WAGR V class
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The WAGR V class were a total of 24 large steam locomotives operated by the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) from 1955 to 1972.
The V class were ordered in 1951 from Beyer, Peacock & Coy but due to limited production capabilities Beyer, Peacock & Coy were forced to contract Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn of Darlington, England to build them, though they still received Bayer, Peacock serial numbers.
The design was modern and utilised quite modern technology for the time. When the V class entered service to haul heavy coal traffic from Collie on the South Western mainline. The V class had a dependable and free-steaming reputation among crews and witnesses, they later saw further service on the Great Southern line from York to Albany.
Withdrawals began in 1971 and ended in 1972 with No. 1220 hauling the Farewell to Steam special from Brunswick Junction to Collie marking the official end of steam on the WAGR. Four of the V class are preserved, one formerly based at Pemberton hauled the last mainline freight in Western Australia by steam in 1992 and last industrial use by steam in 2005, it was since moved to the Hotham Valley Railway. One is on display at Collie Old Station Museum, another at ARHS Rail Heritage W.A. Bassendean Railway Museum, and the fourth is preserved at the Bellarine Peninsula Railway in Victoria.
