Railways and Tramways of Australia

Last entry

 

Queensland Railways no. 1089 became the last steam locomotive to enter regular service in Australia on 13 March 1958.

 

No. 1089 was a BB18¼ Class 4-6-2 engine. The Queensland class designation system used letters and numbers. A letter was used to indicate the number of coupled wheels: A=4, B=6, C=8, D=tank locomotive. A number was used to indicate the diameter of the cylinders in inches. Thus, the BB18¼ Class had six coupled wheels and cylinders with a diameter of 18¼ inches (46.4 cm). Because an earlier class with the same configuration was designated B18¼ Class, when new engines were ordered they were classified as BB18¼ Class.

 

Contracts for new motive power were signed in 1948, and a total of 55 BB18¼ Class engines entered service. Vulcan Foundry in England built 35, while 20 were built by Walkers Ltd at Maryborough in Queensland. Although the Vulcan engines all entered service in 1951, delivery of the Walkers engines was delayed, with the first not running until 1955. The delays caused considerable tension between Walkers and Queensland Railways. It was not until 13 March 1958 that order was complete when 1089 commenced service.

 

Initial service of the BB18¼ Class was hauling express passenger services, but they later saw a wide range of duties. In operation they provided fast and reliable service. However, dieselisation of Queensland Railways was progressing quickly. After a working life of only 11 years, no. 1089 was withdrawn in June 1969.

 

A plaque was attached to no. 1089 in 1965, recognising its place as the last steam locomotive to be built and enter service in Australia. It is preserved at the Queensland Museum Rail Workshops in Ipswich.

 

No. 1089 was Australia’s last entry of a new steam locomotive.

 

View

Footage of 1089 operating in July 2025:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPmeJC27o8g

 

Bibliography

J Armstrong, Locomotives in the tropics, volume 2, Australian Railway Historical Society (Queensland Division), Brisbane, 1994.

J Armstrong, ‘The BB18¼ Class locomotives of the Queensland Railways’, Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, no. 310, August 1963, pp

     127–32.

L Oberg, Locomotives of Australia: 1854 to 2007, Rosenberg, Sydney, 2007.

SG Olsson, ‘The Queensland Railways’ centenary celebrations’, Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, no. 339, January 1966, pp 8–13.