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 Total produced 19
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. Between 1936 and 1945, a further 20 were built by Clyde Engineering, Sydney. The final four were delivered with higher pressure boilers.

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 The first was withdrawn in 1957 with the final examples withdrawn in January 1964 following the Y class entering service. Q5 has been preserved at the Tasmanian Transport Museum, Glenorchy.