South Australian Railways 600 class (steam)

The South Australian Railways 600 class was a class of 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotives built by Armstrong Whitworth in England as part of the 1924 order for 30 locomotives placed under the railways commissioner William Webb. The design was based on the American USRA Light Pacific, modified by the railways' chief mechanical engineer Fred Shea, including the changes needed to fit South Australia's lower loading gauge. They arrived in Adelaide in 1926, and locomotive 609 was named Duke of Gloucester after hauling the Duke's royal train in 1934, which made it Australia's first royal engine. The whole class was later given upgraded boilers and front ends and was reclassified 600C, and large smoke deflectors were fitted over the years. Ten similar locomotives of the 620 class were built at the Islington workshops in 1936 to 1938. All the 600 class engines were withdrawn between 1955 and 1961, and none was preserved.