A12 (small) - American Passenger Class

Notes

These engines were scaled down versions of the famous 4-4-0 type American engines that helped so much to open up that vast country. They were ordered from Baldwin with small four wheel tenders so as they could fit on existing short turntables. N° 39 was supplied with a copper firebox at a cost of £1630. The other two were built with steel fireboxes and were each £100 cheaper. Both later had these replaced with traditional copper boxes; N°38 in 1885 and N°167 in 1889. The small tenders proved to be a disadvantage and they were later altered slightly to increase the water capacity from 600 to 780 gallons with a small reduction in coal space. N°167 (CR11) was fitted with a large spark arrestor for a time when wood was used as fuel on the Central Railway. Despite their limited fuel capacity they proved useful and they were the forerunners of larger similar engines. Their rated load up the Main Range to Toowoomba was 65 tons.

* Later increased to 780 gallons with small reduction in coal space

In 1889 locomotives and rollingstock were consolidated into one rollingstock register. This resulted in most items, except those operating on the original Southern and Western Railway (from Ipswich ), being renumbered. Numbers shown are state (or former S & W) numbers.