| Weight | 98t |
| Driving Wheels | 4ft 7ins MA 4ft 0ins |
| Boiler Pressure | 180psi |
| Cylinders | Two Outside – 16in x 24in |
| Tractive Effort | 17,090lbf MA 19,600lbf |
In March 1952 the Tasmanian Government Railways (TGR) took delivery of ten class M locomotives built by Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns at Newcastle upon Tyne. They were similar to the YB class locomotives supplied to the Indian Railways.
They operated on the North-Eastern and Western lines and at Hobart.
As the TGR had already started to employ diesel power on some lines that had been intended to be operated by the M class engines four locomotives were fitted with smaller driving wheels in 1957 which enabled them to be haul heavier trains on the steeply graded North-Eastern line. The locomotives fitted with smaller driving wheels became the MA class. The four were originally numbered M1, M2, M6 and M8 and became MA2, MA4, MA3 and MA1 respectively.
The smaller driving wheels had recovered from withdrawn Australian Standard Garratts locomotives.
The locomotives were withdrawn from service from 1960 as they became due for overhaul.
This locomotive (M1) was built by Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns in 1951 for the Tasmanian Government Railways but entered service as M7. It was renumbered after the conversion of four locomotives to class MA engines.
It was the first of the modern Tasmanian Government Railways locomotives to be disposed of. It was originally offered to Westbury Municipality for display and it was towed there in February 1971. It remained in the sidings at Westbury for some months before being moved to Ross where it was placed on a plinth.
The locomotive was subsequently acquired by the Derwent Valley Railway (DVR) and moved to their depot in New Norfolk in May 2000.
The Derwent Valley Railway Preservation Society was formed in 1990 to preserve Tasmanian railway heritage through the operation of a tourist railway.
In October 2005, Pacific National, who had taken over commercial running of the Tasmanian Rail network, closed the Derwent Valley Line west of New Norfolk. In May 2006 under an agreement between Pacific National and the Tasmanian Government all tracks and rail infrastructure was returned to Government control.
In December 2021, the state government provided DVR with a lease to operate on 500m of line in-between Third Ave and Back River Road.
The locomotive is currently stored at New Norfolk.
All ten locomotives built by Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns as class M locomotives have been preserved. The others are.
- M2 – Works number 7430
- M3 – Works number 7423
- M4 – Works number 7424
- M5 – Works number 7425
- M6 – Works number 7429
- MA1 – Works number 7428
- MA2 – Works number 7421
- MA3 – Works number 7426
- MA4 – Works number 7422
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