Western Australian Government 2-8-2 Locomotives in Australia

Class V (Locobase 2873)

Handsome and powerful Mikados designed by Beyer, Peacock and built by Robert Stephenson & Sons and Hawthorns for 55,019 GBP each. Representing the latest technology, these engines had cast-steel frames and roller bearings on all axles and on the return crank arm as well as a useful degree of superheat.

They were introduced late in the steam era because the railroad had large resources of soft Collie coal to draw from. These engines operated out of York on the Albany-York "Great Southern" route as well as the Trans section between Midland and York and were rated at 1,600 tons. Nock (RWC VI, pl 41) contends that these were the most powerful non-articulateds to run on an Australian 3'6"-gauge line.

Their retirement came in 1971 when all of steam was replaced by diesel

According to [] (visited 30 Dec 2003), fuel consumption amounted to approximately 20 miles/ton (30km/tonne) of coal and the V used water at the rate of 79 US gal (65 Imp gal)/mile (185L/km). (In 2003, this website offered two levels of engine driving experience on the surviving V1213. The Full Course duration was approximately 7 hours (including 1 + hours lunch break) and cost $450 Australian. The Basic Course duration was approximately 3 + hours and ran $325 Australian.)