Victorian Railways Z class
| Company type | Steam locomotives |
|---|---|
| Industry | Railway transport |
| Founded | 1893 in Victoria, Australia |
| Headquarters | Victoria , Australia |
| Products | Steam locomotives |
The Victorian Railways Z class consisted of a trio of steam engines constructed in 1893 within Victoria, Australia. The third engine notably exhibited substantial differences compared to the initial pair. One example is currently preserved at Melbourne's Scienceworks Museum.
Built by the Phoenix Foundry located in Ballarat, the first two locomotives featured full-length cabs designed similarly to road tramway motors. Assigned numbers 522 and 524 and designated as class Z, their cabs were subsequently shortened, revealing a slender chimney alongside a drum-shaped dome. Both units were dismantled by 1911.
The third engine, also manufactured in 1893, was an outside cylinder design and marked the inaugural unit of 536 produced by the expanded Newport Workshops. Bearing number 526 and likewise classified as Z—probably due to a scarcity of available classification letters—it bore little resemblance to the Phoenix Foundry models. In 1903, this locomotive was transformed into a crane locomotive (No. 3 Steam Crane). Following its tenure at South Dynon Locomotive Depot, it was retired in 1978, underwent restoration to its original side tank configuration between 1980 and 1985 at Newport Workshops, and was ultimately gifted to Museum Victoria in 1992.
References
External links
- Victorian Preserved Steam Locomotives comprehensive details on surviving former VR steam locomotives
- Z class drawings
- Vicsig