| Weight | 134t 18cwt |
| Driving Wheels | 4ft 3ins |
| Boiler Pressure | 215psi |
| Cylinders | Two Outside – 19in x 26in |
| Tractive Effort | 33,633lbf |
| Valve Gear | Walschaert |
The Class V locomotives were the last class of steam locomotives to enter service on the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR). The locomotives were intended to haul the heavy coal traffic between the Collie coal fields and Perth. Later they were used on equally heavy freight trains, particularly over the Great Southern line from York to Albany
In 1951 24 locomotives were ordered from Beyer, Peacock & Company in Manchester but because they had capacity issues the construction of the locomotives was subcontracted to Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn at Darlington. The locomotives were still given Beyer, Peacock & Company works numbers.
The locomotives entered service on the WAGR between April 1955 and November 1956.
The locomotive was of a modern design with a high superheat, a large combustion chamber and a thermic syphon in the firebox. Roller bearings were used on all the locomotive and tender wheels. When introduced the V class was the largest rigid wheelbase locomotive on the WAGR system – only the Australian Standard Garratt was larger. The class was designed to have as many parts as possible interchangeable with the 4-8-2 W class supplied by Beyer, Peacock & Company.
The locomotive design was completed on the basis that the engines could be converted to the 4ft 8½in. The Eastern and Eastern Goldfield lines between Pert and Kalgoorie were converted to the wider standard gauge in the late 1960s. The locomotives were then replaced by more powerful diesel locomotives so the V class engines were retained on 3ft 6 in gauge lines.
This locomotive (V 1220) was built by Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn in 1956 and entered service in June of that year.
It spent most of its early career hauling goods trains along the Eastern Railway from East Perth-Merredin. Following periods on the Great Southern and South Western Railway’s it was withdrawn from Bunbury depot in July 1971. The locomotive was saved from being scrapped when it was purchased by the Australian Railway Historical Society’s museum at Bassendean (now the Railway Museum).
It was returned to service to haul two tour trains and one of these was the ‘Farewell to Steam’ tour from Brunswick Junction to Collie in June 1972.
The locomotive was placed in the Railway Museum at Bassendean in December 1972.
Three other class V locomotives built by Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn have been preserved.
- 1209 – Works number 7779 – Beyer, Peacock & Company 7735
- 1213 – Works number 7782 – Beyer, Peacock & Company 7738
- 1215 – Works number 7784 – Beyer, Peacock & Company 7740
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