The Victorian Railways A class was a 2-6-2 tank locomotive built for their 2' 6" (762 mm) gauge branch lines.
Baldwin Locomotive Works in the United States supplied the first two 2-6-2 tank locomotives, as well as parts for a further two locos. One each of the supplied locos and the parts kits was a simple loco, and the other a compound. The new class was classed "A"—often referred to early on as "Narrow-gauge A class"—however confusion with the broad gauge A, AA and A2 classes lead to the prefix "" being applied to written records, making it the A class. The Victorian Railways Newport workshops assembled the parts to give an additional two locos, and subsequently built a further 13 of the simple cylinder version. The last one, number 17, was built in 1915.
By the mid-1920s these small locomotives were not able to handle the increasing traffic, and two G class Garratt locomotives were purchased to supplement the fleet.
The locomotives weigh 36 tons (36.58 t) and produce a tractive effort of 12,170 lbf (54.1 kN), allowing them to haul loads of 90 tons (91.44 t) up grades of 1 in 30. Numbers 6, 7, 8, 12, and 14 have been restored and operate on the Puffing Billy Railway, and No. 3 is also on the Puffing Billy Railway, awaiting eventual restoration. The remaining locomotives have all been scrapped.
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