O Class steam locomotives
O 218
| Builders: Neilson & Co Dubs & Co |
| Coupled wheel diameter 3'0" |
| Total weight 62 tons 17 cwt |
| Tractive effort 17,221 lb |
| Coal capacity 3.5 tons increased to 7.5 tons |
| Water capacity 2500 gallons decreased to 2000 gallons |
| Total number in service 46 |
The O class 2-8-0 freight locomotive was introduced during Sept 1896 to August 1898. Withdrawn 1907 (10 locomotives used to construct N class suburban tank locomotives) and 1940 - 1961. The O class were introduced as a heavy freight locomotive able to traverse the light 45lb rails of the Eastern Goldfields Railway. They remained in this service for some five years until the arrival of the more powerful Ec class Baldwin compound locomotives. With the expanding light agricultural line network the O class remained on branch line duty for many years until the arrival of the W class.
O 218 entered service on 11 October, 1898, and during its service life it ran some 750,000 miles (1.2 million km). The loco was finally retired on 25 July, 1961. It then gave further service as the steam cleaning engine at Northam Loco Depot, before being transferred to the Rail Transport Museum on 2 December, 1971.