| Weight | 14t 6cwt |
| Driving Wheels | 2ft 3ins |
| Boiler Pressure | 120psi |
| Cylinders | Outside – 9in x 14in |
| Tractive Effort | 4,032lbf |
This locomotive is one of two built by Neilson & Co in Glasgow in 1887 for the Western Australian Government Railway (WAGR). This was three years after Neilson had left Neilson & Co to form the Clyde Locomotive Company in Glasgow but it was not until 1898 that the company changed its name to Neilson, Reid and Company.
This locomotive entered service on the Eastern Railway whilst the other was placed in store in Bunbury pending the opening of the Bunbury to Boyanup line. The WAGR sought to move the locomotive from Bunbury to the Eastern Railway but the residents objected and it remained in store before entering service in 1890 to operate construction trains. When the line at Bunbury opened in March 1891 this locomotive (works no 3631) was transferred to Bunbury.
Between 1895 and 1897 both locomotives were employed on construction trains at Freemantle Harbour South Mole which was aimed to building a breakwater to ensure safe anchorage in the Inner Harbour.
In September 1904 this locomotive was transferred to the Goldfields Water Supply Administration for use on the Mundaring Weir Branch Railway where it hauled firewood and passenger trains.
It was transferred back to the WAGR in September 1909 along with the Weir line.
In November 1911 the locomotive was transferred to the Public Works Department for use at Fremantle Harbour North Quay. After this it was employed at Esperance.
From 1926 it was used on the construction of the Bunbury breakwater and maintenance trains until it was withdrawn in the late 1950s.
In July 1962 the locomotive was donated to the Australian Railway Historical Society after which it spent about a decade in storage at Bunbury locomotive depot before being placed in the Railway Museum at Bassendean.
The locomotive remained ay Bassendean until 1996 when it was moved to the Midland Railway Workshops where it was planned to restore the locomotive to steam.
The locomotive was stripped down but the boiler was assessed to need replacing.
The restoration of the locomotive for static display was completed around 2011 and the locomotive was then displayed at The Railway Museum at Bassendean.
It was stripped to the frames for full overhaul, however the boiler was subsequently assessed as requiring replacement. Mechanical overhaul of the locomotive was completed and H 18 has now been beautifully restored for museum display, pending the possibility of future boiler replacement.
Also restored at Midland Workshops at this stage was a delightful 4-wheel WAGR brake van of 1892 vintage. Both restoration projects were finished in approximately 2011 and I believe H 18 and the brake van are now displayed at The Railway Museum, Bassendean.
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