The South Australian Railways Y class was a class of narrow gauge steam locomotives operated by the South Australian Railways.
History
The Y class were numerically the largest class of steam locomotive operated by the South Australian Railways (SAR). With a Mogul (2-6-0) wheel arrangement widely used in Australia at the time, 129 were built between 1885 and 1898. Beyer, Peacock & Co, Manchester built 50, James Martin & Co of Gawler 77, and the SAR's Islington Railway Workshops 2. They operated across the SAR's narrow gauge network. Between 1904 and 1924, 48 were fitted with new Belpaire boilers and reclassified as the Yx class.
They were part of what became almost an Australian standard, as locomotives of similar design served in large numbers as the Silverton Tramway Y class, Tasmanian Government Railways C class and Western Australian Government Railways G class, and also in Queensland and on the Emu Bay Railway and North Australia Railway.
Some were sold for further service to railway construction companies while others saw further service on the timber railway lines of Western Australia. During World War II, 18 were sold to the Commonwealth Railways for use on the North Australia Railway as the Nfb class. Seven of these were sold in 1948 to the Tasmanian Government Railways, but only four entered service (as F1–F4).
Preserved locomotives , there were 10 preserved Y and Yx class locomotives (of which Yx141 was operational), as follows: NumberSystemOwner or custodianLocation()Y1Silverton Tramway Company Sulphide Street Railway and Historical Museum Broken Hill, NSWY12Silverton Tramway Company National Railway Museum Port Adelaide, SAY71SAR then West Australian Jarrah Forest Co. South-West Rail & Heritage Centre Boyanup, WAY82SARDistrict Council of Peterborough Peterborough, SAYx86SAR then Victorian Construction Co. then Bunnings Bros The Railway Museum Bassendean, WAY97SARNational Railway Museum Port Adelaide, SAY109SAR then a Western Australian timber company Manjimup Heritage Park Manjimup, WA Yx135 / NFB88SAR then Commonwealth Railways (on North Australia Railway as NFB88) Old Katherine Railway Station (National Trust) Katherine, NTYx141SARPichi Richi Railway Quorn, SAYx176SAR then Bunning Bros Yarloop Workshops Yarloop, WA
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