Almost Scrapped: The Tasmanian Q5 That Was Saved Just in Time

Q5 came close to being cut up for scrap in the 1960s. The Tasmanian Transport Museum — still new at the time, short on resources, working against a deadline — moved to save it. They got it out. That decision is why the coin you're looking at exists.

This 2025 50c Coloured Uncirculated Coin from the Royal Australian Mint's Steam Giants – Australian Rail Heritage collection features Q5, a Q Class locomotive from Tasmania's rail history with more behind it than the name suggests.

Q5 was built in 1922. It represents the first Mountain type steam locomotives introduced to Australia — a wheel arrangement designed for heavy loads on tough terrain. Tasmania's rail network had plenty of that. The island's geography put real demands on its rolling stock, and the Q Class machines were built to answer them. Q5 and its classmates worked the heaviest goods trains on the Tasmanian system for decades.

By the 1960s, diesel had taken over and the Q Class was done. Most were scrapped. Q5 was next on the list when the museum intervened. It's now at Glenorchy, properly preserved, and worth seeing if you're in the area.

The Mountain type angle is worth noting for collectors who track locomotive history across states. Q5 is among the first of its type to run in Australia — not a detail that comes up in casual conversation, but the kind of thing that makes a piece more interesting the more you dig into it.

The coin: 31.51mm diameter, 15.55 grams, copper-nickel, uncirculated finish. Mintage capped at 35,000. Price $17.50.

Available now at mintcoinshop.com.au — operated by newsXpress Pty Ltd, an Australian company with more than 200 independently owned retail stores.