NSWGR steam locomotive classification

In the first 36 years of its existence, the NSW Railways introduced 42 separate classes of locomotives. The appointment by the Premier of New South Wales, Henry Parkes of Mr E.M.G Eddy as Chief Commissioner in 1888 created an independent railway department and saw the following 36 years with only sixteen new classes produced.
==Classification==
Steam Locomotive classification on the New South Wales Government Railways had three distinct classification systems.
===From 1855 to 1890 (numerical)===
The classification was taken from the road number given to the first engine in each class.
The engines attached to the then isolated Northern section had the terminal letter "N" added to the road number.
===From October 1890 to August 1924 (letter and number)===
A letter was selected arbitrarily and placed before the first number allotted to each class. e.g. the 93-class became the A.93-class. Letters were initially allocated, in alphabetic order, by class size. The 93 Class had the most locomotives in traffic (77) so they were given the letter 'A', the 205 Class were the next most numerous (70 in traffic), so were classified 'B', the 79 Class the third most numerous (68 in service) so were granted the letter 'C' and so on. With the opening of the Hawkesbury Bridge in May 1889, the Northern section engines were renumbered and grouped with the others of the Sydney system, using the numbers 388-435. the final "N" being dropped .
In general practice, the class letter only was quoted, without the number, except when there were one or two variants using a common class-letter.
===From August 1924 (letter and number)===
All engines were given new four-figure numbers, the first two digits indicating the class and the second two, the engine number, arranged in chronological order of commencement of service. When the number of engines in a class exceeded 99, 100 was added to the number, e.g., the 137th engine of the 32-class was 3337. Engines numbered from 1000 up were the first to be renumbered using the new system to prevent two locomotives sharing the same number being in service at the same time.
The initial letters indicate :
*"C"-three driving axles;
*"D"-four driving axles;
*"AD"-two articulated sets of four driving axles (Only for the AD60s);
*"Z"-old classes which would never be repeated, and
*"X" -associated with the 10-class, which included all types of duplicates; yard and depot locomotives, crane locomotives, locomotive and accident cranes and special equipment.
Initial letters are dropped in general usage with a "C.36-class" engine universally known as a "36-class".
==Classes==
Image 	Whyte notation	pre 1890	1890-1924	post 1924	Type 	Year
class="noresize"	0-4-2 	1 	 	 	Mixed Traffic 	1855
 	0-4-2 	5 	 	 	Mixed Traffic 	1856
 	2-2-2 	6 	 	 	Passenger 	1856
 	0-4-2 	1N 	 	 	Mixed Traffic 	1857
 	2-2-2T 	8 	 	 	Passenger Tank 	1859
 	2-2-2 	9 	 	 	Passenger, Coal 	1858
 	2-4-0 	13 	 	 	Mixed Traffic 	1863
 	0-6-0 	17 	E.17 	 	Goods 	1863
 	2-4-0 	23 	G.23 	 	Passenger 	1863
 	2-4-0T 	6N 	 	 	Mineral Tank Type 	1863
 	2-2-2 	8N 	 	 	Passenger 	1864
 	0-6-0T 	29-31,9N	S.29 	 	Box Saddle Tank 	1864
 	2-2-2 	14 	T.14 	 	Express Passenger 	1865
 	0-4-2 	36 	M.36 	X.10 	Mixed Traffic 	1870
 	2-4-0 	10 	 	 	Passenger 	1870
 	0-6-0T 	20N 	 	 	Goods Saddle Tank 	1872
 	0-6-0T 	(1st) 48	 	 	Goods Tank 	1872
 	0-6-0 	23N 	 	 	Goods 	1874
 	0-6-0 	(2nd)48 	I.48 	 	Goods 	1874
 	0-6-0 	60 	O.60 	 	Passenger 	1874
 	0-6-0T 	66 	P.127 	 	Small Saddle Tank 	1874
 	0-6-0T 	67 	N.67 	 	Suburban Passenger Tank 	1875
 	4-4-0 	79 	C.79 	Z.12 	Passenger 	1877
 	4-4-2T 	79 	CC.79 	Z.13 	Suburban Passenger Tank 	1877
 	0-6-0 	93 	A.93 	Z.19 	Goods 	1877
 	4-4-0 	105 	U.105
(later S.105)	 	Passenger 	1877
 	2-8-0 	131 	J.131 	Z.28 	Goods 	1879
 	4-4-0 	158 	Q.158 	 	Light Mixed Traffic 	1880
 	2-6-0 	205 	B.205 	Z.25 	Goods 	1882
 	4-4-0 	255 	D.255 	Z.15 	Express Passenger 	1882
 	4-4-0 	261 	D.261 	Z.16 	Express Passenger 	1883
 	0-6-0T 	285 	R.285 	Z.18 	Suburban Passenger Tank 	1884
 	2-6-0 	294 	K.294 	 	Goods 	1885
 	2-6-0 	304 	L.304 	Z.21 	Passenger 	1885
 	4-4-0 	334 	D.334 	Z.16 	Express Passenger 	1885
 	2-4-0T 	351 	F.351 	X.10 	Suburban Passenger Tank 	1885
 	4-4-0 	373 	H.373 	Z.17 	Passenger 	1887
 	2-6-0 	 	L.436 	Z.22 	Passenger 	1890
 	4-4-2T 	 	M.40 	Z.11 	Suburban Passenger Tank 	1891
 	2-6-0 	 	B.55 	Z.24 	Goods 	1891
 	2-6-2T 	 	I.17 	Z.26 	Mineral Tank 	1891
 	2-6-4T 	 	E.10 	Z.20 	Mineral Tank 	1891
 	4-6-0 	 	O.446 	Z.23 	Passenger 	1891
 	2-8-0 	 	J.483 	Z.29 	Goods 	1891
 	4-6-0 	 	P.6 	C.32 	Passenger 	1892
 	2-8-0 	 	J.522 	Z.28 	Goods 	1893
 	2-8-0 	 	T.524 	D.50 	Goods 	1896
 	2-6-4T 	 	A/E 	Z.20 	Mineral Tank E.10 rebuild	1902
 	4-4-0 	 	CG 	Z.14 	(C)onverted (G)-Class 	1903
 	4-6-4T 	 	S.636 	C.30 	Suburban Passenger Tank 	1903
 	4-6-0 	 	N.928 	C.34 	Express Passenger 	1909
 	4-4-0T 	158 	Q.158 	 	Suburban Passenger Tank 	1910
 	2-8-0 	 	TF.939 	D.53 	Goods 	1912
 	4-6-0 	 	NN.1027 	C.35 	Express passenger 	1914
 	2-6-0 	 	G.1204 	Z.27 	Goods 	1917
 	2-8-0 	 	K.1353 	D.55 	Goods 	1918
 	4-6-0 	 	 	C.36 	Express passenger 	1925
 	4-6-0 	 	 	C.30T 	Branch line work 	1928
 	4-8-2 	 	 	D.57 	Heavy Goods 	1929
 	4-6-2 	 	 	C.38 	Express passenger 	1943
 	4-8-2 	 	 	D.58 	Heavy Goods 	1950
 	4-8-4+4-8-4 	 	 	AD.60 	Heavy Goods 	1952
 	2-8-2 	 	 	D.59 	Goods 	1952
==See also==
*Preserved steam locomotives of New South Wales
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Category:Locomotive classification systems
Category:NSWGR
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