New South Wales Z12 Class Locomotive - History

History

The Z12 Class (formerly the C79 class) was the first class of locomotive on the New South Wales Government Railways to be built in relatively large numbers. They hauled all express passenger and mail trains for some 20 years.

A total of 68 were built. The first batch of 30 were built by Beyer, Peacock and Company and placed in service as the 79 class between 1877 and 1879. They were the first locomotives to be imported with Westinghouse continuous air-brakes already fitted. The second batch of 26 came from Dübs and Company. These arrived between 1880 and 1881. A further four followed from Beyer, Peacock in 1881. To assist local industry, a contract for eight was awarded to the Atlas Engineering Works situated in Sydney's Haymarket and delivered in 1881–1882.

Reclassified C79 in 1889, their numbers were thinned from 1895 when no 88 was converted to a 4-4-2T tank engine for Sydney suburban service with a further 19 following by 1902. These were reclassified the CC79 class. The arrival of newer locomotives such as the D255 (later Z15), D261 (later Z16), O446 (later Z23) and P6 (later C32) classes saw them relegated to hauling secondary and later branch line services radiating out of Dubbo, Werris Creek, Narrabri and Moree, where some were equipped with cowcatchers for operation on unfenced lines. In an attempt to prevent cinders blocking the lower boiler tubes between cleanings in December 1956 an extended smokebox was fitted to 1219 with 1243 similarly modified in the 1960s.

In 1924 the class was renumbered becoming the Z12 class. The Z was an ominous sign however, denoting that the class was regarded as obsolete, and the conversion of 77 C30 class suburban tank engines (made redundant by electrification) into C30T class 4-6-0 branchline engines saw withdrawals begin with 23 taken out of service between 1928 and 1933. Many of the others survived into the 1950s hauling branch line services.

In 1955 for the centenary of rail operations in New South Wales, 1243 was restored to its original livery. It was joined by 1210 in December 1959 and together these hauled the Vintage Train across the state.

In January 1962 the pair hauled a special service to Canberra where 1210 was handed over to the National Capital Development Commission and placed on display outside Canberra railway station. Having hauled the first train into the nation's capital in May 1914, 1210 had historical significance for Canberra.

After this 1243 was usually paired with 1709 on the Vintage Train, resuming its original number of 176 at some point until the Vintage Train was withdrawn in March 1974 when steam trains were banned from the main line by the Public Transport Commission.

Both 1219 and 1243 were preserved by the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum and Powerhouse Museum respectively. Pending the completion of the latter, 1243 was placed in the care of the former. Both moved from Enfield to Thirlmere in June 1975. Following the lifting of the ban on steam, 1243 resumed mainline operations until withdrawn in 1982. It was transferred to the Powerhouse Museum, Ultimo in September 1987 and remains on static display.

Meanwhile 1210 was removed from its plinth outside Canberra station in September 1984 and moved to the Canberra Railway Museum to be restored to operational condition in September 1988.

To create room for construction works at Thirlmere, 1219 was one of a number of New South Wales Rail Transport Museum exhibits moved to Broadmeadow Locomotive Depot in 2009. It is scheduled to move to the Junee Roundhouse Museum.