* Years engines were converted from original B15 Class

Number of Engines in Class on the Books as at: –

Number of Engines in Class in Service as at: –

Notes

All engines were originally members of the 98 strong B15 Class. In 1900, work commenced to alter B15 N°336 by replacing its original 36″ diameter coupled wheels with 45″ wheels. The conversion proved successful and a further 92 engines were subjected to similar treatment. Upon conversion they were referred to as “B15 Converted” although this title was often abbreviated to “B15 Con” or “B15C”. For sometime in the Cairns District they were referred to as CB15 class. Their forerunners were often referred to as “B15 Goods” For many years they were the principal workhorses on the Atherton Tableland in the Cairns District. Most of those engines had additional boards on tenders to increase their coal capacity. One engine, N°308, was sold to the Aramac Shire Council immediately after its conversion in 1915. It was renumbered A2 by the Council and worked on the Aramac Shire Tramway until it was withdrawn from service in 1943 due to boiler condition. Last engine in service, N°290 at Rockhampton, was withdrawn in 1967. It is now preserved at Ipswich Workshops. Another member of the class, N°299, was the first engine built for Queensland Railways by Walkers Limited and has been preserved at Maryborough. Five engines were acquired with the Government’s take over of the Chillagoe Railway and Mining Co Pty Ltd after its collapse. The engines retained “Converted” as part of their title throughout their lives despite the fact that the last of the original “B15″ engines disappeared in 1934.

* Originally 8 X 7½”

Abbreviations

NW – Nasmyth, Wilson & Co, Manchester, UK
EAP – Evans, Anderson, Phelan & Co, Brisbane, Qld
York – The Yorkshire Engine Co, UK
Walkers – Walkers Ltd, Engineers, Maryborough, Qld
WO – Written off Register