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) O Class was a class consisting of fifty-six

2-8-0 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, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels. ...

steam locomotives 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, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

which were introduced by the WAGR between 1896 and 1912. Despite them being tender locomotives, they also featured short boiler side tanks for additional water storage. A useful feature for the long distances required by operation on Western Australia's country lines.

History

Between 1896 and 1898, the WAGR took delivery of 36 O class locomotives from

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 ...

with a further 10 built by Dübs & Co. They initially operated services on the Eastern Railway and on the South Western Railway to

Collie Collies form a distinctive type of herding dogs, including many related landraces and standardized breeds. The type originated in Scotland and Northern England. Collies are medium-sized, fairly lightly-built dogs, with pointed snouts. Many ...

before being superseded by the Ec and K classes and moving to branch line duties. In 1907/08, 10 O class were rebuilt as N Class suburban tank engines. Between 1909 and 1912,

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 ...

built a further 10 as the Oa class. The last examples of the O class were withdrawn from service in 1962. O218 has been preserved 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 ...

. In April 2015, it moved to the Walkaway Station Museum on a five-year loan.O218 arrives at Walkaway
Walkaway Station Museum

References

{{WAGR Locomotives Dübs locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1896 O WAGR class 2-8-0 locomotives 3 ft 6 in gauge locomotives of Australia Freight locomotives