| 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They were withdrawn from service from 1961 onwards as they became due for overhaul.
The last member of the class in service (H2) was overhauled in 1966-67. This locomotive and 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 H5 was withdrawn after this but H2 remained in service working periodically until finally being withdrawn in 1975.
After being withdrawn from service all of the H class locomotives remained in store until disposed of between 1974 and 1978.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 H8 was still in storage at Launceston and along with a number of other H class locomotives. H2 and H5 were purchased for preservation at that time but H8 was one of the locomotives which was not purchased for preservation.
The locomotive was largely scrapped but the Don River Railway acquired the chassis which was stored at Coles Beach on the River Don Railway for many years. These remains have then been cannibalised to some extent for spares for other class H locomotives at the Don Valley Railway.
In 2001 what remained of the locomotive was moved to Inveresk and are now on display at the Invermay Rail Heritage Precinct, Launceston.
Six of the ten locomotives built by Vulcan Foundry have been preserved. The others are.
- H1 – Works number 5949
- H2 – Works number 5950
- H5 – Works number 5953
- H6 – Works number 5954
- H7 – Works number 5955
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