WAGR P and Pr classes

rdf:langString WAGR P and Pr classes

rdf:langString WAGR P class

rdf:langString WAGR P class

rdf:langString WAGR Pr class

rdf:langString River class

rdf:langString Steam

rdf:langString /

rdf:langString P521 at the Western Australian Rail Transport Museum, note the running-board nameplate and hemispherical headlight in contrast to the cylindrical example on P508 above

rdf:langString P508 at the Western Australian Rail Transport Museum

rdf:langString E.S. Race

rdf:langString P441-P465 , renumbered P501-P517 in 1947

rdf:langString Pr138-Pr147

rdf:langString Pr453-Pr457, Pr459, Pr461, Pr464

rdf:langString renumbered P521-P538 in 1946

rdf:langString The WAGR P and Pr classes were two classes of 4-6-2 steam locomotives designed for express passenger service on the Western Australian Government Railways mainline network. The initial designs were prepared by E.S. Race and together the two classes had a total build number of thirty-five locomotives, the P and Pr classes entering service in 1924 and 1938 respectively. Both classes were used on express passenger services, greatly improving the economy and speed of long-distance passenger travel in Western Australia, the results of which were most visible on the West Australian stage of the Trans-Australian Railway and Westland Express. The need for more powerful locomotives in the 1920s resulted in the introduction of twenty-five P class locomotives which provided a significant improvement in power, speed and economy over previous WAGR locomotives, quickly proving to be a highly successful design. The Great Depression of the 1930s, coupled with the effects of the Great War, thwarted the WAGR's later expansion and acquisition plans resulting in many obsolete locomotives remaining in operation into this period. As a result ten new P class locomotives featuring detail improvements to boilers, valves and bogies were introduced in 1938, a year before the outbreak of World War II. The new locomotives became the first WAGR engines to be given names, each bearing that of a prominent West Australian river. These 'River class' locomotives were very successful and proved so invaluable to the operation of the wartime WAGR that eight P class locomotives were modified to their standard. All eighteen locomotives were officially classified as the Pr class in 1946. The initial ten P class locomotives were built by the North British Locomotive Company in Glasgow while the remainder, including the ten Pr class locomotives, were built locally by the Midland Railway Workshops.

rdf:langString /

rdf:langString Coal

rdf:langString P508

rdf:langString Pr521

rdf:langString Midland Railway Workshops