This locomotive was built by the Hunslet Engine Company in Leeds in 1936 by the Australian Commonwealth Carbide Co for the Ida Bay Railway. It remained in service there until 1952 when it was replaced by petrol locomotives.
The locomotive looked like a tram engine as it had an overall roof cover and oil trays under the cylinders and motion even though it did not run on any roads.
This railway in the south of Tasmania linked a limestone quarry near the Hasting Caves to a wharf on Deephole Bay. The high quality limestone was shipped from Ida Bay to Electrona, south of Hobart, where it was reduced to lime in a kiln before being roasted with coke in an electric furnace to produce high-grade calcium carbide for acetylene gas production. The line was only 7km long but was said to be the most southerly railway in Australia. The transportation of limestone on the line ended in 1975 but two years later the line was purchased for heritage purposes by the State Government.
The locomotive was stored serviceable at Ida Bay until 1971, when it was purchased by the Van Diemen Light Railway Society (VDLRS) for preservation at their Don River Railway. In 1992 it was overhauled at the workshops at the Don Valley Railway.
Tthe locomotive returned to Ida Bay under lease from the VDLRS and began operating on the railway in 1993 although it is not thought to have operated on many occasions.
The appearance of the locomotive was change around this time with the removal of the full length canopy.
Ten years later the locomotive was under overhaul at the Don Valley Railway.
Some time later the locomotive was moved to the Sheffield Steam & Heritage Centre and around 2020 was under overhaul with a view to operate on the Redwater Creek Railway.
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Preserved British Steam Locomotives 