Victorian Railways A2 class

63 ft 3+3⁄4 in (19.30 m)Axle load17 long tons 10 cwt (39,200 lb or 17.8 t)Adhesive weight52 long tons 2 cwt (116,700 lb or 52.9 t)Total weight121 long tons 7 cwt (271,800 lb or 123.3 t)Tender cap.(after conversion to oil firing)
1,500 imp gal (6,800 L; 1,800 US gal) oil, 4,700 imp gal (21,000 L; 5,600 US gal) waterFirebox:​ • Grate area29 sq ft (2.7 m²)Boiler pressure185 psi (1,276 kPa)Heating surface2,040 sq ft (190 m²)CylindersTwoCylinder size22 in × 26 in (559 mm × 660 mm)Valve gearStephenson (125)
Walschaerts (60)

Performance figures
Tractive effort	27,480 lbf (122.24 kN) at 85% boiler pressure

Career
First run	1907
Last run	1963

The A² class was an express passenger locomotive that ran on Victorian Railways from 1907 to 1963. A highly successful design entirely the work of Victorian Railways' own design office, its long service life was repeatedly extended as the Great Depression and later World War II delayed the introduction of more modern and powerful replacement locomotives.

History

The introduction of the A² class marked a turning point in Victorian Railways locomotive design, as it was entirely designed by VR engineers of the newly established Locomotive Design Section and the entire class built in-house at Victorian Railways workshops.^[1]

Production

Based on the success^[2] of the prototype A²572, a total of 125 Stephenson valve gear A² locomotives were built between 1907 and 1915. The design was then altered to incorporate larger diameter cylinders, a higher pressure boiler and Walschaerts valve gear, and a further 60 locomotives of that design were produced between 1915 and 1922.^[1]

Regular service

For over forty years, the A²was the main express passenger locomotive on the VR, hauling intrastate and interstate services. With a maximum permitted speed of 70 miles per hour (115 km/h),^[3] the A²was instrumental in the acceleration of timetables on many lines in the years following its introduction. A² locomotives famously ran the Geelong Flier,^[4] the first named train in Victoria,^[5] slashing journey times between Melbourne and Geelong from 90 minutes^[6] to 63^[7] and, finally, 55 minutes,^[8] a time not significantly improved upon until the introduction of 160 km/h Regional Fast Rail services in 2006.^[9]

A²s were also used to haul a number of special services, such as the Royal Trains for Australian tours of Prince of Wales and the Duke of York, in 1920^[10] and 1927 respectively. Towards the end of their lives, A²995 and 996 also had the distinction of hauling the last broad gauge Spirit of Progress service into Melbourne on 16 April 1962.^[11]

With their comparatively high tractive effort (the Walschaerts A² had a higher nominal tractive effort than any other VR locomotive, regardless of type, until the introduction of the C class 2-8-0 of 1918), they also saw widespread use as a fast goods locomotive, particularly later in their life.^[1] As early as the 1920s, it was reported as normal practice that A² class locomotives requiring adjustment to axle boxes and other moving parts be swapped from passenger to lower-speed freight service to extract more work from them between overhauls.^[12]

In 1933, two A² class locomotives set a haulage record for Victorian Railways when they headed a 75-truck 1,598-long-ton (1,624 t) wheat train from Benalla to Seymour.^[13]

Although initially limited to principal mainlines, due to their comparatively heavy axle load, gradual upgrades to secondary lines saw the route-availability of the class expand, together with the range of services they hauled.^[14]

In 1928, the A² was replaced on the principal North East line Sydney Limited and Albury Express services by the considerably more powerful three-cylinder S class Pacifics. However, new locomotive development ground to a halt during the 1930s,^[15] with the Great Depression severely affecting both VR traffic volumes and operating revenues, so the A² continued to be the main express passenger power on all other VR mainlines.

Design Improvements

The majority of A² locomotives were originally built with saturated steam boilers. The class were gradually fitted with superheaters, and to differentiate between the two variants the saturated steam locomotives were renumbered as A¹ class, each being reclassified as A² class again when fitted with a superheater. Many engines were renumbered two or three times as the railways' management attempted to keep the two subclasses in different number blocks, and as the boundaries between the blocks shifted through the superheating program. The last of the A¹ class, No. 808, was converted in October 1949.

Experiments were conducted in 1923–4 with A² 800 using Pulverised Brown Coal (PBC) burning equipment, but the experiment was discontinued and the locomotive returned to black coal operation.^[16]

The A² class, along with other post-1900 VR steam locomotive designs, was equipped with electric lighting from 1926 onwards. Automatic Staff Exchange equipment to allow non-stop high-speed running between track sections was also fitted from 1926 onwards.^[17]

Modified front end

In 1933, C class heavy goods locomotive C 5 was equipped with a new front end, based on the Association of American Railroads (AAR) design of self-cleaning smokebox, to improve steaming qualities. The results were very promising, and in 1934 A²998 was selected for a series of further tests aimed at further front end improvement, conducted under the direction of VR Rolling Stock branch engineer, Edgar Brownbill.^[18]

Experiments were conducted, based on the work of Dr Wagner of the Deutsche Reichsbahn and E. C. Young of the University of Illinois, with final modifications to the A² locomotive including:^[18]

• Revision of exhaust nozzle and chimney position and diameter, using Wagner's recommended ratios, with a larger 23 in (580 mm) diameter funnel, and a 6 in (150 mm) diameter low exhaust nozzle replacing the original 18+1⁄2 in (470 mm) diameter narrow-flanged chimney and 5+1⁄2 in (140 mm) diameter high exhaust nozzle
• Revision to the firebox grate, using a "rosebud" type grate with reduced air openings to improve fire stability under heavy load and give better firing qualities
• Replacement of full-length 1+3⁄8 in (35 mm) return bend superheater elements with 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)-long 1+1⁄2 in (38 mm) elements

The sum result of the changes was a significant improvement in power and available tractive effort. Maximum drawbar horsepower increased about 40%, from 860 hp (640 kW) at 26 mph (42 km/h) to 1,230 hp (920 kW) at 32 mph (51 km/h).^[18] The improvement was such that the VR was able to further accelerate services hauled by the A², with the running time of the Melbourne to Bendigo express on the steeply graded 100+3⁄4 mi (162.1 km) line being cut from 162 to 145 minutes, and literally hours being cut from the schedule of the Melbourne to Adelaide Overland express.^[19]

The Modified Front End, which cost just £140 ($280) per locomotive at that time, was an extremely cost-effective improvement, and allowed the VR to defer new locomotive construction. The modification was so successful that not only was the entire A² fleet converted during 1936–39, but also the C, K, N, S and X class locomotive fleets, and its principles were also incorporated into the design of all subsequent steam locomotives built for VR.^[18][20]

Other changes

In 1935 an experimental A.C.F.I. (Accessoires pour les Chemins de Fer et l'Industrie) feedwater heater was fitted to A²973. However, there was not sufficient improvement in efficiency for the equipment to be fitted to other locomotives and it was removed twelve years later.^[14]

With the reduced exhaust blast resulting from the revised smokebox, smoke deflectors were fitted to prevent drifting smoke from obscuring visibility.^[21]

In the years following World War II, problems with the quality and availability of coal supplies caused VR to order the conversion of all 60 Walschaerts A²s to oil firing; in practice, only 56 were altered as four were scrapped before the conversion could be completed.^[1]

Late in their life, some of the A²s also received Boxpok driving wheels^[14] as their conventional spoked wheels began to suffer fatigue cracks with age and mileage.^[22]

Later years

In 1939, by which time most of the class was already over twenty-five years old, World War II broke out. The massive increase in traffic on the VR the war effort brought saw these ageing locomotives subjected to a punishing regime of heavy utilisation and minimal maintenance.^[15]

With VR's locomotive workshops switched to production of armaments and all available manpower given to the war effort, plans to eliminate the double-headed A² operations on Melbourne–Adelaide passenger services with the introduction of more powerful H class 4-8-4 locomotives and additional S class locomotives did not come to fruition. The extra S class locomotives were never built and the line to Adelaide did not receive the necessary upgrades to take the weight of the H class.^[23]

The A²'s principal express passenger role continued into the postwar years as the VR, struggling with a backlog of repairs and limited capital expenditure, deferred new passenger locomotive construction. It was not until March 1946 when the first of the class, A²878, was withdrawn from service.^[14]

In 1951, when the first of 70 new R class 4-6-4 express passenger locomotives were introduced, the A² was finally superseded. In 1953, no fewer than 53 A²s went to scrap, followed by 36 more in 1954.^[14] However, many of the class (particularly the later Walschaerts variants) continued on in secondary roles such as branch-line passenger and goods services and a number lasted into the 1960s. Their last regular mainline duty was hauling services between Flinders Street and Leongatha, on the South Gippsland line. The last in service, A²986, was withdrawn on 2 December 1963, exactly 56 years after the original A²572 entered service.^[14][24]

Accidents

Some A² locomotives were unfortunate enough to be involved in major accidents:

• At 2:58 am on 7 September 1951, the westbound and eastbound Overland expresses, both hauled by double-heading A²s, collided head-on at Serviceton.^[25][26] All four locomotives were written off; three were so badly damaged they were scrapped on site.
• Australia's worst level crossing accident occurred on 8 May 1943, when A²863 collided with a bus carrying troops at Wodonga.^[5] 25 people were killed.^[27]

List of engines and renumberings

The A² fleet was constructed in ten batches. All the Stephenson engines, batches 1 to 8, were constructed at the Victorian Railways' Newport Workshops. The same is true of Batch 9 and the first 20 engines of Batch 10. However, engines 1073–1077 (later 973–977) were built at Ballarat Workshops, and 1078–1082 (later 978–982) were built at Bendigo Workshops. There is no indication as to where engines 1083–1092 would have been constructed.

These tables are based on:

• Medlin, P. N. (2004) Victorian Railways Locomotives by Number (self-published, based on Victorian Railways' locomotive repair cards)
• Australian Railway History, August 2019 (Web extra)^[28]
• Victorian Railways locomotive record cards^[29]

Stephensons engines

Batch	Built		A2 (2nd)		A1 (1st)		A1 (2nd)		A1 or A2 (3rd)		Final ID		Front auto	Tender auto	Modified Front End	Smoke deflectors	Electric lights	Staff Exchanger	Off Register	Reason	Age	Notes
1	1907-12-02	A2 572	1925-08-05	A2 805	19xx-xx-xx	A1 805	-	-	-	-	1940-03-05	A2 825	?	?	?	?	?	?	1954-09-17	Scrapped	46	Pattern engine. Different dome shape to rest of class, but not flat; swapped to normal by scrap date as A2 825. Some unsubstantiated claims of dark blue being used in the original livery in lieu of chocolate brown, but no evidence.
1	1908-10-28	A2 574	1925-05-25	A2 807	19xx-xx-xx	A1 807	-	-	-	-	1946-12-24	A2 878	?	?	?	?	?	?	1954-05-07	Scrapped	45	-
1	1908-10-30	A2 576	1924-05-13	A2 875	1930-09-xx	A1 806	-	-	-	-	1944-03-16	A2 837	?	?	?	?	?	?	1952-01-04	Scrapped	43	-
1	1908-11-27	A2 578	1925-04-14	A2 876	1929-10-xx	A1 800	-	-	-	-	1932-06-xx	A2 869	?	?	?	?	?	?	1952-11-13	Scrapped	43	-
1	1908-12-09	A2 580	1923-10-25	A2 877	1929-05-xx	A1 877	1929-11-18	A1 803	-	-	1941-02-22	A2 845	?	?	?	?	?	?	1954-10-27	Scrapped	45	-
1	1908-12-21	A2 722	1925-08-06	A2 817	1930-04-xx	A1 817	-	-	-	-	1944-12-21	A2 827	?	?	?	?	?	?	1961-03-27	Scrapped	52	-
1	1909-03-15	A2 724	1924-12-16	A2 819	1929-09-xx	A1 819	-	-	-	-	1933-12-16	A2 854	?	?	?	?	?	?	1951-04-20	Scrapped	42	-
1	1909-03-30	A2 726	1925-11-11	A2 820	-	-	-	-	-	-	1931-12-xx	A2 870	?	?	?	?	?	?	1962-02-09	Scrapped	52	-
1	1909-04-08	A2 728	1924-05-xx	A2 881	1928-01-xx	A1 804	-	-	-	-	1944-05-05	A2 833	?	?	?	?	?	?	1954-12-09	Scrapped	45	-
1	1909-04-27	A2 730	1925-11-25	A2 822	1929-08-xx	A1 822	-	-	-	-	1933-09-13	A2 861	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-04-13	Scrapped	43	-
2	1910-02-09	A2 752	1926-01-29	A2 823	-	-	-	-	-	-	1926-09-02	A2 887	?	?	?	?	?	?	1954-02-10	Scrapped	44	-
2	1910-02-26	A2 754	1925-10-12	A2 825	-	-	-	-	-	-	1929-08-01	A2 883	?	?	?	?	?	?	1962-06-27	Scrapped	52	-
2	1910-03-04	A2 756	1926-02-12	A2 827	1929-11-xx	A1 827	-	-	-	-	1933-2-xx	A2 863	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-12-18	Scrapped	43	Collided with bus at Wodonga 8 May 1943, killed 25 people.
2	1910-03-22	A2 758	1925-08-26	A2 829	1929-10-xx	A1 829	-	-	-	-	1932-06-xx	A2 867	?	?	?	?	?	?	1952-04-30	Scrapped	42	-
2	1910-04-18	A2 760	1925-09-02	A2 831	-	-	-	-	-	-	1929-10-xx	A2 882	?	?	?	?	?	?	1952-11-13	Scrapped	42	-
2	1910-05-10	A2 762	1925-12-08	A2 833	19xx-xx-xx	A1 833	-	-	-	-	1935-11-09	A2 849	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-03-13	Scrapped	42	-
2	1910-05-25	A2 764	1925-04-18	A2 835	19xx-xx-xx	A1 835	-	-	-	-	1935-05-10	A2 852	?	?	?	?	?	?	1954-08-06	Scrapped	44	-
2	1910-06-16	A2 766	1925-12-07	A2 837	19xx-xx-xx	A1 837	-	-	-	-	1942-07-03	A2 838	?	?	?	?	?	?	1951-03-03	Scrapped	40	-
2	1910-06-29	A2 768	1925-09-04	A2 840	-	-	-	-	-	-	1931-01-09	A2 875	?	?	?	?	?	?	1954-09-30	Scrapped	44	-
2	1910-06-30	A2 770	1925-11-30	A2 841	19xx-xx-xx	A1 841	1941-08-07	A1 803	-	-	19xx-xx-xx	A2 829	?	?	?	?	?	?	1952-05-14	Scrapped	41	-
3	1910-12-23	A2 798	1925-10-08	A2 842	1941-03-11	A1 842	1949-10-07	A1 808	-	-	1949-05-11	A2 816	1934-06-29	1934-06-29	1938-09-22	1938-09-22	1942-06-10	?	1955-04-21	Scrapped	44	11/5/49 assumed to avoid conflict with A1 816; index card is difficult to read.[30]
3	1911-01-27	A2 800	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1929-12-16	A2 876	1933-06-23	1933-06-23	1935-06-17	1935-06-17	1931-05-09	1935-06-17	1960-10-17	Scrapped	49	Precipitated Brown Coal experiments 1923–1924. Fitted with shunters steps 31 August 1956.[31]
3	1911-02-11	A2 802	-	-	19xx-xx-xx	A1 802	-	-	-	-	1946-06-12	A2 824	1933-02-25	1933-02-25	1935-10-12	1936-05-01	1941-01-28	Y	1950-12-08	Scrapped	39	Smoke deflectors were "new type"
3	1911-02-23	A2 804	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1926-08-07	A2 885	?	?	?	?	?	?	1956-02-28	Scrapped	45	-
3	1911-03-08	A2 806	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1926-08-03	A2 886	?	?	?	?	?	?	1954-02-10	Scrapped	42	-
3	1911-03-21	A2 808	-	-	19xx-xx-xx	A1 808	-	-	-	-	1933-12-21	A2 855	?	?	?	?	?	?	1956-07-02	Scrapped	45	-
3	1911-03-31	A2 810	-	-	9/1929	A1 810	-	-	-	-	1935-09-07	A2 851	?	?	?	?	?	?	1955-12-21	Scrapped	44	-
3	1911-04-11	A2 812	-	-	19xx-xx-xx	A1 812	-	-	-	-	1933-12-05	A2 856	?	?	?	?	?	?	1951-08-30	Scrapped	40	-
3	1911-04-28	A2 814	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1929-09-xx	A2 881	?	?	?	?	?	?	1959-10-09	Scrapped	48	-
3	1911-05-09	A2 816	-	-	1929-09-12	A1 816	-	-	-	-	1949-04-01	A2 818	1933-06-30	1933-06-30	1937-10-15	1937-10-15	9/1927	1941-02-05	1953-02-13	Scrapped	41	-
4	1911-06-27	A2 818	-	-	5/1931	A1 818	-	-	-	-	1934-10-31	A2 853	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-04-13	Scrapped	41	-
4	1911-06-30	A2 820	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-10-24	A2 898	?	?	?	?	?	?	1952-11-07	Scrapped	41	-
4	1911-07-20	A2 822	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-08-26	A2 900	?	?	?	?	?	?	1951-09-03	Scrapped	40	-
4	1911-08-01	A2 824	-	-	19xx-xx-xx	A1 824	-	-	-	-	1946-01-24	A2 826	?	?	?	?	?	?	1960-07-01	Scrapped	48	Confirm 1946 not 1926 – ref. ID cards. Fitted with shunters steps 17 May 1954.[31]
4	1911-08-16	A2 826	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1931-07-xx	A2 871	?	?	?	?	?	?	1951-01-25	Scrapped	39	-
4	1911-08-26	A2 828	-	-	7/1931	A1 828	-	-	-	-	19xx-xx-xx	A2 873	?	?	?	?	?	?	1955-07-28	Scrapped	43	-
4	1911-09-09	A2 830	-	-	19xx-xx-xx	A1 830	-	-	-	-	1933-02-13	A2 864	?	?	?	?	?	?	1954-04-02	Scrapped	42	-
4	1911-09-19	A2 832	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1931-08-xx	A2 872	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-09-18	Scrapped	41	-
4	1911-09-27	A2 834	-	-	19xx-xx-xx	A1 858	-	-	-	-	1933-10-09	A2 858	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-07-30	Scrapped	41	-
6	1911-10-01	A2 853	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-08-03	A2 918	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-06-19	Scrapped	41	-
4	1911-10-04	A2 836	-	-	19xx-xx-xx	A1 836	-	-	-	-	1932-12-15	A2 865	?	?	?	?	?	?	1956-09-29	Scrapped	44	-
5	1912-09-13	A2 799	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1924-10-29	A2 890	?	?	?	?	?	?	1950-09-28	Scrapped	38	-
5	1912-09-20	A2 801	-	-	19xx-xx-xx	A1 801	-	-	-	-	1941-05-02	A2 842	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-08-26	Scrapped	40	-
5	1912-09-28	A2 803	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1930-02-xx	A2 877	?	?	?	?	?	?	1954-01-18	Scrapped	41	-
5	1912-10-05	A2 805	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-06-29	A2 891	?	?	?	?	?	?	1952-12-05	Scrapped	40	-
5	1912-10-12	A2 807	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-02-27	A2 892	?	?	?	?	?	?	1952-10-13	Scrapped	40	-
5	1912-10-19	A2 809	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-05-06	A2 893	?	?	?	?	?	?	1954-05-14	Scrapped	41	-
5	1912-10-29	A2 811	-	-	1926-09-21	A1 811	-	-	-	-	1948-07-23	A2 820	1936-12-21	1936-12-21	1936-12-21	1936-12-21	1941-07-01	1948-07-23	1953-06-18	Scrapped	40	21 Sep 1926 is a guess based on ink shade.[30]
5	1912-11-04	A2 813	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-05-13	A2 894	?	?	?	?	?	?	1956-11-22	Scrapped	44	Fitted with shunters steps, date unknown.[31]
5	1912-11-11	A2 815	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-02-11	A2 895	?	?	?	?	?	?	1951-09-04	Scrapped	38	-
5	1912-11-18	A2 817	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-07-20	A2 896	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-03-20	Scrapped	40	-
5	1912-11-26	A2 819	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1924-12-09	A2 897	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-12-15	Scrapped	41	-
5	1912-12-03	A2 821	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-11-23	A2 899	?	?	?	?	?	?	1951-09-26	Scrapped	38	-
5	1912-12-10	A2 823	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1926-01-19	A2 901	?	?	?	?	?	?	1951-05-31	Scrapped	38	-
5	1912-12-16	A2 825	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-09-24	A2 902	?	?	?	?	?	?	1954-04-22	Scrapped	41	-
5	1912-12-20	A2 827	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1926-02-09	A2 903	?	?	?	?	?	?	1956-01-27	Scrapped	43	Fitted with shunters steps 14 September 1956.[31]
5	1913-01-24	A2 829	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-06-14	A2 904	?	?	?	?	?	?	1947-07-31	Scrapped	34	Scrapped following a collision with obstructing goods wagons at Riddells Creek on 1 July 1947[32]
5	1913-02-03	A2 831	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-06-19	A2 905	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-12-09	Scrapped	40	-
5	1913-02-11	A2 833	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-08-25	A2 906	?	?	?	?	?	?	1954-01-30	Scrapped	40	-
5	1913-02-21	A2 835	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-04-08	A2 907	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-06-05	Scrapped	40	-
5	1913-02-28	A2 837	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-08-25	A2 908	?	?	?	?	?	?	1951-07-07	Scrapped	38	-
5	1913-03-11	A2 839	-	-	1933-03-02	A2 857	-	-	-	-	1933-03-02	A2 857	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-01-16	Scrapped	39	-
5	1913-03-19	A2 841	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-09-21	A2 910	?	?	?	?	?	?	1957-02-08	Scrapped	43	-
5	1913-03-31	A2 843	-	-	1933-12-05	A1 843	1941-02-21	A1 812	-	-	1949-04-01	A2 817	1934-10-06	1934-10-06	10/1934	1936-02-05	1941-12-20	1949-04-01	1953-10-30	Scrapped	40	-
5	1913-04-14	A2 845	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1926-02-10	A2 913	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-02-06	Scrapped	39	-
5	1913-04-24	A2 847	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-08-07	A2 914	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-11-26	Scrapped	40	-
6	1913-07-26	A2 838	-	-	1929-12-xx	A1 838	-	-	-	-	1941-08-xx	A2 841	?	?	?	?	?	?	1959-10-19	Scrapped	46	-
6	1913-08-02	A2 840	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-05-14	A2 909	?	?	?	?	?	?	1955-01-12	Scrapped	41	-
6	1913-08-09	A2 842	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-04-04	A2 911	?	?	?	?	?	?	1950-02-21	Scrapped	36	-
6	1913-08-16	A2 844	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-12-10	A2 912	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-09-18	Scrapped	40	-
6	1913-08-23	A2 846	-	-	19xx-xx-xx	A1 846	1933-12-29	A1 827	-	-	1944-11-10	A2 830	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-07-01	Scrapped	39	-
6	1913-08-29	A2 848	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1929-07-xx	A2 884	?	?	?	?	?	?	1954-07-30	Preserved	40	ARHS Newport
6	1913-09-04	A2 849	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-02-03	A2 916	?	?	?	?	?	?	1946-08-03	Scrapped	32	-
6	1913-09-10	A2 850	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-09-03	A2 917	?	?	?	?	?	?	1952-11-07	Scrapped	39	-
6	1913-09-18	A2 851	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1929-10-xx	A2 879	?	?	?	?	?	?	1954-03-26	Scrapped	40	-
6	1913-09-24	A2 852	-	-	6/1931	A1 852	1933-01-28	A1 829	-	-	1940-07-12	A2 846	?	?	?	?	?	?	1954-07-23	Scrapped	40	-
6	1913-10-08	A2 854	-	-	1929-12-xx	A1 854	1933-01-27	A1 832	1944-01-xx	A1 801	1946-11-xx	A2 821	1939-02-17	1939-02-17	1939-02-17	1939-02-17	1941-04-05	1946-11-15	1953-10-09	Scrapped	40	-
6	1913-10-15	A2 855	-	-	19xx-xx-xx	A1 855	1933-09-21	A1 840	1941-06-26	A1 810	1944-06-11	A2 832	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-09-14	Scrapped	39	-
6	1913-10-21	A2 856	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1926-06-12	A2 919	?	?	?	?	?	?	1954-02-19	Scrapped	40	-
6	1913-10-30	A2 857	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-09-01	A2 921	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-03-24	Scrapped	39	-
7	1913-11-05	A2 858	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-07-03	A2 925	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-10-02	Scrapped	39	-
7	1913-11-12	A2 859	-	-	1933-01-23	A1 828	-	-	-	-	1944-09-22	A2 831	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-10-02	Scrapped	39	-
7	1913-11-19	A2 860	-	-	1929-12-xx	A1 860	-	-	-	-	19xx-xx-xx	A2 860	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-04-13	Scrapped	39	-
7	1913-11-26	A2 861	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-09-29	A2 926	?	?	?	?	?	?	1951-02-19	Scrapped	37	-
7	1913-12-03	A2 862	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-06-23	A2 927	?	?	?	?	?	?	1964-11-15	Scrapped	50	-
7	1913-12-11	A2 863	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1929-10-xx	A2 878	?	?	?	?	?	?	1946-03-25	Wrecked	32	-
7	1913-12-16	A2 864	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-08-24	A2 930	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-12-04	Scrapped	39	-
7	1913-12-20	A2 865	-	-	19xx-xx-xx	A1 865	1932-01-xx	A1 825	-	-	1944-10-xx	A2 828	?	?	?	?	?	?	1960-10-22	Scrapped	46	-
7	1913-12-22	A2 866	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-06-20	A2 932	?	?	?	?	?	?	1962-03-27	Scrapped	48	-
7	1914-01-22	A2 867	-	-	19xx-xx-xx	A1 867	1932-01-xx	A1 823	-	-	1944-02-25	A2 836	?	?	?	?	?	?	1956-03-21	Scrapped	42	-
7	1914-01-30	A2 868	-	-	9/1929	A1 868	-	-	-	-	1931-3-xx	A2 868	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-05-12	Scrapped	39	-
7	1914-02-07	A2 869	-	-	4/1931	A1 869	4/1931	A1 821	1946-07-29	A1 814	1948-11-05	A2 819	1934-06-23	1934-06-23	1938-03-01	1938-03-01	1942-01-27	1948-11-05	1953-07-08	Scrapped	39	-
7	1914-02-14	A2 870	-	-	4/1930	A1 870	4/1931	A1 815	-	-	1942-02-13	A2 839	?	?	?	?	?	?	1954-02-12	Scrapped	39	-
7	1914-02-21	A2 871	-	-	19xx-xx-xx	A1 871	1931-04-xx	A1 814	-	-	1948-11-05	A2 834	?	?	?	?	?	?	1960-05-20	Scrapped	46	Fitted with shunters steps 17 May 1954.[31]
7	1914-02-28	A2 872	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1926-10-16	A2 933	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-11-27	Scrapped	39	-
8	1914-07-29	A2 913	1926-01-22	A2 845	19xx-xx-xx	A1 845	1933-12-29	A1 809	-	-	1946-05-xx	A2 823	1934-10-06	1930-12-25	1934-10-06	1936-04-30	1942-01-12	1946-05-24	1959-07-13	Scrapped	44	Smoke deflectors were "new type"
8	1914-08-05	A2 914	1925-08-07	A2 847	-	-	-	-	-	-	1929-12-xx	A2 874	?	?	?	?	?	?	1963-02-08	Scrapped	48	-
8	1914-08-12	A2 915	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	No change	A2 915	?	?	?	?	?	?	1955-01-20	Scrapped	40	-
8	1914-08-18	A2 916	1925-09-03	A2 849	19xx-xx-xx	A1 849	1933-12-25	A1 822	-	-	1936-05-16	A2 848	?	?	?	?	?	?	1955-01-20	Scrapped	40	-
8	1914-08-28	A2 917	1925-12-19	A2 850	1929-11-xx	A1 850	-	-	-	-	1933-03-18	A2 850	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-05-15	Scrapped	38	-
8	1914-09-24	A2 918	1925-08-25	A2 853	19xx-xx-xx	A1 853	-	-	-	-	1933-05-27	A2 862	?	?	?	?	?	?	1952-08-29	Scrapped	37	-
8	1914-10-09	A2 919	1926-09-01	A2 856	9/1926	A1 856	7/1933	A1 844	-	-	19xx-xx-xx	A2 844	?	?	?	?	?	?	1956-06-05	Scrapped	41	-
8	1914-10-14	A2 920	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	No change	A2 920	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-05-22	Scrapped	38	-
8	1914-10-20	A2 921	1925-11-27	A2 888	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-11-27	A2 888	1934-06-09	1934-06-09	1936-11-12	1936-11-12	1938-05-21	1936-11-12	1955-11-21	Scrapped	41	Fitted with welded, fabricated wheel centres from 31-07-1951. Restricted to goods working only whilst fitted. Looked similar to Southern Rail's disc wheels, designed by the VR's Ted Wohlfahrt and bore no resemblance to BoxPok wheel centres.[33]
8	1914-10-24	A2 922	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	No change	A2 922	?	?	?	?	?	?	1954-03-31	Scrapped	39	-
8	1914-10-31	A2 923	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	No change	A2 923	?	?	?	?	?	?	1960-10-05	Scrapped	45	Fitted with shunters steps 7 September 1956.[31]
8	1914-11-07	A2 924	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	No change	A2 924	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-04-10	Scrapped	38	-
8	1914-11-14	A2 925	1926-08-xx	A2 858	1925-08-13	A1 826	-	-	-	-	1936-05-23	A2 847	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-01-23	Scrapped	38	-
8	1914-11-27	A2 926	1925-09-02	A2 861	19xx-xx-xx	A1 861	1933-01-14	A1 820	-	-	1933-01-14	A2 843	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-06-11	Scrapped	38	-
8	1914-11-28	A2 927	1925-06-23	A2 862	7/1929	A1 862	-	-	1933-01-10	A2 800	1944-03-18	A2 835	?	?	?	?	?	?	1951-01-13	Scrapped	36	-
8	1914-12-08	A2 928	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	No change	A2 928	?	?	?	?	?	?	1956-06-01	Scrapped	41	-
8	1914-12-12	A2 929	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	No change	A2 929	?	?	?	?	?	?	1955-10-21	Scrapped	40	-
8	1914-12-17	A2 930	1925-08-20	A2 864	1932-01-xx	A1 831	-	-	-	-	1941-06-25	A2 840	?	?	?	?	?	?	1954-05-25	Scrapped	39	-
8	1914-12-22	A2 931	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	No change	A2 931	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-10-12	Scrapped	38	-
8	1914-12-23	A2 932	1925-07-07	A2 866	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-07-07	A2 866	?	?	?	?	?	?	1963-05-12	Scrapped	48	-
8	1915-01-20	A2 933	1926-08-25	A2 872	4/1931	A1 813	-	-	-	-	1946-07-25	A2 822	1933-08-12	1933-08-12	1938-08-18	1938-08-18	1941-10-10	Y	1961-02-27	Scrapped	46	-
8	1915-01-29	A2 934	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	No change	A2 934	?	?	?	?	?	?	1961-02-27	Scrapped	46	-
8	1915-02-03	A2 935	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	No change	A2 935	?	?	?	?	?	?	1954-10-08	Scrapped	39	-
8	1915-02-11	A2 936	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	No change	A2 936	?	?	?	?	?	?	1954-05-03	Scrapped	39	-
8	1915-02-16	A2 937	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	No change	A2 937	?	?	?	?	?	?	1955-01-19	Scrapped	39	-
8	1915-02-27	A2 938	1924-11-27	A2 873	1931-03-12	A1 809	-	-	-	-	1933-09-19	A2 859	?	?	?	?	?	?	1951-04-09	Scrapped	36	19/9/33 or 29/9/33
8	1915-03-03	A2 939	1925-06-03	A2 874	-	-	-	-	-	-	1929-07-xx	A2 880	?	?	?	?	?	?	1953-01-19	Scrapped	37	-
8	1915-03-10	A2 940	1925-09-16	A2 938	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-09-16	A2 938	?	?	?	?	?	?	1961-01-27	Scrapped	45	-
8	1915-03-17	A2 941	1925-08-07	A2 939	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-08-07	A2 939	?	?	?	?	?	?	1959-06-16	Scrapped	44	-
8	1915-03-24	A2 942	1924-07-30	A2 902	-	-	-	-	-	-	1925-11-24	A2 889	?	?	?	?	?	?	1956-06-12	Scrapped	41	-

Walschaerts engines

Batch	Built		Final ID		Front auto	Tender auto	Modified Front End	Smoke deflectors	Electric lights	Staff Exchanger	Conversion to oil	Tank type (may not be accurate)[34]	Off Register	Reason	Age	Notes
9	1915-10-23	A2 983	No change	A2 983	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1955-06-14	Scrapped	39	-
9	1915-11-01	A2 984	No change	A2 984	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Cylindrical	1954-05-12	Scrapped	38	-
9	1915-11-09	A2 985	No change	A2 985	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1953-05-29	Scrapped	37	-
9	1915-11-18	A2 986	No change	A2 986	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Cylindrical	1964-01-15	Preserved	48	Boxpok wheels from May 1948.[35] Preserved Warragul, then to Steamrail Victoria (swapped for J550). Restored to working order as coal-burner.
9	1915-11-30	A2 987	No change	A2 987	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1954-11-26	Scrapped	38	-
9	1915-12-11	A2 988	No change	A2 988	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1957-03-01	Scrapped	41	-
9	1915-12-23	A2 989	No change	A2 989	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Cylindrical	1954-11-25	Scrapped	38	-
9	1916-01-11	A2 990	No change	A2 990	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Cylindrical	1962-03-21	Scrapped	46	-
9	1916-03-31	A2 991	No change	A2 991	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Cylindrical	1953-06-15	Scrapped	37	-
9	1916-08-23	A2 992	No change	A2 992	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1953-08-07	Scrapped	36	Boxpok wheels from Aug 1948.[35]
9	1916-04-15	A2 993	No change	A2 993	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Cylindrical	1959-06-12	Scrapped	43	-
9	1916-05-10	A2 994	No change	A2 994	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Cylindrical	1962-02-09	Scrapped	45	-
9	1916-06-29	A2 995	No change	A2 995	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Cylindrical	1963-09-13	Preserved	47	ARHS Newport
9	1916-06-09	A2 996	No change	A2 996	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1963-11-22	Preserved	47	Static at Echuca wharf
9	1917-06-30	A2 997	No change	A2 997	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1953-01-12	Scrapped	35	-
9	1918-05-10	A2 998	No change	A2 998	?	?	?	?	?	?	n/a	n/a	1947-08-04	Scrapped	29	-
9	1918-06-25	A2 999	No change	A2 999	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1954-04-15	Scrapped	35	-
9	1918-07-24	A2 1000	1925-08-27	A2 940	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1954-09-23	Scrapped	36	-
9	1918-08-17	A2 1001	1925-11-05	A2 941	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Cylindrical	1959-11-01	Scrapped	41	-
9	1918-08-25	A2 1002	1924-09-27	A2 942	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1957-01-24	Scrapped	38	-
9	1918-10-29	A2 1003	1924-05-06	A2 943	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1956-08-27	Scrapped	37	-
9	1918-11-27	A2 1004	1925-02-27	A2 944	1935-05-25	1935-05-25	1935-05-25	1935-12-17	1930-09-10	1935-05-25	1946-07-11	Cylindrical	1954-11-12	Scrapped	35	Boxpok wheels from Dec 1948[35]
9	1918-12-20	A2 1005	1925-06-30	A2 945	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1958-10-31	Scrapped	39	-
9	1919-02-07	A2 1006	1924-04-30	A2 946	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1953-10-09	Scrapped	34	Involved in Serviceton disaster, 1951. Only engine repaired.
9	1919-03-13	A2 1007	1925-08-26	A2 947	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1962-04-09	Scrapped	43	-
9	1919-04-15	A2 1008	1925-12-16	A2 948	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1952-09-18	Scrapped	33	Boxpok wheels from Nov 1947[35]
9	1919-05-27	A2 1009	1925-08-11	A2 949	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1954-10-15	Scrapped	35	-
9	1919-06-12	A2 1010	1925-07-23	A2 950	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1955-02-17	Scrapped	35	-
9	1919-06-28	A2 1011	1924-05-31	A2 951	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1954-05-05	Scrapped	34	-
9	1919-08-09	A2 1012	1925-02-10	A2 952	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1956-04-30	Scrapped	36	-
10	1920-05-12	A2 1053	1925-08-11	A2 953	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Cylindrical	1952-01-04	Wrecked	31	Involved in Serviceton disaster, 1951. Scrapped on site.
10	1920-07-05	A2 1054	1926-01-11	A2 954	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1955-04-06	Scrapped	34	-
10	1920-08-03	A2 1055	1925-09-04	A2 955	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1961-03-09	Scrapped	40	-
10	1920-08-24	A2 1056	1925-12-18	A2 956	?	?	?	?	?	?	n/a	n/a	1946-08-03	Scrapped	25	-
10	1920-09-16	A2 1057	1925-05-29	A2 957	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Cylindrical	1953-07-10	Scrapped	32	-
10	1920-10-09	A2 1058	1925-06-12	A2 958	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Cylindrical	1952-01-04	Wrecked	31	Involved in Serviceton disaster, 1951. Scrapped on site.
10	1920-10-28	A2 1059	1925-05-23	A2 959	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1954-10-22	Scrapped	33	-
10	1920-11-20	A2 1060	1925-06-23	A2 960	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1954-06-24	Scrapped	33	-
10	1920-12-11	A2 1061	1925-06-02	A2 961	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1953-02-27	Scrapped	32	-
10	1920-12-22	A2 1062	1925-06-29	A2 962	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1956-02-03	Scrapped	35	-
10	1921-03-24	A2 1063	1923-10-26	A2 963	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1956-03-22	Scrapped	34	-
10	1921-04-15	A2 1064	1924-10-29	A2 964	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Cylindrical	1964-01-15	Preserved	42	Boxpok wheels from Sep 1947.[35] Preserved Reservoir.
10	1921-05-05	A2 1065	1926-01-07	A2 965	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1954-03-26	Scrapped	32	-
10	1921-05-27	A2 1066	1925-09-23	A2 966	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Cylindrical	1954-03-19	Scrapped	32	-
10	1921-06-17	A2 1067	1926-11-23	A2 967	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Cylindrical	1955-07-18	Scrapped	34	-
10	1921-07-06	A2 1068	1926-02-11	A2 968	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1955-10-07	Scrapped	34	-
10	1921-07-26	A2 1069	1926-08-04	A2 969	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1953-01-06	Scrapped	31	-
10	1921-08-13	A2 1070	1925-05-04	A2 970	?	?	?	?	?	?	n/a	n/a	1946-08-03	Scrapped	24	-
10	1921-09-02	A2 1071	1923-11-30	A2 971	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Cylindrical	1960-09-14	Scrapped	39	-
10	1921-09-21	A2 1072	1923-10-27	A2 972	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1954-03-05	Scrapped	32	-
10	1921-09-30	A2 1073	1925-10-16	A2 973	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Cylindrical	1957-02-22	Scrapped	35	ACFI Feedwater heater 1936-1944
10	1921-11-16	A2 1078	1925-05-18	A2 978	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1958-09-19	Scrapped	36	-
10	1921-11-21	A2 1079	1923-12-11	A2 979	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Cylindrical	1953-11-20	Scrapped	31	-
10	1921-11-28	A2 1074	1923-11-29	A2 974	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1958-09-25	Scrapped	36	-
10	1922-02-09	A2 1075	1924-01-12	A2 975	?	?	?	?	?	?	n/a	n/a	1950-01-24	Scrapped	27	-
10	1922-03-13	A2 1080	1924-04-07	A2 980	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Cylindrical	1954-11-05	Scrapped	32	-
10	1922-04-21	A2 1076	1924-08-21	A2 976	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1957-02-19	Scrapped	34	-
10	1922-06-08	A2 1081	1926-01-26	A2 981	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1954-09-10	Scrapped	32	-
10	1922-06-26	A2 1077	1924-03-29	A2 977	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Square	1952-01-04	Wrecked	29	Involved in Serviceton disaster, 1951. Scrapped on site.
10	1922-06-29	A2 1082	1926-01-15	A2 982	?	?	?	?	?	?	Y	Cylindrical	1957-05-17	Scrapped	34	-
10	Not built	A2 1083	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	10th order was for 40 engines but only 30 built.[36]
10	Not built	A2 1084	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	10th order was for 40 engines but only 30 built.[36]
10	Not built	A2 1085	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	10th order was for 40 engines but only 30 built.[36]
10	Not built	A2 1086	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	10th order was for 40 engines but only 30 built.[36]
10	Not built	A2 1087	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	10th order was for 40 engines but only 30 built.[36]
10	Not built	A2 1088	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	10th order was for 40 engines but only 30 built.[36]
10	Not built	A2 1089	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	10th order was for 40 engines but only 30 built.[36]
10	Not built	A2 1090	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	10th order was for 40 engines but only 30 built.[36]
10	Not built	A2 1091	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	10th order was for 40 engines but only 30 built.[36]
10	Not built	A2 1092	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	10th order was for 40 engines but only 30 built.[36]

Preservation

Only one of the original batch of 125 Stephenson A² locomotives survives; 1913-built A²884 is today preserved at the Newport Railway Museum, along with (Walschaerts) A²995.^[14] The museum notes that A²884 ran a total 1,002,624 miles (1,613,567 km) and A²995 a total 1,270,404 miles (2,044,517 km) during their service lives.^[37]

A²964 is preserved at Edwardes Lake Park, Reservoir and A²996 in Echuca.^[14]

After a 32-year-long effort, Steamrail Victoria restored A²986 to full working order as a coal burner. It first moved under steam on 30 May 2015 and entered service with Steamrail on 13 May 2017.

References

External links

• Dee et al., Power Parade, VicRail Public Relations Division, Melbourne, 1981, ISBN 0-7241-3323-2
• Pearce et al., North Williamstown Railway Museum, ARHS, Melbourne, 1980, ISBN 0-85849-018-8
• The Recorder, ARHS, Adelaide, November 1985, ISSN 0158-1856
• AHRS Railway Museum History 1900–1950 retrieved on 6 September 2006
• National Library of Australia Photograph of prototype A²572, December 1907
• victorianrailways.net Stephenson A²936 hauling a goods train, 11 June 1930.
• victorianrailways.net Walschaerts A²973 leads a Stephenson A²on The Overland, circa 1930
• Public Record Office Victoria Classic VR photograph of A²-hauled passenger train with E type carriages crossing the Malmsbury Viaduct, 1945
• Public Record Office Victoria – A²856 is cut up for scrap.
• victorianrailways.net A²986, seen around 1962 near the end of its service life. Various modifications over the years have significantly altered its appearance from when photographed in 1916 (see top of this page)
• Steamrail A²986 page Photos detailing the progress of current restoration work on A²986