The Z27 class (formerly G.1204 class) was a class of steam locomotives built by

Hunslet Engine Company The Hunslet Engine Company is a locomotive-building company, founded in 1864 in Hunslet, England. It manufactured steam locomotives for over 100 years and currently manufactures diesel shunting locomotives. The company is part of Ed Murray & S ...

for the

New South Wales Government Railways The New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR) was the agency of the Government of New South Wales that administered rail transport in New South Wales, Australia, between 1855 and 1932. Management The agency was managed by a range of differe ...

of Australia.

History

Eight '

Mogul Mogul may refer to: History *Mughal Empire, or any member of its ruling dynasty Persons * Magnate ** Mogul, Secret Service codename for President Trump ** Business magnate, a prominent person in a particular industry **Media mogul, a person who ...

' type locomotives were built in 1913 for the New South Wales Public Works Department as railway construction locomotives, working on lines such as

Coffs Harbour Coffs Harbour is a city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with a population of 78,759 as per 2021 census. The Gumbaynggirr ...

Glenreagh Glenreagh is a small town in the Clarence Valley in the Northern Rivers region of north-eastern New South Wales, Australia. At the 2016 census, Glenreagh had a population of 900 people. It is on the North Coast railway line, completed to Gl ...

, Glenreagh to Dorrigo and the

Tumbarumba railway line The Tumbarumba railway line is a railway line in New South Wales, Australia. Proposals were commenced back as early as 1881. The length of an initial proposal showed it to be in length. The final built length being . Following heavy rai ...

between

Humula Humula is a small country town between Tarcutta and Tumbarumba in New South Wales, Australia. Humula was once named "American Yards" or "American Fields" during the gold rush, where many Chinese came for gold years ago. At the 2016 census, Hum ...

and

Tumbarumba Tumbarumba ( ) is a small town in New South Wales, Australia, about southwest of the state capital, Sydney. Tumbarumba is located on the periphery of the Riverina and South West Slopes regions at the western edge of the Snowy Mountains. The s ...

. When the

assumed responsibility for railway construction in 1917, these locomotives were transferred and became the (G)1204 class. These locomotives were considered too modern to be utilised on construction work and were transferred to more demanding duties. However they were found to be unsuitable for working lines which abounded in curves, having a tendency to shed their valve motion on anything other than the straightest of track. They were transferred to Narrabri West where they stayed for practically the whole of their remaining lives, working to Moree,

Pokataroo Pokataroo is a small settlement in the far north-west of New South Wales, Australia, that lies in the Walgett Shire. It is made up of approximately 20 people, with only 10 buildings not including the large family farm of Taroo that takes up a l ...

Walgett Walgett is a town in northern New South Wales, Australia, and the seat of Walgett Shire. It is near the junctions of the Barwon and Namoi Rivers and the Kamilaroi and Castlereagh Highways. In 2016, Walgett had a population of 2,145. In the 2 ...

Mungindi Mungindi is a town and locality on the border of New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland, Australia. The town is within Moree Plains Shire in New South Wales. Within Queensland, the locality is split between the Shire of Balonne (the western part) ...

and

Boggabilla Boggabilla is a small town in the far north of inland New South Wales, Australia in Moree Plains Shire. At the , the town had a population of 551, of which 63% identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. The name Boggabilla c ...

Preservation

The first two withdrawals occurred in 1957, a further four followed in 1963.

References

{{NSWLocos 2-6-0 locomotives Hunslet locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1913 27 Standard gauge locomotives of Australia