The pattern suburban E class tank loco was introduced in 1888. Others followed between 1889 and 1894. There were seventy one in the class, numbered 426 (pattern), 346 to 394 ( even numbers ), 12, 34, 36, 428 to 460 ( even numbers ) and 472 to 520 ( even numbers ).
The locos were 2-4-2 wheel arrangement.
Between 1898 and 1906 three loco's were converted to 0-6-2 shunters.
Twenty were sold to South Australia, 1920/21.
In the 1920's, the electrification project rendered these loco's surplus and they were converted to 0-6-2 shunting engines and re-numbered in the process.
Note: The Victorian Railways in the early years numbered their locomotives into odds and evens groups: even numbers for passenger use and odd numbers for freight. For example 382 and 384 were E tank locos, number 383 was a Y class 0-6-0 freight engine.