and wagon builders, carpenters, painters and upholsters. They were assisted by numerous semi-skilled workers.

New Locomotive Shops were commissioned in 1907, and Eveleigh began to build steam locomotives. A total of 181 engines were built at Eveleigh during the periods 1908–25 and 1945–52. Locomotives included members of the Z20, C30, C32, C34, C35, C36, C38, D53 and D58 Classes. Dieselisation from the 1950s dramatically changed the work undertaken at Eveleigh, but it continued with locomotive repair and maintenance.

Eveleigh’s first locomotive no. 3300 was named Carillon City at the request of Bathurst City Council for the opening of its War Memorial Carillon on 11 November 1933. A special nameplate was attached, and it was painted in green and cream livery. 3300 remained in service for 55 years until 1963. It was scrapped the following year.

Several of the steam locomotives built at Eveleigh have been preserved, including 3526, which is in operational condition and is in the care of Transport Heritage NSW.

Bibliography

RK Butcher, The great Eveleigh Railway Workshops: a personal reminiscence, self-published, Sydney, 2004.

JH Forsyth, Steam locomotive data, Public Transport Commission of New South Wales, Sydney, 1974.

A Grunbach, A compendium of New South Wales steam locomotives, Australian Railway Historical Society (NSW Division), Sydney, 1989.

M Morahan, P Class, New South Wales Rail Transport Museum, Sydney, 2000.

NSW State Archives Collection: NRS-15245-1-2, Locomotive stock condemned steam & diesel electric locomotives, 32 Class.

L Oberg, Locomotives of Australia: 1854 to 2007, Rosenberg, Sydney, 2007.

Inside the erecting shop at Eveleigh Workshops, c. 1886. Photo: NSW State Archives, NRS-17420-2-19-601/017.