Railways and Tramways of Australia

Construction specialist

 

A small tank locomotive entered service with Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) on 27 March 1891.

 

K Class no. 19 was an 0-6-2 engine built by Hudswell, Clark and Co. in Leeds, England. Its usage and identity changed several times in the following years.

 

Although purchased by WAGR, the first duties for no. 19 were with the Public Works Department construction of Fremantle Harbour; its role was hauling stone from Rocky Bay Quarry. In 1894 it returned to WAGR service and was used for shunting at Fremantle. By this time WAGR had obtained a new class of tank locomotive that was classified as the K Class, so no. 19 was designated as an L Class engine.

 

Further construction work was required and no. 19 was transferred to the Goldfields Water Supply Department in 1899. Under its new owner it took up duties at Mundaring Weir.

 

Around 1904 no. 19 was returned to WAGR again. It retained the L Class classification but its number was changed from 19 to 5.

 

No. 5 left WAGR again in 1910 when it was sold to the Fremantle Harbour Works Department, where it assisted with construction of Fremantle Dock.

 

Other duties called in 1913 when no. 5 was transferred to the Railway Construction Branch of the Public Works Department. Around this time it was given the name ‘Hotham’. It was used on various construction projects:

• Holyoake–Boddington railway (1913)

• Brookton–Corrigin railway (1915)

• Bunbury breakwater (1915–21)

• Waroona–Lake Clifton railway (1921)

• Peel Estate railway (1922–23)

• Geraldton Harbour (1923–6).

 

No. 5 was sent to Midland Workshops in 1926, its working life over. After a period of storage, it was eventually scrapped.

 

This little engine gave valuable service to construction in Western Australia.

 

Bibliography

A Gunzburg, A history of W.A.G.R. steam locomotives, Australian Railway Historical Society (WA Division), Perth, 1984.