The American influence found its way into rolling stock, signaling and various practices throughout the SAR system. Though the railways were largely a British invention they had a monopoly on the entire infrastructure, however it wasn’t long before it was challenged by overseas rivals. To do so required a lot of courage, innovation and smooth talking which the Americans had in large amounts. By the 1840’s, ten years after the British initiated the concept, the Americans were trading with foreign markets. Passionate to outbid and outperform other like industries to be the market leader.
The first American locomotive in Australia was the New South Wales U-105 class in 1877 by Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia. A standard design altered to meet the demands of the Blue Mountains and the facilities available at the time. The 4-4-0, proved itself a success and in so doing further orders were placed for other wheel arrangements. Other States around the country placed orders at the same year, the last however being Western Australia in 1901.
The oldest surviving American locomotive is a Commonwealth Railways Baldwin Built NA 0-4-0T of 1886, named ‘Sandfly’. It operated in Darwin, Northern Territory as a Shunter and construction work south of the city. It is now on display in the railway station in Darwin. The next oldest is Fairymead No.1. Formerly a sugar cane engine which can be found at the Goulburn Museum, NSW. The third surviving locomotive is the Victorian Dd class, rebuilt to D3 class number 635 of 1912. Built by Baldwin to a British design, it can be seen on display at the Newport Railway Museum, Victoria. The fourth oldest is another Baldwin, BHP #4 of 1914 which can be found in South Australia’s Nation Railway Museum, Adelaide, S.A.
A well-recognized Baldwin design is Victoria’s Na class, Puffing Billy’ located in the Dandenong Ranges. Numbers 1A and 2A were delivered from BLW in 1898. They proved successful and further engines were built at the Newport Workshops. The original engines were scraped in1912, but their legacies are carried on today. The G class in South Australia’s National Railway Museum is a 1914 Clyde Built engine used to operated trains across the Nullabour desert. Built to a successful British design of the New South Wales C32 class, they operated in harsh conditions until the arrival of the Diesel locomotives in 1953. In order for the work on the Trans-Continental line to continue more engines of this type were urgently required. Twelve engines from BLW were delivered in fifteen weeks from the signed contract, ensuing success for the project.
From the outset, the American’s main selling point was ‘low cost and quick delivery’. Until recently, no other company in Australia and overseas could match their performance. Whilst there was strong patriotism to ‘Building British’, from time to time it had to be put aside as pressure to supply locomotives had to be met. Cheaper materials such as steel instead of copper, a production line form of manufacture and a standard system of parts meant that off-the-shelf orders could be dispatched within times not previously possible. There have been thirty-six classes of American Steam locomotives once operated across the county, all purchased with this aspect in mind.
As time went on the loss of the ‘Yankee’ look meant for a less elegant and more austere appearance of engine. Fashion gave way to function. Whilst being more practical, it meant a part of the way we once thought was relegated to the past. There are only two locomotives of the early American type left in Australia. Sandfly and Fairymead No.1. The rest had all been scrapped by the mid 1940’s. Some had a release of live by being rebuilt to a simple more functional design, however inevitably they succumbed to history. Nothing of them remains except for a few stray drawings, photographs and footnotes of the work they performed. It wasn’t until the 1920’s that America would once again influence the South Australian Railways, helping the State cope through the Great Depression and into the modern age.