The WAGR G class is a class of

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, Fuel oil, oil or, rarely, Wood fuel, wood) to heat ...

s operated by the

Western Australian Government Railways Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) was the state owned operator of railways in the state of Western Australia between October 1890 and June 2003. Owned by the state government, it was renamed a number of times to reflect extra respon ...

(WAGR) from 1889. The class's

wheel arrangement In rail transport, a wheel arrangement or wheel configuration is a system of classifying the way in which wheels are distributed under a locomotive. Several notations exist to describe the wheel assemblies of a locomotive by type, position, and c ...

varied; 48 were

2-6-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and no trailing wheels. T ...

s and 24 were

4-6-0 A 4-6-0 steam locomotive, under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement, has four leading wheels on two axles in a leading bogie and six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles with the abs ...

History

A total of 72 G class engines were acquired by the WAGR between 1889 and 1899, both new and second-hand. They were the first class of locomotives to be introduced to the WAGR network in quantity. They were part of what became almost an Australian standard, as locomotives of similar design served in large numbers as the Silverton Tramway Y class, South Australian Railways Y class and Tasmanian Government Railways C class, and also on the Chillagoe Railway & Mining Co in

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, the

Emu Bay Railway The Emu Bay Railway was a Tasmania, Australian railway company. The railway was significant during full operation, in that it linked the Tasmanian Government Railways system at Burnie with that at Zeehan that further linked to the Mount Lye ...

in Tasmania and the

North Australia Railway The North Australia Railway was a narrow gauge railway in the Northern Territory of Australia which ran from the territory capital of Darwin, once known as Palmerston, to Birdum, just south of Larrimah. Initially its name was the ''Palmerst ...

in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

. They were originally designed by Beyer, Peacock & Co who built nine, with

James Martin & Co James Martin & Co was an Australian engineering company which progressed from making agricultural equipment to making railway locomotives. History James Martin & Co. was founded in Gawler, South Australia about 1848 by James Martin as a blac ...

building 29,

Neilson & Co Neilson and Company was a locomotive manufacturer in Glasgow, Scotland. The company was started in 1836 at McAlpine Street by Walter Neilson and James Mitchell to manufacture marine and stationary engines. In 1837 the firm moved to Hyde Par ...

12 and Dubs and Co 22. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, 13 were sold to the

Commonwealth Railways The Commonwealth Railways were established in 1917 by the Government of Australia with the Commonwealth Railways Act to administer the Trans-Australian Railway, Trans-Australia and Adelaide-Darwin railway, Port Augusta to Darwin railways. In 1 ...

for use on the

which became their NGA and NFC classes. Three were also sold to the Chillagoe Railway & Mining Co in 1907, while others were sold for further use by timber mill operators in Western Australia, such as Millars, Bunnings Bros, Kauri Timber Co., Goldfields Firewood Supply and the State Saw Mills. The class remained in service in significant numbers until the 1960s. Millars No. 71 "Menzies" (ex- WAGR G 111) was the last G Class withdrawn in 1972, having the mantle of the last steam locomotive in revenue service in Western Australia.

Survivors

Several have been preserved: *G53: plinthed at Pemberton and displaying its State Saw Mills identity, SSM No.7 *G117: on display at Merredin station *G118: on display at Kalamunda station *G123: ''Koombana Queen'' preserved by the

Hotham Valley Railway The Hotham Valley Tourist Railway (commonly Hotham Valley Railway) is a heritage railway, tourist and heritage railway in the Peel (Western Australia), Peel region of Western Australia. The railway operates over a section of the original Pi ...

G123
Hotham Valley Railway *G233: '' Leschenault Lady'' restored to operational condition by

Rail Heritage WA Rail Heritage WA is the local trading name of the Australian Railway Historical Society (Western Australian Division) Inc. History The Western Australian branch of the Australian Railway Historical Society was formed in February 1959. In the 1 ...

in Boyanup G 118 in Kalamunda History Village August 2021

References

Notes

Cited works

External links