Works No 3854         6  Murchison   4-8-0        Emu Bay Railway, Australia     Gauge 3ft 6in

Driving Wheels3ft 9ins
CylindersOutside – 17in x 22in

This is one of three locomotives built by Dübs and Company in Glasgow in 1900 for heavy freight duties on the Emu Bay Railway. A fourth locomotive was built to the same design by the North British Locomotive Company in 1911.

Tasmania’s west coast is one of the more remote corners of the world, featuring weather-beaten mountain terrain, wild rivers and lush forest. The Emu Bay Railway was built to serve the rich mining ventures on this coast on a line that included steep grades and tight curves.

The locomotive only gained its name in October 1960 when a passenger service was introduced to convey tourists and cars on flatcars between Burnie and Rosebery. The locomotive was taken out of store to undertake these duties along with the preserved classmate (Dübs 3855 No 8 Heemskirk). This service ceased in January 1964 following the opening of the Murchison Highway which provided a road linking many of Tasmania’s isolated west coast communities for the first time.

The locomotive has been on static display since 1966 at the West Coast Heritage Centre (formerly known as the West Coast Pioneers Memorial Museum) at Zeehan.

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