# WAGR F class

The WAGR F class was a class of 4-8-0 heavy goods steam locomotives operated by the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) between 1902 and 1970.

## History

A total of 57 F class were built in three batches, fifteen in 1902, twelve in 1912 and thirty in 1913. The first batch was built by Dübs & Co, and the other two by its successor, the North British Locomotive Company. The class was designed by T.F. Rotheram, Chief Mechanical Engineer of the WAGR from 1900 to 1903. It was an enlarged version of the New Zealand Railways' B class, which had been designed under Rotherham's direction in 1896. The class was introduced to replace the K class on the Eastern Goldfields Railway. After World War II they were replaced as main line locomotives by the S and V classes.
The last two engines of the second batch, 366 and 367, were delivered with Schmidt superheaters, and were the first superheated locomotives to enter service in Western Australia. They were designated as class Fs. Between 1924 and 1948, all bar 398, 401, 403 and 415 were retrofitted with superheaters, and reclassified as Fs class engines. Some were renumbered in 1949/1950. Towards the end of their lives, some had their superheaters removed as an economy measure.
Two have been preserved, F452 at Collie and Fs460 at the Western Australian Rail Transport Museum.

## Class lists

The numbers and periods in service of each member of the F class were as follows:
First batch, built by Dübs & Co in 1902: :
| Builder's number | First number | Second number | In service | Superheated | Withdrawn | Notes |
| 4023 | 276 | | 16 August 1902 | 20 December 1924 | 23 March 1961 | Oil fired 1 December 1947 to 30 September 1949 |
| 4024 | 277 | 424 | 30 October 1902 | 22 November 1924 | 15 October 1962 | Renumbered 1 November 1949 |
| 4025 | 278 | 425 | 25 August 1902 | 4 April 1925 | 1 September 1961 | Renumbered 17 November 1949 |
| 4026 | 279 | | 22 August 1902 | 19 July 1924 | 4 September 1947 | Oil fired 22 December 1936 to June 1938 |
| 4027 | 280 | 426 | 3 September 1902 | 26 September 1941 | 30 November 1961 | Renumbered 15 November 1949 |
| 4028 | 281 | 427 | 6 September 1902 | 13 December 1924 | 23 November 1962 | Renumbered 15 February 1950 |
| 4029 | 282 | | 10 September 1902 | 6 September 1924 | 14 January 1954 | Oil fired 12 December 1947 to 25 June 1948 and 24 March 1949 to 4 October 1949 |
| 4030 | 283 | | 13 September 1902 | 6 June 1925 | 16 May 1961 | Oil fired 17 December 1947 to 20 August 1948 |
| 4031 | 284 | | 25 October 1902 | 22 August 1933 | 4 September 1947 | |
| 4032 | 285 | | 23 October 1902 | 29 April 1936 | 6 September 1962 | Oil fired 6 June 1947 to 30 September 1949 |
| 4033 | 286 | | 8 October 1902 | 20 September 1924 | 17 August 1951 | Oil fired 18 July 1945 to 12 July 1946, 21 December 1946 to 14 February 1947 and 29 April 1949 to 3 November 1949 |
| 4034 | 287 | | 14 October 1902 | 28 February 1925 | 15 October 1962 | |
| 4035 | 288 | | 15 November 1902 | 23 November 1929 | 30 November 1959 | Ran with boiler fitted with round top firebox 30 September 1911 to 4 July 1929 |
| 4036 | 289 | | 1 November 1902 | 9 May 1941 | 8 March 1961 | Oil fired 9 November 1945 to 5 July 1946, 21 December 1946 to 21 February 1947 and 19 December 1947 to 17 November 1948 |
| 4037 | 290 | | 18 October 1902 | 29 November 1924 | 1 March 1962 | Oil fired 30 October 1945 to 21 June 1946 and 22 December 1947 to 12 October 1949 |
Second batch, built by North British Locomotive Company in 1912: :
| Builder's number | First number | Second number | In service | Superheated | Withdrawn | Notes |
| 19655 | 356 | | 2 March 1912 | 19 September 1935 | 22 July 1969 | Stowed 20 June 1964 |
| 19656 | 357 | | 5 March 1912 | 29 March 1935 | 22 July 1969 | Oil fired 19 December 1947 to 30 September 1948 and ? to 21 December 1949; stowed 1964 |
| 19657 | 358 | | 5 March 1912 | 2 September 1937 | 22 July 1969 | Oil fired 17 December 1947 to 25 June 1948; stowed 26 June 1964 |
| 19658 | 359 | | 7 March 1912 | 30 May 1941 | 22 July 1969 | Stowed 26 October 1960 to 17 April 1961 and 29 May 1964 |
| 19659 | 360 | | 6 March 1912 | 30 October 1940 | 22 July 1969 | Superheater removed 10 May 1963; stowed 1964 |
| 19660 | 361 | 441 | 29 February 1912 | 5 December 1941 | 6 October 1969 | Renumbered 8 November 1949; stowed 29 July 1964 |
| 19661 | 362 | | 20 July 1912 | 21 November 1940 | 22 July 1969 | Superheater removed 6 June 1963 |
| 19662 | 363 | | 27 July 1912 | 13 December 1930 | 22 July 1969 | Stowed 27 January 1965 |
| 19663 | 364 | 444 | 20 July 1912 | 27 July 1939 | 9 November 1964 | Renumbered 17 November 1949; stowed 15 May 1963 |
| 19664 | 365 | | 27 July 1912 | 6 September 1930 | 10 September 1970 | Stowed 28 June 1961 to 27 April 1962 and 13 June 1970 |
| 19665 | 366 | | 23 November 1912 | | 24 August 1953 | Built with Schmidt superheater; oil fired 4 December 1947 to 19 August 1948 |
| 19666 | 367 | 447 | 16 November 1912 | | 22 July 1969 | Built with Schmidt superheater; renumbered 18 November 1949; stowed 1964 |
Third batch, built by North British Locomotive Company in 1913: :
| Builder's number | First number | Second number | In service | Superheated | Withdrawn | Notes |
| 20083 | 394 | 448 | 21 June 1913 | 22 December 1937 | 22 July 1969 | Renumbered 21 December 1949;stowed 23 August 1965 |
| 20084 | 395 | 449 | 14 June 1913 | 10 March 1939 | 10 September 1970 | Renumbered 19 December 1949; stowed 21 February 1970 |
| 20085 | 396 | 450 | 14 June 1913 | 24 September 1932 | 6 October 1969 | Renumbered 2 December 1949; superheater removed 23 August 1961; stowed 16 December 1964 |
| 20086 | 397 | 451 | 21 June 1913 | 19 June 1943 | 10 September 1970 | Renumbered 4 April 1950; oil fired 3 December 1948 to 30 September 1949; stowed 3 August 1965 to 21 January 1966 and 18 June 1970 |
| 20087 | 398 | 452 | 7 June 1913 | 1 October 1947 | 17 June 1971 | Renumbered 5 December 1949; superheater removed 20 August 1962; preserved at Collie |
| 20088 | 399 | | 2 August 1913 | 24 April 1940 | 22 July 1969 | Stowed 31 July 1963 to 18 March 1964 and 15 July 1969 |
| 20089 | 400 | 454 | 26 July 1913 | 17 May 1935 | 10 February 1969 | Renumbered 20 April 1950; stowed 20 June 1964 to 15 September 1964 |
| 20090 | 401 | | 19 July 1913 | 9 June 1939 | 4 September 1947 | Boiler removed, reclassified F, and stowed 22 December 1945 |
| 20091 | 402 | 455 | 19 July 1913 | 18 May 1929 | 22 July 1969 | Renumbered 25 May 1950; oil fired 27 September 1945 to 12 July 1946 and 14 December 1946 to 18 March 1947; superheater removed 28 August 1964 |
| 20092 | 403 | 456 | 26 July 1913 | 9 November 1948 | 20 July 1967 | Renumbered 14 December 1949; superheater removed 20 August 1963 |
| 20093 | 404 | 457 | 19 July 1913 | 9 August 1930 | 6 October 1969 | Renumbered 28 November 1949; superheater removed 10 December 1962; stowed 15 December 1966 |
| 20094 | 405 | 458 | 26 July 1913 | 29 October 1937 | 22 March 1956 | Renumbered 6 December 1949 |
| 20095 | 406 | 459 | 19 July 1913 | 16 August 1940 | 22 July 1969 | Renumbered 18 November 1949; stowed 1964 |
| 20096 | 407 | 460 | 19 July 1913 | 10 December 1937 | 14 August 1972 | Renumbered 21 December 1949; stowed 28 August 1962 to 26 July 1963; preserved at the Western Australian Rail Transport Museum |
| 20097 | 408 | 461 | 26 July 1913 | 7 December 1945 | 10 September 1970 | Renumbered 17 November 1949; stowed 16 February 1970 |
| 20098 | 409 | 462 | 23 August 1913 | 31 August 1929 | 27 September 1967 | Renumbered 2 October 1949; superheater removed 11 February 1963; stowed 31 July 1967 |
| 20099 | 410 | 463 | 30 August 1913 | 27 February 1936 | 30 August 1967 | Renumbered 2 October 1949; stowed 31 July 1967 |
| 20100 | 411 | | 23 August 1913 | 26 May 1933 | 20 July 1967 | Superheater removed 7 November 1962; stowed 31 May 1967 |
| 20101 | 412 | | 6 September 1913 | 3 April 1940 | 29 February 1968 | Oil fired 19 March 1948 to 11 October 1949; superheater removed 21 March 1963 |
| 20102 | 413 | | 6 September 1913 | 23 August 1935 | 10 February 1969 | Superheater removed 24 June 1964 |
| 20103 | 414 | | 30 August 1913 | 18 July 1941 | 22 July 1969 | Stowed 27 January 1965 |
| 20104 | 415 | | 30 August 1913 | 22 September 1950 | 22 July 1969 | Stowed 1 April 1964 |
| 20105 | 416 | | 16 August 1913 | 4 September 1936 | 22 July 1969 | Stowed 3 September 1964 |
| 20106 | 417 | | 30 August 1913 | 11 November 1938 | 1 May 1967 | Stowed 10 April 1967 |
| 20107 | 418 | | 23 August 1913 | 8 November 1930 | 20 July 1967 | Superheater removed 14 July 1962 |
| 20108 | 419 | | 13 September 1913 | 16 December 1942 | 22 July 1969 | Superheater removed 5 October 1962; stowed 1964 |
| 20109 | 420 | | 20 September 1913 | 16 December 1938 | 22 July 1969 | Fitted with ACFI feedwater heater 23 August 1935 to 16 December 1938 |
| 20110 | 421 | | 20 September 1913 | 15 April 1933 | 6 October 1969 | Stowed 17 December 1964 to 18 August 1965 and 12 July 1969 |
| 20111 | 422 | | 13 September 1913 | 7 May 1935 | 22 July 1969 | Oil fired 18 December 1947 to 13 September 1949; stowed 29 July 1964 |
| 20112 | 423 | | 21 March 1914 | 16 April 1932 | 17 June 1971 | Stowed 12 July 1969 |

## Namesake

The F class designation was reused in the 1960s when the F class diesel locomotives were acquired with the Midland Railway of Western Australia.