The class Y was the heaviest and most powerful 0-6-0 locomotive in Australia when it was introduced in the 1880s. It was one of several classes designed with standard parts by Edward Alexander Jeffreys for the VR, but the prototype was built by Kitson & Co. in England in 1885. 30 more were built in Australia by Phoenix Foundry 1888 and 1889. Although built as goods locomotives, they were also used in suburban passenger service. Between 1904 and 1909 they were rebuilt with new boilers with a higher pressure.

Withdrawals started in 1926, but greater numbers were only withdrawn from the 1940s. In later years, they were mostly used as shunters and the last one was gone in 1963. From three which have been preserved, Y108 is on static display in the Newport Railway Museum. Y112 is in working order since 1996. Sometimes it is running with its original number Y419. The third one that survived was Y109 that had been rebuilt into a diesel-mechanical locomotive in 1954. Parts of it were used for the restoration of Y112 and its remains can today be found at Meringur.