| Victorian Railways F class (2-4-0) | |
| Powertype: | Steam |
| Builddate: | 1874, 1876-1877, 1879-1880 |
| Totalproduction: | 21 |
| Fueltype: | Coal |
| Boilerpressure: | Varies between & |
| Cylindercount: | 2 |
| Operator: | Victorian Railways |
| Fleetnumbers: | F98, F 126-F144 (even only), F 166-F184 (even only) |
| Firstrundate: | June 1874 |
| Lastrundate: | 24 June 1924 |
| Disposition: | 7 converted, 14 scrapped |
| Victorian Railways F class motor (2-4-2T) | |
| Powertype: | Steam |
| Designer: | Seipen, VR drawing office |
| Builddate: | 1910-1911 |
| Totalproduction: | 7 |
| Fueltype: | Coal |
| Cylindercount: | 2 |
| Tractiveeffort: | at 80% boiler pressure |
| Operator: | Victorian Railways |
| Fleetnumbers: | F172-F184 (even only) |
| Firstrundate: | 1910 |
| Lastrundate: | 30 November 1929 |
| Disposition: | 1 preserved, 6 scrapped |
The Victorian Railways F class was originally a class of light line passenger locomotives operated by the Victorian Railways between 1874 and 1929.
Classed 'F' in 1886.
The pattern engine was constructed by Beyer, Peacock & Company in 1874. An order for 20 more locomotives of this design was placed 2 years later with the Phoenix Foundry in Ballarat, with 10 built in 1876–77 and a further 10 in 1879–80. They were originally supplied with four-wheeled tenders, but were eventually provided with larger six-wheeled ones which increased their water capacity to .
In early life they were mainly used on the main lines radiating form Ballarat and Ararat. By 1894, 3 were allotted to Geelong, 5 to Ararat, 3 to Ballarat, 2 to Seymour, 2 to Benalla, 2 to Princes Bridge, and 4 to Sale.
All were reboilered between 1902-12, along with the T class, to a new common, larger boiler type.
In 1910-11, the Victorian Railways decided to convert seven of them into "motor" locomotives for use in outer suburban areas. The tenders were removed and they became 2-4-2 tanks. They kept their numbers 172–184 (evens only).
The un-rebuilt tender engines were taken off register between 1916 and 1924, and the "motors" were taken off between 1920 and 1929. F184 was sold to Earlston, Cranbourne for £750.
One of the 2-4-2T class survives, number 176, having been sold to the Sunshine Harvester Works in 1920 for £1500, where was used as a shunter until 1961. It was then donated to the Newport Railway Museum, and is the oldest surviving Victorian Railway locomotive, having been built in 1880.
| Key: | In Service | Preserved | Stored or Withdrawn | Scrapped |
|---|
| Locomotive | Builder No. | Entered service | Converted to 2-4-2T | Withdrawn | Scrapped | Status | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F98 | 1267 | - | Scrapped | |||||
| F126 | 28 | - | Scrapped | |||||
| F128 | 30 | - | Scrapped | |||||
| F130 | 31 | - | Scrapped | |||||
| F132 | 33 | - | Scrapped | |||||
| F134 | 34 | - | Scrapped | |||||
| F136 | 35 | - | Scrapped | |||||
| F138 | 36 | - | Scrapped | |||||
| F140 | 37 | - | Scrapped | |||||
| F142 | 38 | - | Scrapped | |||||
| F144 | 39 | - | Scrapped | |||||
| F166 | 55 | - | Scrapped | |||||
| F168 | 56 | - | Scrapped | |||||
| F170 | 57 | - | Scrapped | |||||
| F172 | 58 | 1910-11 | Scrapped | |||||
| F174 | 59 | 1910-11 | Scrapped | |||||
| F176 | 61 | 1910-11 | Sold to Sunshine Harvester Works. Donated to Museum. Display | |||||
| F178 | 62 | 1910-11 | Scrapped | |||||
| F180 | 63 | 1910-11 | Scrapped | |||||
| F182 | 60 | 1910-11 | Scrapped | |||||
| F184 | 64 | 1910-11 | Sold to Earlston, Cranbourne |