If Z1 is the muscle of The Q Train, then Z4 is her equally strong sister, cut from the same steel, built for the same purpose, and now sharing the same new life on the Bellarine Railway.
A Sisterhood of Strength
Like Z1, Z4 was built in 1973 for Tasmanian Government Railways.
Primarily used on bulk woodchip and log traffic, Z4 worked across Tasmania in multiple with her Z and ZA-class siblings, sometimes three or four locomotives together on the steepest lines.
Upgrades and Evolution
Throughout the 1980s to 2000s, Z4 underwent:
- Brake conversion to Westinghouse air
- Repainting into Australia National green and later ATN maroon
- Modification for driver‑only operation
By 2014, Z4, like the rest of her class, was withdrawn. But this wasn’t the end of her story.
Arrival on The Bellarine
In 2022, The Q Train brought Z4 home to Victoria. After an extensive overhaul, Z4 entered service in February 2024, becoming the first Z-class locomotive to work regularly outside Tasmania.
She’s now a crowd favourite, often photographed in her distinctive AN/TasRail green-and-yellow livery.
A Preservation Success Story
All four Z-class locomotives survive today, an incredibly rare outcome for such a small fleet. Z2 and Z3 are preserved in Tasmania on the Don River Railway, but Z1 and Z4 are the only ones hauling a restaurant train.
A New Duty: Fine Dining at 30 km/h
Z1 and Z4 now live a steadier life:
- Pulling The Q Train along the Bellarine between Drysdale and Queenscliff
- Powering unforgettable dining journeys
- Demonstrating the engineering legacy of English Electric locomotives, which were once common in all states except Victoria and New South Wales.