W 934 and water gin turning on the triangle at Woolshed Flat, prior to returning its train to Quorn.  11 June 2000

W 934 was built by Beyer Peacock & Co, Manchester (builder's number 7411 of 1951) and entered service in December 1951 as one of sixty "W-class" 4-8-2 locomotives delivered to the Western Australia Government Railways for light lines service.  The W-class proved to be highly successful locomotives, displacing older O-class 2-8-0T+T and G-class 2-6-0 & 4-6-0 types on secondary lines and augmenting the V and S-classes on main line duties.

Most WAGR W-class locomotives were withdrawn in June 1971 and joined the long lines of modern steam power that were cut up for scrap at Midland Workshops, however 19 class members (W 901 / 905 / 906 / 907 / 909 / 914 / 916 / 919 / 924 / 927 / 929 / 931 / 933 / 934 / 941 / 953 / 954 / 958 & 959) were retained a little longer until officially withdrawn in August 1972.  Among these, W 933 and W 934 survived long enough to be purchased by the newly-formed Pichi Richi Railway Preservation Society in early 1974. Both were transferred in March 1974 to the Pichi Richi Railway's depot at Quorn in the rugged Flinders Ranges, South Australia and returned to operation.

W 933 & W 934 have been stalwarts of the Pichi Richi Railway's steam fleet since their restoration and capably handle trains through the steep and curvaceous Pichi Richi Pass.  The webmaster thoroughly recommends the Pichi Richi Railway for any steam enthusiast visiting South Australia!

For more information about the WAGR W-class locomotives, refer to the notes for class-leader W 901.

References