| Driving Wheels | 3ft 3ins |
| Boiler Pressure | 120psi |
| Cylinders | Outside 12in x 20in |
| Valve Gear | Stephenson |
This is one of 25 locomotives built for the Queensland Railways between 1874 and 1882. Kitson & Company built 12, Avonside Engine Company (under sub contract from Fairlie) 3, Dübs and Company 6, Neilson & Company 2 and the North Ipswich Railway Workshops 2.
This locomotive was built by the Dübs and Company in Glasgow in 1885 and entered service with the Southern & Western Railway in September 1878 as number 40 of the E class. Under the Queensland Railways the locomotives were grouped as the B12 class in 1890 but the number was unchanged. The B representing that the locomotives had three driving axles and the 12 the cylinder diameter.
This locomotive was transferred to the isolated Cooktown-Laura railway in 1910. The railway connected the small hinterland of Laura with the port city of Cooktown. Originally there were seven engines on the line but all were withdrawn from service by 1927. The line remained open until 1960.
Some components from the locomotive were sold off in 1928 but the rest remain at Cooktown in the former railway yard.
There are parts of three class B12 locomotives still in existence but it is probably unwise to say the locomotives have been preserved. The other two are.
• Avonside Engine Company –Works number 1179 – 31
• Kitson & Company – Works number 2042 – 28
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