Tasmanian Government Railways Q class

The Tasmanian Government Railways Q class was a class of 4-8-2 steam locomotives operated by the Tasmanian Government Railways.

Tasmanian Government Railways Q class
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Perry Engineering Walkers Limited Clyde Engineering Build date 1922-1945
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-8-2 Gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Driver dia. 4 ft 0 in (1,219 mm) Total weight 98 long tons 2 cwt (219,700 lb or 99.7 t) Fuel type Coal Boiler pressure Q1-Q15: 160 lbf/in2 (1.10 MPa) Q16-Q19: 180 lbf/in2 (1.24 MPa) Cylinder size 20 in × 24 in (508 mm × 610 mm)
Performance figures Tractive effort Q1-Q15: 27,200 lbf (120.99 kN) Q16-Q19: 30,600 lbf (136.12 kN)
Career Operators Tasmanian Government Railways Numbers Q1-Q19 Retired 1957-1964 Preserved Q5 Disposition 1 preserved, 18 scrapped

History

In 1922/23, the Tasmanian Government Railways took delivery of six 4-8-2 locomotives from Perry Engineering, Gawler followed by a further three in 1929 from Walkers Limited, Maryborough.^[1] Between 1936 and 1945, a further 10 were built by Clyde Engineering, Sydney.^[2][3] The final four were delivered with higher pressure boilers.^[4][5][6]

They operated on the Western, Derwent Valley, Main and Fingal lines. Following the arrival of the X class, they began to operate suburban passenger services in Hobart. The first was withdrawn in 1957 with the final examples withdrawn in January 1964 following the Y class entering service.^[5][7] Q5 has been preserved at the Tasmanian Transport Museum, Glenorchy.^[8][9]