Victorian Railways NA class
| Company type | Steam locomotive class |
|---|---|
| Industry | Railway transport |
| Founded | 1898 |
| Headquarters | Victoria , Australia |
| Products | Narrow gauge steam locomotives |
The NA class steam locomotives of the Victorian Railways were specifically designed for use on the network's four 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge branch lines.
The initial pair of locomotives, numbered 1A and 2A, were delivered by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in the United States and commenced operation in September 1898 during the construction of the Wangaratta to Whitfield line. Baldwin also supplied spare components that enabled Newport Workshops to assemble locomotives 3A and 4A in 1900 for service on the Upper Ferntree Gully to Gembrook Line. Production continued until locomotive number 17A was completed in 1915. Notably, locomotives 2 and 4 incorporated Vauclain compound cylinders, whereas the others utilized simple expansion cylinders.
In 1920, preparations were made to build two additional units, designated 18A and 19A; however, a decline in traffic resulted in their cancellation, with the fabricated parts instead retained as spares. During the mid-1920s, increasing demand surpassed the capabilities of the NA class, leading to the acquisition of two G class Garratt locomotives to bolster operations on heavily trafficked lines such as Walhalla and Beech Forest.
Despite these reinforcements, NA locomotives remained integral to VR’s Narrow Gauge services until a gradual phase-out from 1945 through 1960. Early retirements included units 1A and 2A in 1929 due to wear, followed by withdrawal of 4A in 1933 and 16A in 1934; both were dismantled by September 1936.
Each engine weighs , delivering a tractive effort of , enabling it to haul loads over inclines of 1 in 30 (3.33%). Restored examples—6A, 7A, 8A, 12A, and 14A—are operational on the Puffing Billy Railway, while No. 3 remains disassembled for display at the Lakeside Discovery Centre. All other units have been scrapped.
In 1993, a replica at gauge was constructed by Mouse Boiler Works based on Puffing Billy's designs for the Isle of Mull Railway. This locomotive, named "Victoria," operated there until the line ceased operations in 2011 and currently runs on the Rudyard Lake Steam Railway.
Preservation
As of January 2021, Puffing Billy Railway maintains NA class locomotives numbered 6A, 7A, 8A, 12A, and 14A in service or under restoration, with locomotive 3A awaiting refurbishment.
3A
After withdrawal in 1955, locomotive 3A was sold in 1960 for static exhibition at the Lord Mayor’s Camp in Portsea until its relocation to Belgrave in 1977 for restoration work. Presently, it is displayed at the Lakeside Discovery Centre.
6A
Locomotive 6A arrived at Puffing Billy Railway in June 1962 and remained operational until January 1980 when boiler issues necessitated its removal from service. Following intermittent returns hampered by further boiler complications, it was stored beginning in 1983. Restoration efforts commenced in October 1997 under Ron Gunn’s leadership and culminated in March 2001 with installation of a steel welded boiler sourced from locomotive 14A. Under Nigel Day’s supervision, a Lempor exhaust system—modeled after South African Railways' Class 26 Red Devil—was fitted to improve performance and fuel efficiency. The engine was repainted accurately in VR Two Tone Green with attention to period detailing.
Priority was given to returning 6A to operational status for the Christmas period of 2001/2002—the first occasion Puffing Billy required four active locomotives simultaneously. The locomotive moved independently on December 17, 2001, re-entering regular service five days later on December 22. It was officially recommissioned one month afterward by Transport Minister Peter Batchelor and has since been a consistent performer on the Gembrook route. Between November 2016 and March 2019, it also participated regularly in Day Out with Thomas events.
In December 2017, the Lempor exhaust system was transferred from locomotive 6A to unit 14A. As of January 2021, locomotive 6A is out of service undergoing an overhaul while awaiting replacement boiler tubes.
7A
As Puffing Billy’s inaugural locomotive, 7A arrived in March 1962 and was responsible for pulling the reopening train to Menzies Creek that July, followed by a journey to Lakeside in October 1975. It received a two-tone green repaint in 1979 and underwent tire wear equalization adjustments twice—once in the mid-1990s and again in 2005. On 18 December 2000, 7A hauled the centenary commemorative train marking the opening of the Upper Ferntree Gully to Gembrook Railway.
The locomotive was withdrawn from service in April 2006 for a comprehensive overhaul and repaint in Canadian Pacific Red and Chocolate colors, returning to operation in December 2007. In May 2010, it was transported to the Walhalla Goldfields Railway to participate in their centenary celebrations. After a nine-month suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 7A resumed active duty by leading the reopening train on 28 November 2020.
8A
In 1955, 8A was installed as an exhibit in a children's playground located in Beaumaris near Sandringham. The Puffing Billy Preservation Society acquired it in 1970 and relocated it from Newport Workshops to Emerald by 1976. Restoration efforts commenced at Belgrave in 1977 and were completed by 1982, establishing 8A as a principal locomotive within the fleet for approximately twenty years.
Notably, in 1987, it became the first NA class engine turned on Emerald’s newly installed turntable as part of wheel wear testing. The following year, regular engineer Ron Picking fitted a five-chime whistle from a former VR N class onto the driver’s side water tank. In October 1998, both 8A and 12A became the first NAs since 1953 to operate trains to Gembrook, hauling a public shakedown special.
After being withdrawn for an overhaul in May 2002, 8A returned to service by October 2006. It was temporarily sidelined in June 2019 due to expired steam delivery pipes; these were replaced with external piping amid a shortage of locomotives. Currently, it remains in regular operational use.
12A
Following an overhaul at Newport, 12A re-entered service in 1973 to support other NA class locomotives. It gained some fame as "Wombat" in the ABC television series Come Midnight Monday (1981). By the next year, however, it had deteriorated and was withdrawn from operation.
Between 1985 and 1990, it was stored dismantled alongside locomotive 6A before restoration work began at the workshop. It returned to active service in March 1993 sporting a black livery. In October 1998, it joined with 8A for passenger trips to Gembrook, including the first scheduled run on October 19. A special mixed train evoking the 1950s era operated in June 2004.
After completing a D exam, it resumed service in March 2005 with black paint accented by red trim to commemorate the Puffing Billy Preservation Society’s fiftieth anniversary. Later that year it was withdrawn again for overhaul and stored at Menzies Creek Museum until October 2006 when it was moved back to Belgrave for restoration. Apprentices applied Canadian Pacific Red and Chocolate paint during refurbishment completed in September 2013. As of January 2021, it is undergoing another D exam.
14A
14A joined the fleet in 1965 following repainting and repairs at Newport. In April 1974, it was involved in an unauthorized joyride but was intercepted by police and volunteers before any harm occurred. That same year, electric headlights salvaged from ex-APC Fyansford Garrett No.2 were installed. On October 1, 1977, alongside locomotive 12A, it hauled the inaugural train under Emerald Tourist Railway Board management.
It received a Canadian Pacific Red and Chocolate repaint in 1979—a color scheme maintained into the early ’90s—while its electric headlights were replaced with standard VR models in 1988. A more authentic CP Red repaint took place in 1995. On October 18, 1998, it pulled the first official train to Gembrook after a forty-five-year hiatus.
During a D exam conducted between April and December of 2004, a cowcatcher was reinstalled for the first time since the early ’40s. The locomotive was placed on standby from May 2006 awaiting extensive overhaul but returned to service in March 2009 featuring an all-black livery and operating without its cowcatcher. It became vital to operations until April 2017 when taken out for another D exam and conversion to oil firing intended for summer use along the Lakeside-Gembrook line.
In November 2017, it received an upgraded Lempor exhaust system transferred from locomotive 6A aimed at boosting performance. Following test runs that began in March 2018, it officially resumed service on October 18, 2018, where it continues to operate presently.