V2 was originally built in late 1947 by Vulcan Foundry Ltd in England on behalf of the Drewry Car Company. Built with a Gardner 8L3 204hp engine, it was then shipped to Tasmania and arrived in Burnie aboard the ship ‘Port Hobart’ on the 30/08/1948.
It didn’t enter service until the 5th October and was painted green at the time. Since then, it has worked at the Emu Bay Railway and possibly even spent some time with our red diesel engine, V9.
In December of 1977, V2 was treated to an overhaul and repaint, and was then sold to the Don River Railway in 1984 beginning service there on the 1st December.
V2 is currently on load to the West Coast Wilderness Railway by the Don River Railway in Devonport, to assist our main diesel engine D1 with the workload over summer. While D1 will continue to be our primary locomotive for passenger services throughout the summer, V2 will provide back up for reliability.
The collaboration between our two heritage rail companies will ensure that we have two operational locomotives in Strahan over the summer, and the workshop team at Carswell Park have committed to giving V2 a fresh coat of paint whilst in our care. As well as undertaking routine maintenance and some minor repairs to assist the DRR team and ensure it returns in tip top condition!