Queensland B15 class locomotive
{{Short description|Class of Australian 4-6-0 locomotives}}
{{Use Australian English|date=June 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox locomotive
|name = Queensland Railways B15 class
|powertype = Steam
|image = File:British_built_locomotive_used_by_Queensland_Railways_(4731978754).jpg
|caption = Photograph of a B15, {{circa}}1890
|designer =
|builder = Nasmyth, Wilson & Co (15)
Evans, Anderson, Phelan & Co (21)
Yorkshire Engine Company (10)
Walkers Limited (52)
|ordernumber =
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|buildmodel =
|builddate = 1889-1899
|totalproduction = 98
|rebuilder =
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|whytetype = 4-6-0
|gauge = {{RailGauge|1067mm|lk=on}}
|leadingdiameter =
|driverdiameter = {{convert|3|ft|0|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} (as built)
{{convert|3|ft|9|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} (replacements)
|trailingdiameter =
|minimumcurve =
|wheelbase =
|length = {{convert|45|ft|7|in|m|2|abbr=on}}
|width =
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|fueltype = Coal
|fuelcap =
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|cylindercount = 2
|cylindersize = {{cvt|15|in|mm|0}}
|frontcylindersize=
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|valvegear = Stephenson
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|operator = Queensland Railways
|operatorclass =
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|numinclass =
|fleetnumbers = 3, 23, 42, 54, 95, 205-219, 235-244, 270-280, 289-338, 341-346, 539
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|preservedunits = 290, 299
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|disposition = 2 preserved, 96 scrapped}}
The Queensland Railways B15 class locomotive is an old class of 4-6-0 engines operated by the Queensland Railways.
History
In 1889 the first B15 class locomotives built by Nasmyth, Wilson & Co entered service. Further orders from Evans, Anderson, Phelan & Co, Yorkshire Engine Company and Walkers Limited saw the class total of 92 engines by 1899. Per Queensland Railway's classification system they were designated the B15 class engine, B representing they had three driving axles, and {{convert|15|in|mm|0|adj=on}} diameter cylinders. A further six engines were acquired In 1919 when the Queensland Railways took over the Chillagoe Railway & Mining Co.{{cite book|last=Armstrong|first=John|title=Locomotives in the Tropics Volume 1|date=1985|publisher=Australian Railway Historical Society|location=Brisbane|isbn=0-909937-13-3|pages=58–63, 101, 102}}{{cite book|last=Turner|first=Jim|title=Australian Steam Locomotives 1896-1958|year=1997|publisher=Kangaroo Press|location=Kenthurst|isbn=086417778X|page=22}}{{cite book|last=Oberg|first=Leon|title=Locomotives of Australia 1850s-2010|year=2010|publisher=Rosenberg Publishing|location=Dural|isbn=9781921719011|pages=86/87}}
Problems with broken rails saw three sets of {{convert|45|in|mm|0|adj=on}} driving wheels acquired from the South Australian Railways and fitted to 336 at North Ipswich Railway Workshops in November 1900. Judged a success, most others were fitted over the next 30 years. They spent most of their life operating out of Cairns.{{cite book|last=Clark|first=Peter|title=An Australian Locomotive Guide|year=2012|publisher=Rosenberg Publishing|isbn=9781921719554|page=50}}
Preservation
Two examples are preserved.
- 290 at the Workshops Rail Museum
- 299 at Maryborough station