The P6 was a class of 191 4-6-0 mixed traffic locomotives built for the New South Wales Government Railways between 1892 and 1911. They were similar to the Commonwealth Railways class G and are also known under their class designation C32 which they got in 1924. 106 were built by Beyer, Peacock & Co. at Manchester, what was the cause for their nickname “Manchester Engines”. 45 identical locomotives were built in Australia by Clyde Engineering and 20 more at the NSWGR's Eveleigh shops. 20 more came from Baldwin which differed in some details.
With a driver diameter of only five feet (1,524 mm), they could haul a train of 170 tonnes up a 2.5 percent incline at a speed of 20 mph (32 km/h). Despite their limited speed, their pulling power meant that they were also used for express and mail trains at the beginning. But since there were already more powerful and faster locomotives for these tasks at the time when the last ones left the factory, their tasks were soon limited to slower trains.
Two were rebuilt with compound cylinders, but since the tests didn't show satisfying results, they were soon rebuilt back into their original state. After the first 50 locomotives had been delivered with six-wheel tenders, the rest was delivered with eight-wheel bogie tenders to increase their range. Some of the first 50 later also got bogie tenders, but others still retained their original tenders to allow operation on 50-foot turntables. After the last locomotive had been built with a superheated boiler, all others were superheated, too between 1914 and 1939.
Later in their career, they were used for most types of trains. These included commuter, suburban and fast freight trains, as well as mixed and goods trains on branch lines. Sometimes they were even used as shunters. After it became evident that their original frames were too weak, 69 locomotives got new frames between 1937 and 1947. Withdrawals started in 1957 and were completed in 1971. On July 24, 1971 No. 3246 hauled the last scheduled steam-hauled passenger train in New South Wales. Four have been preserved, with 3237 and 3265 being operational today.
