The H class was a class of two steam locomotives operated by the

Western Australian Government Railways Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) was the operator of railway services 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 responsi ...

(WAGR) introduced in 1889.

History

In 1889,

Neilson & Co Neilson may refer to: Places * Zec Batiscan-Neilson, in the Portneuf Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada * Neilson Township, in Portneuf Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada * Neilson River (Bras du Nord), Saint-Raymond, Portneuf ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

delivered two 0-6-0T engines to the WAGR. H18 entered service on the Eastern Railway, while H17 was placed in store in Bunbury pending the opening of the Bunbury to Boyanup line. The WAGR sought to move H17 to the Eastern Railway, but the residents objected so it remained in store. H17 entered in service in May 1890 to operate construction trains, but by then the number 17 had been allocated to a

G class G class or Class G may refer to: Locomotives * NZR G class (1928), a type of steam locomotive used in New Zealand * Tasmanian Government Railways G class, a class of 0-4-2T steam locomotive used in Australia * V/Line G class, a class of diese ...

locomotive, so it was renumbered H22. When the line opened in March 1891, H18 was transferred to Bunbury. Between 1895 and 1897, both operated construction trains at Fremantle Harbour South Mole.

Post WAGR history

H22 was sold on 20 March 1907 to the Goldfields Water Supply Administration to operate the

Mundaring Weir Branch Railway The Mundaring Weir Branch Railway was constructed from Mundaring, Western Australia to the site of the Mundaring Weir, and opened on 1 June 1898. Overview One of the rail lines constructed by the Public Works Department in the early 20th ce ...

. It was transferred back to the WAGR in September 1909 with the Weir line. In November 1911, it was sold to Smith & Timms to operate construction trains on the

Marble Bar Railway The Port Hedland–Marble Bar railway was a railway in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, running into the hinterland from the north-west coast. History The line was a Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) gauge branch line whic ...

, it then went back to the WAGR in June 1912 for use as a shunter at

Port Hedland A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

jetty shunter. It had been stored by July 1931. In May 1934 it was overhauled at the

Midland Railway Workshops The Midland Railway Workshops in Midland, Western Australia, were the main workshops for the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) for over 80 years. History The first railway workshops in Western Australia were located at Fremantle an ...

before re-entering service at Port Hedland. It was overhauled at Midland again in 1944. After the Marble Bar Railway closed on 31 October 1951, it was transferred to the

Public Works Department This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure. See also * Public works * Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...

for use as a shunter at Port Hedland. It was scrapped in 1956. H18 transferred to the Goldfields Water Supply Administration in September 1904 for use on the Mundaring Weir Branch Railway hauling firewood and passenger trains. It was transferred back to the WAGR in September 1909 with the Weir line. In November 1911, it was transferred to the Public Works Department for use at Fremantle Harbour North Quay and later Esperance, and from 1926 on Bunbury breakwater construction and maintenance trains until it was withdrawn in the late 1950s. In July 1962, H18 was donated to the

Australian Railway Historical Society The Australian Railway Historical Society (ARHS) aims to foster an interest in the railways, and record and preserve many facets of railway operations. It had divisions in every state and the Australian Capital Territory, although the ACT divis ...

and later placed on display at the

Western Australian Rail Transport Museum The Railway Museum, also known as the Rail Transport Museum, is situated in Bassendean, Western Australia. It is run by the Western Australian division of the Australian Railway Historical Society (ARHS), which is called Rail Heritage WA. In th ...

. It was cosmetically restored at the Midland Railway Workshops.H18
Australian Steam

Namesake

The H class designation was reused in the 1960s when the H class diesel locomotives entered service.

References

{{WAGR Locomotives Neilson locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1889 H WAGR class 0-6-0T locomotives 3 ft 6 in gauge locomotives of Australia Shunting locomotives