The Mt Lyell railway numbered all its 3’6” gauge steam engines in two sequences, each stating from 1. One series contained the five rack tanks, and the other seven conventional tank engines. Although numbered in two separate series, the only differentiating feature (other than appearance) was a small ‘ABT System’ plate on the five rack tanks. Only locos used on the main system were numbered in these series, other locos acquired with the North Mt Lyell railway were quickly sold without numbering. The two ex TGR DS class locos may or may not have been renumbered 6 & 7, as they were in active service only for a short period of time and conclusive evidence has been hard to find.
Standard steam locomotives (3’6” Gauge) |
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| Number | In Service | Out of Service | Builder | Wheel Arrangement | Notes |
| 1 | 1895 | 1902 | Hudswell Clarke | 0-6-0T | |
| 2 | 1895 | 1903 | Sharp Stewart | 0-4-0T | |
| 3 | 1897 | 1922 | Baldwin | 0-6-0T | |
| 4 | 1898 | 1954 | Baldwin | 0-6-0T | |
| 5 | 1898 | 1938 | Baldwin | 0-6-0T | |
| DS4 | 1951 | 1959 | NZGR | 2-6-4T | Built in 1909 as Wf405. Ex TGR |
| DS1 | 1952 | 1959 | NZGR | 2-6-4T | Built in 1904 as Wf381. Ex TGR |
Rack steam locomotives (3’6” Gauge) |
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| Number | In Service | Out of Service | Builder | Wheel Arrangement | Notes |
| 1 | 1896 | 1963 | Dubs | 0-4-2RT | Originally preserved at Zeehan, now in service on West Coast Wilderness Railway. |
| 2 | 1898 | 1963 | Dubs | 0-4-2RT | Originally preserved by Tasmanian Transport Museum, now under restoration on West Coast Wilderness Railway. |
| 3 | 1898 | 1963 | Dubs | 0-4-2RT | Originally preserved at Queenstown, now in service on West Coast Wilderness Railway. |
| 4 | 1901 | 1963 | Dubs | 0-4-2RT | Scrapped |
| 5 | 1938 | 1963 | NBL | 0-4-2RT | Originally preserved at Menzies Creek steam museum (Victoria), now in service on West Coast Wilderness Railway |
Diesel Locomotives (3’6” Gauge) |
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| Number | In Service | Out of Service | Builder | Wheel Arrangement | Notes |
| (Ruston) | 1938 | 1963 | Ruston | - B - | Preserved at Don River Railway. |
| 2405 | 1953 | 1963 | Drewry | - C - | Sold to EBR in 1963. To West Coast Wilderness Railway 2000. Now known as D1 |
| 2406 | 1953 | 1963 | Drewry | - C - | Sold to TGR in 1963 as V13, out of service 1986. To Zig Zag Railway, New South Wales for preservation in 1992. To West Coast Wilderness Railway 2000. Now known as D2 |
At various times, the company also owned eleven 2’0” gauge Krauss locomotives, four railmotors (both gauges) and two 2’0” gauge diesel locomotives. A large fleet of 2’0” gauge electric locomotives, of a number of different designs, operated underground from 1924 up to 1987, when rail haulage was abandoned in favour of handling the ore via the main lift shaft.
| Baldwin | The Baldwin Locomotive Works, Philadelphia, USA |
| Drewry | Drewry Car Company, England |
| Dubs | Dübs & Company, Glasgow, Scotland (later part of NBL) |
| Hudswell Clarke | Hudswell Clarke & Co, Leeds England |
| NBL | North British Locomotive Company, Glasgow, Scotland |
| NZGR | New Zealand Government Railways Addington (Christchurch) & Hillside (Dunedin) Workshops, New Zealand |
| Ruston | Ruston & Hornsby Ltd, England |
| Sharp Stewart | Sharp Stewart & Co, Glasgow, Scotland (later part of NBL) |
Sources: ARHS Bulletin (Various), notes from the ARHS Tasmania archives & A History of Railways and Tramways of Tasmania's West Coast, by Lou Rae
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