I have a special interest in Manning Wardle locomotives that were used in New South Wales both by the government and private railways. Photos of the locomotives in use are fairly rare, probably due to the attention of the photographers of the day on the top express passenger locomotives. Below are a few photos that I have managed to locate from various sources.
Number
29 is one of my favourite Manning Wardle locomotives and shows the extent of
rebuilding undertaken by the New South Wales Railways over a period of years. An
old I class, builder's number 88, it commenced working in 1864 as number 15.
Renumbered as 29 in 1865, it continued to work with sister engines 30 & 31
on the Richmond line. The original tanks were found to have inadequate water
supply and were replaced with larger tanks, possibly around 1869-70
period. A cab was also added. The funnel was extended by 1'9" for use
on the Sans Souci tramway in 1887. It is in this condition that number 29 is
being modelled in 4mm/ft scale (P4 standards), utilising an Impetus old I class
kit as a starting point. Photos of the project will eventually appear on these
pages.
This
is a photo of 30 or 31, Manning Wardle builder's number 89 or 109, sister
engines to 29. Note the differences in the style of cab and funnel height. It is
planned to also build a model of this locomotive as a comparison with 29.
The history of 29, 30 & 31 were covered in an article in the ARHS Bulletin no.136, Vol 22, February, 1949. Reference to the photos indicate that the diagram in this article is incorrect. The wheelbase as drawn is as per the K Class (5'5" + 5'4"), not as per the Old I Class (4'10" + 5'5").
Pioneer or 9N, Manning Wardle builder's number 32. This loco is another of my current modelling projects, 4mm/ft scale (P4 standards), again utilising the Impetus kit as a starting point. The loco is being modelled in its original guise as "Pioneer", a contractor's loco in the 1860's. Unfortunately, I do not have any decent photos of this loco to post on these pages. However, an article including some poor reproductions appears in the ARHS Bulletin no.283, May 1961. Again, there may be some inaccuracies in this article concerning cylinder diameter, as this was a fairly early old I class and would have most likely had 11" dia. x 17" stroke cylinders, and the same wheelbase as other Old I Class locos, i.e. 4'10" + 5'5".
A
photo of 292, Manning Wardle builder's number 918. One of two Manning Wardle K
class locomotives, the other being 293, builder's number 919, imported for use
on the Camden Tramway in 1884. They were renumbered as 532 & 533 in 1896 and
went to work on the steeply graded Carlingford line in 1901. Although both were
out of government service by 1907, 533 lasted in private use until 1933. A model
of 292 is on the drawing boards, again to 4mm/ft scale (P4 standards), utilising
the Peter K kit as the starting point. This kit comes with inside working valve
gear which should provide a real challenge in 4mm/ft scale!
South
Bulli number 3, another K class, Manning Wardle builder's number 912 of 1884.
Note the differences between this loco and 292.
A good reference source for information on Manning Wardle locomotives is "The Locomotives Built by Manning Wardle & Company, Volume 2 Standard Gauge" by Fred W. Harman (A Century Locoprints Publication).