WAGR Ra class

The WAGR Ra class were a total of 14 steam locomotives operated by the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) from 1909 to 1948.

No. 174 displayed outside Midland Shopping Centre in 2010, No. 174 was formerly an Ra class engine.

The Ra class came about as a result of the need for more powerful engines on lightly-laid lines in rural areas. A trailing set of wheels was fitted behind the driving wheels to allow the standard R class to traverse the lighter rails, becoming the Ra class. Several locos were converted to Ra and then converted back to R and then converted to Ra again depending on the needs of the WAGR.

Withdrawals for the Ra began in the 1920s as part of a program to replace and upgrade the WAGR's aging fleet of locomotives which resulted from a 1922 Royal Commission. Curiously the Ra designation was abolished in 1933 but those that remained continued operating with Ra specifications under the R designation.

No. 174 has been preserved but was converted into its original R class form shortly after withdrawal to represent the class in its original condition, it is now on display at the ARHS Rail Heriateg W.A. Bassendean Railway Museum.