Steam Trains and Engines

Formed in 1855, the New South Wales Government Railway is now the largest standard-gauge system outside Europe and America. The first section of line to be opened was that from Sydney to Parramatta, and as far as Strathfield this original section is still traversed by trains from Sydney to Newcastle, such as the ' Newcastle Flyer' here seen near the Hawkesbury River.

In the early days locomotives were obtained from Beyer Peacock of Manchester and Baldwin of Philadelphia, resulting in an unusual combination of British and American practice.

Although some electrification has been carried out, the N.S.W.G.R. still operates about 700 steam locomotives. Perhaps the best known were the five streamlined ' C38 ' class 4-6-2s built by Clyde Engineering in 1943.

Very similar in appearance to the New Haven ' 15 ' 4-6-4s in the U.S.A., the ' C38s' are the only Pacifics in New South Wales. Their 245-lb. boiler pressure is the highest carried by any Australian locomotive, but due to their high axle loading they could only be used on the Newcastle and Albury lines, and as far as Coniston on the Illawarra line.