| Weight | 113t |
| Driving Wheels | 4ft 0ins |
| Boiler Pressure | 200psi |
| Cylinders | Outside – 18in x 24in |
| Tractive Effort | 27,540lbf |
Vulcan Foundry at Newton le Willows in Lancashire built eight class H locomotives for the Tasmanian Government Railways in 1951. They were delivered to the same basic design as the class 248 engines previously built to operate on the Gold Coast Railway in Ghana.
The locomotives were employed hauling freight trains.
They were withdrawn from service from 1961 onwards as they became due for overhaul.
This locomotive was the last member of the class in service and it was overhauled as late as 1966-67. The locomotive along with class mate H5 took part in the Centenary of Rail in Tasmania celebrations in February 1971. H5 was withdrawn after this but H2 remained in service working periodically until finally being withdrawn in 1975.
After being withdrawn from service all of the H class locomotives remained in store until disposed of between 1974 and 1978.
The Tasmanian Government Railways were taken over by Australian National Railways in 1978, which appears to have prompted action on redundant railway assets. At this time H2 was still in storage at Launceston and along with H5 was purchased for preservation at that time.
In preservation H2 was initially based at the Cadbury chocolate factory at Claremont, Hobart and was used in the 1980s on the Derwent Valley Railway tours along the National Park branch.
The Cadbury’s branch became redundant during the 1990’s which prompted the Derwent Valley Railway to relocate their operations to New Norfolk station on the National Park branch where workshops and storage facilities have been established in the station yard.
The Derwent Valley Railway has since suffered from the closure of the National Park branch beyond Boyer which has restricted their ability to operate.
The locomotive is currently being overhauled.
Six of the ten locomotives built by Vulcan Foundry have been preserved. The others are.
- H1 – Works number 5949
- H5 – Works number 5953
- H6 – Works number 5954
- H7 – Works number 5955
- H8 – Works number 5956
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Preserved British Steam Locomotives 