[1] They were designed by Beyer, Peacock & Co of Manchester, England, but most of them were built by James Martin & Co at Gawler, a short distance north of Adelaide, South Australia.

[3][6] In 1967–68, with the full dieselisation of the Bunbury area in progress, the WAGR began collecting old passenger carriages from around the South West to be scrapped.

[6][7] George Baxter, manager of the Bunbury tourist bureau, lobbied hard for the preservation of a locally based steam-hauled train.

[9] In the 1970s and 1980s, Leschenault Lady hauled many Vintage Train trips around the South West,[6][7] to destinations including Collie, Donnybrook and Busselton.

[3][10] The trips were so successful that the Leschenault Railway Preservation Society, which had been formed to operate the Vintage Train, acquired a second G class locomotive, and named it Koombana Queen.

[7] Leschenault Lady also took part in a number of commemorative events, including the welcome of the first Indian Pacific train to Perth in 1970 and the Centenary of the WAGR celebration in Geraldton in 1979.

[4] In the mid-1980s, the locomotive, temporarily repainted green instead of its usual black, even appeared in the miniseries of Albert Facey's autobiography, A Fortunate Life.

[3] In October 1995, the WAGR, which had long since adopted the trading name Westrail, transferred ownership of Leschenault Lady and the rest of the Vintage Train to RHWA.

After that overhaul, which included replacement of the boiler tubes, no work was available for Leschenault Lady in the South West, and so it was loaned to the Golden Mile Loopline Railway in Boulder from 2001 to 2005.

[15] In early 2014, the boiler, which weighs 8.5 tonnes (9.4 tons), was crane lifted from Leschenault Lady's frames and sent off to Cutts Engineering in Manjimup for ultrasound testing, repairs and some updating.

Meanwhile, RHWA volunteers worked on the underframe, and local business Piacentini & Sons undertook an off-site restoration of the locomotive's tender.

RHWA is also hoping to secure a short section of the former WAGR line to Capel and Busselton, to take passengers on a longer ride and relive memories of the Vintage Train.