On the 30th of May 2015, a historic event occurred at Newport Workshops, located in Melbourne's West. Steam locomotive A2 986 moved under its own power for the first time in 51 years.

The restoration of this locomotive is 29 years in the making after the locomotive entered Steamrail Victoria's custodianship in 1986.

The A2 class was an express passenger locomotive that ran on Victorian Railways from 1907 to 1963. A highly successful design entirely the work of Victorian Railways' own design office. Two variants of the A2 locomotive were built. A total of 125 Stephenson valve gear A2 locomotives were built between 1907 and 1915. This design was then altered to incorporate larger diameter cylinders, a higher boiler pressure and Walschaerts valve gear, and a further 60 locomotives of this design were produced between 1915 and 1922.

Some A2 locomotives received Boxpok driving wheels to replace their original spoked wheels and some locomotives were converted from coal to oil burners (including A2 986). During its restoration A2 986 was converted from oil burning back to coal burning.

A2 986 has been restored to a high standard by volunteers and staff of Steamrail Victoria.

The locomotive will be painted in to its former Black livery and smoke deflectors are to be re-fitted in the future.

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