| Weight | 73t 0cwt |
| Driving Wheels | 4ft 7ins |
| Boiler Pressure | 160psi |
| Cylinders | 2 Outside |
This locomotive was built by Beyer Peacock in Manchester in 1914 as one of 145 engines of the S636 class.
The first batch of 35 locomotives for the New South Wales Government Railway (NSWGR) entered service in 1903/04. Between 1905 and 1917 Beyer Peacock built a further 60 locomotives and the NSWGR constructed 50 at their Eveleigh Railway Workshop at Redfern in the Sydney suburbs.
The 145 locomotives were reclassified as C30 in 1924. At the same time this locomotive was renumbered from S1240 to 3112.
These locomotives were designed to handle the growing volumes of suburban traffic in Sydney and in particular to cope with the steeply graded Northern, North Shore and Illawarra lines.
Following the electrification of the Sydney suburban network, 77 of the C30 class locomotives, were converted into C30T 4-6-0 tender locomotives between 1928 and 1933. These were used to replace older and largely obsolete locomotives which at that time were working on the lightly-laid country branch lines throughout New South Wales. This locomotive was one of the remaining 68 that were not converted which were used on outer suburban services in Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong.
From 1956 onwards 3112 and others were also employed in carriage-shunting duties at Sydney Central. This was because the class C30 locomotives could be employed under the recently electrified carriage sidings as the water tanks were on the sides of the boiler so that filling them with water was not an issue. The earlier locomotives were members of the Z26 class of which two (numbers 2605 and 2606) have been preserved.
3112 was also out-stationed at other yards which required large shunting locomotives, and is recorded as having worked at such locations such as Bathurst.
With the arrival of new diesel locomotives in the 1960s, 3112 and the other members of the C30 class were deemed to be surplus to requirements. 3112 was withdrawn from service in February 1972 and sold to the Lachlan Vintage Village and stored at the Parkes locomotive depot in 1974.It was then relocated to the Lachlan Vintage Village at Forbes.
The Lachlan Vintage Village was a local history museum featuring relocated historical buildings, a recreated Aboriginal camp and other displays relevant to the region. From a railway perspective it included a 2’ gauge line using ex-sugar industry locomotives and a standard gauge railway which ringed the site. Unfortunately the Lachlan Vintage Village did not succeed as an ongoing concern and the railway assets were progressively sold off.
The locomotive was subsequently purchased at auction in November 1986, by Barry Tulloch and moved in the following month to Cowra Locomotive Depot.
The locomotive left Cowra in January 1988 when it went to Sydney via Harden to its new home at Eveleigh Railway Workshops. The restoration work continued and it was able to travel over many parts of New South Wales.
In 1989 the locomotive was attached to 60103 Flying Scotsman to assist up the 1 in 33 grades on the line from Valley Heights to Katoomba.
Between 1988 and 2007 most of the work the locomotive undertook was with 3801 Limited, attending the annual Hunter Valley Steamfest at Maitland and Thirlmere’s Festival of Steam. It also hauled enthusiast specials to Kiama, Gosford, Moss Vale and other locations in the Sydney area paired with other locomotives.
During this time the locomotive was based at the Eveleigh Workshops.
In May 2007 the locomotive was sold by Barry Tulloch to Boyd Munro, who decided to move the locomotive to Canberra. It moved to open storage in the sidings behind the Canberra Railway Museum in July 2007.
In February 2015 the locomotive was moved to Chicago Freight Car Leasing Company (CFCL) Australia’s Goulburn Railway Workshops for an overhaul. It was returned to steam in August 2018.
The locomotive remains based at the private site in Canberra.
Two other members of the C30 class built by Beyer Peacock are preserved.
- 3013 – Works number 4456
- 3046 – Works number 5140
- 3112 – Works number 5807
Five members of the C30T class built by Beyer Peacock are preserved.
- 3001 – Works number 4444
- 3016 – Works number 4459
- 3026 – Works number 4469
- 3028 – Works number 4471
- 3102 – Works number 5797
There are also two class C30 locomotives preserved which were built at the Eveleigh Railway workshops.
- 3085 – Works number 52
- 3137 – Works number 134
There are also two class C30T locomotives preserved which were built at the Eveleigh Railway workshops.
- 3075 – Works number 42
- 3090 – Works number 57
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