WAGR E class (1879)

The WAGR E class were two steam locomotives operated by the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR).

The E class were double-fairlie side tank locomotives built in 1879 by the Avonside Engine Coy of Bristol, England for the Northern Railway which ran from Geraldton to Northampton and was the first government railway in Western Australia. However, the Northern Railway didn't require them due to declines in mineral traffic so they were stored.

The first finally entered service in 1881 and the other in 1885, both were then transferred to the Eastern Railway in 1888, with one-half of No. 20 being rebuilt at Fremantle Workshops into a 2-4-2 side tank engine designated the F class, the other became a stationary engine within the workshops complex.

The other E class, No. 7 was sold to the timber industry in 1895 to Canning Jarrah Timber Coy to be used on the Upper Darling Range Railway. No. 7 was scrapped in 1897, with its side tanks recycled as the tender of another locomotive, and other components were used on log haulers.


Category:Western Australian Government Railways locomotives