Locomotive No. 1

Locomotive No. 1
Powerhouse Museum static display
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer James McConnell Builder Robert Stephenson and Company Serial number 958
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-4-2 Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Driver dia. 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) Length 14 ft 2 in (4.32 m) Loco weight 26 long tons 1 cwt 1 qr (58,380 lb or 26.48 t) Tender cap. 4 long tons (4.064 tonnes; 4.480 short tons) coal, 2,000 imperial gallons (9,100 litres; 2,400 US gallons) water Firebox: ​  • Grate area 13.8 sq ft (1.28 m2) Boiler pressure 120 lbf/in2 (830 kPa) Heating surface: ​  • Firebox 85.3 sq ft (7.92 m2)  • Tubes 1,060 sq ft (98 m2) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 16 in × 24 in (406 mm × 610 mm)
Performance figures Tractive effort 8,900 lbf (40 kN)
Career Operators Sydney Railway Company Class 1 Number in class 4 Delivered January 1855 First run 24 May 1855 Last run 15 May 1877 Retired 1877

Locomotive No. 1 hauled the first passenger train in New South Wales, Australia. It was built by Robert Stephenson and Company. In 1846, the Sydney Railway Company^[1] was formed with the objective of building a railway line between Sydney and Parramatta. No. 1 was one of four locomotives that arrived by sea from the manufacturer in January 1855. The first passenger train hauled by No. 1 was a special service from Sydney Station to Long Cove viaduct (near the present site of Lewisham) on 24 May 1855, Queen Victoria's birthday.

A common misconception is that Locomotive No. 1 hauled the first train at the grand opening of the first New South Wales railway, on 26 September 1855. In fact, No. 1 was in need of maintenance that day and not in steam. Its identical sister locomotive No. 3 worked the first passenger train from Sydney at 9:00 am and this was followed by the official train at 12:00 noon hauled by No. 2, driven by William Sixsmith and fireman William Webster.^[2]