No.128 was one of an order of three 0-6-0ST locomotives built for the NSWGR by Vulcan Foundry of Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire.  These locomotives were used for a variety of branch-line duties including the Richmond and Camden lines. These three locomotives were later grouped with some similar locomotives to form the P(127) class. ^a

P 128 was allocated to the Yass Tramway from 1892 to 1910 and would have made many return trips on the short branch from the main line at Yass Junction to Yass Township.  P 128 was then sold to the Commonwealth Government and used in the construction of the Jervis Bay breakwater. ^{a, b}

P 128  was later sold to Kalingo Colliery, Cessnock but was set aside by 1938. ^a  At some stage it attracted the attention of scrap metal collectors and the saddle-tank and boiler were cut apart (presumably to access the copper firebox and tubes) leaving the remaining frames, wheels and smokebox languishing at Kalingo. During the early preservation era these remnants were expected to be scrapped and thus various components such as the side rods & brake rigging were removed and are apparently now stored with the DSR&M collection at Dorrigo. ^d

The remnants of P 128 were retrieved from Kalingo Colliery in 1983 and initially displayed at the Richmond Vale Railway Museum. ^a  (When I first encountered this loco at Richmond Main around 1989, half of the heavily-rusted saddle-tank also remained; this had presumably been obtained from Kalingo Colliery as a pattern.  I'm not sure if this remnant still exists.) ^d

P 128 moved to the Yass Railway Museum in 1992.  As an unlikely coincidence, the boiler of sister loco P 129 was later discovered to survive at a sawmill. (The sawmill operator apparently purchased P129 from Mt Kiera Colliery in 1950's and, as only the boiler was needed, the rest of P 129 was left for scrap). This boiler was purchased and transported to Yass in April 2000 and subsequently fitted to P 128. ^c

Hopefully in the future a replacement saddle-tank and cab roof could be manufactured, and the various smaller components in the DSR&M collection refitted, at which point P 128 could be presented as a reasonably complete exhibit and interesting and historic survivor of early NSWGR branch-line power. ^d

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