This was a group of 18 passenger steam locomotives, built by Robert Stephenson & Company and an extra locomotive built from spare parts supplied with the other 18. These locomotives not only provided the bulk workforce of the early private railway operators in Victoria, Australia, but upon their withdrawal they once again proved themselves useful as contractors' locos building some of the railway lines for the then expanding Victorian railway network.

History Owners Over the years, new Stephenson 2-4-0WT locomotives were ordered and operated by the various private operators of the early Victorian railway network and later the Victorian Railways.

Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company (M&HBR) 1854–1865

The first two locomotive for the Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company (B/n 954–955) arrived in Hobson's Bay aboard the vessel 'Jane Francis' on 23 November 1854 and were unloaded three weeks later. The first commenced running on 25 December and the second on 5 January 1855, thereafter each working the traffic on alternate days. The ship 'Hannah Conner' reached Melbourne on 23 January 1955 with the next two engines (B/n 956–957) and by April 1855 all four were in service, being used in rotation. A fifth locomotive (B/n 1080), ordered in anticipation of the opening of the company's branch to St Kilda, arrived on the 'Magna Bona' on 12 June 1857. These five locomotives were named Melbourne (954), Sandridge (955), Victoria (956), Yarra (957), and St Kilda (1080).

Two locomotives (B/n 1183–1184) were built in 1858, with the same wheel arrangement but with larger dimensions than the first five including cylinders and diameter wheels. These were named Rapid (1183), and Meteor (1184). In 1860, another two of this larger type were added (B/n 1268–1269). This was followed by a third (B/n 1458), which arrived on the ship 'Express' on 28 June 1863. Unlike the previous locomotives, these remained unnamed.

Victoria was sold to Melbourne and Suburban Railway Company in 1858 and Melbourne and Yarra were sold to St Kilda and Brighton Railway Company in 1862. Sandridge was taken out of running service in 1863. When the M&HBR was amalgamated with the Melbourne Railway Company on 30 June 1865, the six remaining operating locomotives and Sandridge passed to the newly named Melbourne and Hobson's Bay United Railway Company.

Melbourne and Suburban Railway Company (M&SR) 1858–1862

The Melbourne and Suburban Railway Company purchased Victoria from the Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company in December 1858 (for £2408.13.11) to run from to , but did not enter service until after the line opened 5 February 1859.

With the extension of the M&SR's line to Hawthorn in 1861, a further 2 locomotives were ordered, they arrived on the ship 'Water Nymph' on 20 May 1861. The first entered service in October 1861 named Kew (B/n 1377). The other one, builders number 1378, could not be paid for and was sold (along with the spare parts) to Cornish & Bruce, contractors for the Bendigo line.

The company was facing financial trouble and was sold at auction on 31 March 1862 to the Melbourne Railway Company.

St Kilda and Brighton Railway Company (SK&BR) 1861–1865 On 1 February 1861, the St Kilda and Brighton Railway Company hired two engines, Melbourne and Yarra, from the Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company, before purchasing them on the 1 February 1862. Working of the SK&BR was later taken over by the Melbourne Railway Company with the stock of the two companies pooled and these two engines passed into the latters control on 1 May 1862 but not into their ownership. The SK&BR was eventually purchased by the Melbourne and Hobson's Bay United Railway Company on 1 September 1865, and these two locomotives rejoined the rest of the class.

Melbourne Railway Company (MRC) 1862–1865

In March 1862 the Melbourne Railway Company purchased Victoria and Kew as part of the sale of the Melbourne and Suburban Railway Company. Then on 1 May 1862, working of the St Kilda and Brighton Railway was taken over by the MRC with the stock of the two companies pooled and the former companies two engines, Melbourne and Yarra, passed into the MRC's control, but not into their ownership.

Two more locomotives were built in 1863, B/n 1459 arrived on the ship 'Express' on 28 June 1863 and B/n 1460 on the 'Ontario' on 6 August 1863. They entered service in October 1861 named Windsor (B/n 1459) and Prahran (B/n 1460).

When the MRC was amalgamated with the Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company on 30 June 1865, the four locomotives of the MRC passed to the newly named Melbourne and Hobson's Bay United Railway Company.

Melbourne and Hobson's Bay United Railway Company (M&HBUR) 1865–1878

When the Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway was amalgamated with the Melbourne Railway Company on 30 June 1865, the newly named Melbourne and Hobson's Bay United Railway Company acquired eleven locomotives; Sandridge, St Kilda, Rapid, Meteor, Victoria, Kew, Windsor, Prahran, and the three unnamed locos (B/n 1268–1269, 1458). These were joined on 1 September 1865 by the two locomotives still owned by the St Kilda and Brighton Railway, Melbourne and Yarra.

A new locomotive, which appears to have been ordered by one of the previous companies prior to the amalgamation, was put into service 1866, with the name Toorak (B/n 1620). Two more locomotives (B/n 1802–1803) arrived on the ship 'Terzali' on 30 January 1867, and were put into service September of that year, with one of them being named; Victoria (B/n 1802) — this was the second locomotive to make use of that name, the other Victoria (B/n 956) being out of service at the time.

About 1870, the M&HBUR numbered all their locomotives, except Sandridge which remained out of running service, and retained their original names. They were numbered in the same numerical order as the builder numbers up to No. 16 — with No. 5 used for the Pier donkey (B/n 1177).

A final locomotive, B/n 1991, arrived on the ship 'Cardigan Castle' on 18 December 1870, and entered service in February 1871, taking the next available number, No. 19. This was the last Stephenson 2-4-0WT ordered by the private companies, bringing their total to eighteen.

Five were disposed of before the M&HBUR was taken over by the Government for their South Suburban system in 1878 (see below), while the nine remaining locomotives were transferred on 1 July 1878 to the Government for use on their South Suburban system; No. 1(Melbourne), No. 6 (Rapid), No. 7 (Meteor), No. 8, No. 9, No. 11, No. 13 (Prahran), No. 15 (Victoria), No. 16, No. 19.

South Suburban System (Victorian Railways) 1878–1886 No. 14 (Toorak) was bought back in late 1877 by the Government for service on this isolated section until 1879 when it was connected to the rest of the system. The subsequent history of No. 14 with the VR is obscure, and it may have been sold without being placed back on the register.

On the 1 July 1878, the nine remaining 2-4-0WT locomotives (No.1, No. 6–No. 13, No. 15–No. 16, No. 19) of the Melbourne and Hobson's Bay United Railway were transferred to the Government's Victorian Railways. This was separate to the main Government system, and they were able to retain their previous numbers as they were not incorporated into the main Victorian Railways register until the introduction of letter classification in 1886. It was referred to as the Hobson's Bay system from 1879 to 1881, then as the South Suburban system from 1881 to 1886.

No. 1 (Melbourne) lay unused at the Williamstown Workshops, (it had been used around the 1870's as a portable steam plant for operating a steam powered wool press) and offered for sale to John Robb in 1880, but the offer not taken.

Between 1882 and 1886, the Government sold eight to various contractors before being added to the main Victorian Railways register (see below).

Victorian Railways (VR) 1886–1906 The South Suburban system was finally incorporated into the Victorian Railways register on 1 January 1886 along with the introduction of the letter classification system. As there were already locomotives with the same numbers, these older locomotives (No. 6–No. 9, No. 11, No. 13, No. 15–No. 16, No. 19) were given the numbers 242–248, 252–260 (even only) and became known as the N class. South Suburban No. 10 was to be allocated N250 and No. 14 was to be allocated N272, but No. 10 was sold and No. 14 sold prior to 1886 and they may not have been renumbered.

Unlike No. 252–No. 258 which were modified for motor service, No. 246 remained unmodified for the rest of its life being used as a spare engine before finally being withdrawn with the four motors in the early 1900s.

Motor service Between 1893 and 1895, N252–N258 were modified for motor running. This involved the addition of a door at the rear of the cab and handrails towards the front to allow guards to return to the engine while the train was moving, extra side tanks to increase the water capacity, as well as cowcatchers.

They were noted as follows: N252 in 1890 working trains on the Maldon line, in 1896 on the Outer Circle line, and in early 1900s on the Essendon to Broadmeadows line N254 in 1890 working trains on the Buninyong line and later the Essendon to Broadmeadows line N256 in 1890 stationed at presumably for trains on the Outer Circle or Darling lines N258 in 1890 working trains on the Outer Circle line between and and again in early 1895, while also noted at some point as running on the Lubeck to Rupanyup line

Design improvements Over the years they were fitted with various alterations to the cabs. There were also various upgrades over the years; with constant improvements to safety — these including things like updates to safety valves (and domes), smokeboxs and chimneys (with spark arrestors), and brakes.

Accidents 10 February 1861 - Yarra derailed at Union Street, Windsor 8 May 1862 - Melbourne collided with Hercules at 22 May 1862 - Melbourne collided with Hawthorn at 25 April 1870 - 1803 collided with Hawthorn at 3 May 1870 - Rapid broke crank axle at 12 September 1871 - No. 10 (Kew) collided with passenger train at 2 August 1895 - N252 in derailed at Maldon Junction

Demise Of the eighteen locomotives, at least twelve found their way to contractors for railway construction in Victoria.

B/n 1378 could not be paid for and was sold to Cornish & Bruce in 1861 without even entering service. Used on their construction between Melbourne and Bendigo (named Bendigo). It was sold to Overend & Robb in 1871 for construction between Launceston and Deloraine, Tasmania (named Launceston). Overend & Robb returned it to Victoria in 1877 for construction between Ararat to Hamilton (named Pioneer). Sent to Echuca and conveyed by boat to Morgan, SA.

Cornish & Bruce were urgent need of more locomotive power, so in 1862 they approached local Enoch Chambers to construct a locomotive from the spare parts supplied with B/n 1378. This loco was an identical copy of B/n 1378 and was named First Victorian (although it was neither the first built or first to run in Victoria) The First Victorian was used on construction between Melbourne and Bendigo. Then it was sold to Collier, Barry & Co. in 1864 for construction between Bendigo and Echuca (named Echuca). It was sold to Overend & Robb in 1871 for construction between Launceston and Deloraine, Tasmania (named Deloraine). Overend & Robb returned it to Victoria in 1877 for construction between Ararat to Hamilton (named Victorian).

Five were disposed of before the M&HBUR was taken over by the Government in 1878: Sandridge was sold in 1878 as portable steam plants for operating a steam powered wool press.