Narrow Gauge NFB

NFB 43 to 49, 51, 88 to 97

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NFB 43	NFB 44	NFB 45	NFB 46	NFB 47	NFB 48	NFB 49	NFB 51	NFB 88
NFB 89	NFB 90	NFB 91	NFB 92	NFB 93	NFB 94	NFB 95	NFB 96	NFB 97

Locomotives in the "NFB" class were obtained in two group, all being ex South Australian Railways "Yx" class. The first group (43 to 49, 51) were obtained from Port Lincoln in 1941-42. The others (88 to 97) were obtained in 1942 to help with the hugh increase in war time traffic.

On 8.8.1941 the purchase of four "Yx" class engines from the South Australian Railways was arranged, with the option for an additional two at a later date. The engines were located on the Port Lincoln Division and were to be shipped direct to Fremantle, then up the west coast to Darwin. The first two engines were shipped on 5.9.1941 direct to Fremantle. The next two were forwarded to Fremantle on 15.11.1941 by way of Adelaide.

In January 1942, two more "Yx" class engines were purchased. These engines, "Yx 126" and "Yx 138" were shipped from Port Lincoln to Adelaide and then forwarded to Fremantle. Before despatch from Fremantle the first air raid on Darwin occurred, closing the western route and forcing all shipping to proceed by Sydney. No definite advice was obtained regarding the movements of the ship containing "Yx 126" and "Yx 138" so it was decided to transfer another two "Yx" class engines from Port Lincoln. These were shipped direct to Port Augusta and then overland to Darwin.

In the meantime the two missing engines had turned up and been unloaded in Sydney. They were then broken down into parts and shipped overland to Darwin.

By July 1943 it was obvious that further locomotive power was required on the North Australia Railway, so approaches were made to the South Australian Railways who advised that a further 11 "Yx" class locomotives could be purchased if required. The Department of Army also advised in Ocotober 1943 that they expected traffic on the North Australia Railway to increase by 66% over the previous year's mileage, which would have resulted in a severe shortage of locomotive power. To handle the increased workload an estimated 26 engines would be required to the North Australia Railway. At that time only 24 engines were in service, but as most required overhaul, it was decided to purchase the additional "Yx" class engines offered.

After some investigation it was decided that the most effective method of transferring "NFB 88 to 97" was to dismantle the engines at the South Australian Railways Workshops at Islington, and freight them to Alice Springs for transfer to road vehicles for overland transport to the North Australia Railway railhead at Larrimah. The question of the haulage of the locomotives dead to Alice Springs has also been examined, but this was considered unsuitable as it involved the sending of mechanical staff to Alice Springs to await the arrival of the engines. By being dismantled at Islington it also gave the South Australian Railways a chance to do any reconditioning required work on the engines before dispatch.

Originally 11 locomotives were required, but in October 1944, following advice from the Department of the Army that traffic on the North Australia Railway would decrease, the Commonwealth Railways informed the the South Australian Railways that the eleventh locomotive, then being reconditioned at the Islington Workshops, would not be required.

Engines "NFB 43" to "59" and "51" all appear to have run under their South Australian Railways codes until the North Australia Railway recoding of all rollingstock in 1943 when the allotted Commonwealth Railways classifications were applied. Some of these engines were actually shipped before being officially sold. Most likely this is due to Commonwealth initially intending to hire the engines rather than purchase them outright.

Class:		NFB
Builder:		James Martin, Gawler S.A. South Australian Railways, Islington Workshops
Introduced:		1941
Number in Class:		18
Wheel Arrangement:		2-6-0
Driving Wheel Diameter:		3 ft. 3 in.
Cylinders:	Number:	2
-	Position on frame:	Outside
-	Diameter x stroke:	14½ in. x 20 in.
Valve Gear:		Stephenson
Heating Surface:	Tubes:	730 square feet
-	Firebox:	76.2 square feet
-	Grate Area:	13.67 square feet
Boiler Pressure:		185 lbs
Tractive Effort:		16,955 lbs
Coal Capacity:		4 tons 10 cwt
Water Capacity:		1600 gallons
Weight in Working Order:		49 tons 19 cwt
Maximum Axle Load:		8 tons
Overall Length		39 ft. 3 in.