Anatomy of West Coast Railway's "Super" R Class
Introduced and compiled by Barry Merton

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Before proceeding to the article itself I would like to sincerely thank Steamrail Victoria for allowing me to reproduce the article here. The article first appeared in Steamrail Victoria's magazine in August 2001, Issue 2, Volume 12. And now to the article....

This is a background to the development of West Coast Railway's modified R class locomotives, with an outline of the mechanical changes made and any benefits derived.

On Sunday 5th September 1976 in Victoria, a trainload of passengers including railway enthusiasts, a party from the National Trust and members of the ordinary public found themselves steaming up the main North-east line heading for the Mansfield branch from Tallarook. At the head of the train was a valiant little K class locomotive, trying to do the work of a mainliner but nonetheless making an excellent job of it.

One might have thought this was an occasion for much excitement, but in reality there was an unusual quietness in the cars. The fact was, by this time in railway history the kindred railway enthusiast societies had found themselves acting as a kind of funeral director, running "last trains" prior to the closure of one lovely branch line after another. On top of this they were saddled with the depressing task of reporting on most of the steam locomotive fleet being removed from the Rolling Stock Register, the majority being sent to the torch and others being sidelined, having failed their boiler examinations and awaiting an uncertain future.

K 153 is on the down side of Merton heading back from Mansfield on an ARE tour As things turned out this was the last visit of steam on that line. (The very last train to Mansfield ran in November 1978 with Y 158 hauling one GY wagon and a ZL van.) At the time, the Victorian mainline steam roster was down to two Ks and things appeared grim. The above photo was taken on 21st May 1977. WARREN BANFIELD

So, this is how things stood on that day. This was one of the last looks at another doomed branch line and on top of that, locomotive K 184 which was chattering away so happily at the head of the train was about to be withdrawn from service. As it happened, K 153 would come back as a replacement for a short time and then when it appeared it too would ultimately fail its boiler examination, that would probably be it! The end of mainline broad gauge steam in Victoria.

It was a lovely day but we could not dispel the feeling this kind of experience would soon be history. As we steamed home through the evening with many of us dozing, I have often wondered what would have happened if one of us had suddenly woken from a dream and started making wild and optimistic prophecies. How would we have reacted if they told us they had seen a vision and in that vision there was this amazing late 20th century renaissance in mainline and tourist-railway steam with various Ks, Js and a D3 running, and even an A2 under restoration, along with most of the seven remaining R class locomotives back in service?

What if they went on to say that in this dream of the future, they went down to Spencer Street station on a Saturday morning to catch the "regular steam hauled" passenger train to Warrnambool? Clearly we would have told our prophet they were mad. After all, a little good news was believable but that much good news was ridiculous.

The extraordinary thing was that the rebirth of Victorian steam power did happen. Of course it did not materialise by magic and those of us who have since derived such pleasure and exhilarating travel behind the many restored steam locomotives should never forget what we owe to a courageous few.

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Back in 1978, much to the surprise of passing railway commuters, a smallish steam locomotive appeared in the Bayswater railway yard. In fact it was none other than the locomotive that had hauled that trip on the Mansfield line some two years before. It was soon enclosed in Cyclone mesh but that was about all that enclosed it. There, subject to all forms of Melbourne weather, a small band of determined enthusiasts with input from private company Presha Engineering set about the repair of K 184.

There was nothing else for it. The Victorian Railways had put steam locomotive restoration on the very bottom of its considerable priority list, so if there were to be working mainline examples of VR steam locomotives they would have to be restored by Steamrail Victoria, which was formed by three railway societies in 1965 and initially known as the Steam Preservation Co-ordinating Committee. Over the remarkably short period of two months K 184 was brought back into working order, its boiler tested and passed [main internal steam pipe replaced] and the locomotive was returned to service, much to the delight of the railway fraternity. We should never underestimate the importance of this event.

Towards the completion of K 190's restoration at Bayswater a group shot was taken of many Steamrail volunteers who worked on the project. They are (l to r) Adrian Kiely, Tony Marsden, (man with child unknown), Peter Keen, Ron Williams, Don Potts, Kevin and Tom Clark, Neil (surname unknown), Murray McEwan, Warren Banfield, Steve Bucton, Ian Morrison. October 1979. LATE GRANT GEDDES COLLECTION; COURTESY K. AND T. CLARK

K 190 was next into the enclosure at Bayswater and after this, the big one was wheeled in. Work on R 761 started in 1980 but later that year, the Tarpaulin Shop at Newport Workshops was secured as a long term home for Steamrail and the restoration of R 761 was completed there in 1984 with Peter Keen overseeing the project. As the task has grown and more locomotives lined up for restoration, the larger "West Block" building at Newport is also in use. Add West Coast's Ballarat East workshop to the list and we now have quite a restoration industry on the go.

So from such difficult beginnings and after encountering many setbacks and disappointments, the determined few have enabled to come true the thing we dared not prophesise. From a single K class we now have in Victoria a fleet of operating steam locomotives led by a group of mighty R class Hudsons.

This account is about one of the most surprising developments of all - the modification of an R class by the private company West Coast Railway, so it could be run on regular passenger services Melbourne to Warrnambool.

Over to Bob Buttrims (Driver, West Coast Railway)

Question to Bob: Where did the idea come from to put steam locomotives into service with West Coast Railway? Did it have anything to do with Gary McDonald's association with the Bellarine Peninsula Railway?

Answer: West Coast Railway was started by Gary McDonald, Don Gibson and Michael Menzies who were all key players in the Bellarine Peninsula Railway. Their desire to have a mainline steam locomotive or two was a natural progression of this association.

Q: At which stage did you come into the project? Were you already Workshop Manager when the scheme was mooted or did you come in later?

A: I started with West Coast Railway in January 1994. The story of how I started with it was recorded in Newsrail in the article I wrote about the restoration of R 711 and (it) is quite true! When I started, the idea was there but nothing had been done to progress it. The owners had their hands more than full getting West Coast Railway up and running at the time, as you can imagine. I was asked to see how the idea could be progressed and it did not take me long to find out that R 711 was a major problem to the City of Bendigo due to it being fitted with asbestos. Negotiations were fairly quick and a deal had been sorted out by mid 1994.

Q: What was the general brief for modifying a steam locomotive?

A: The criterion set out by the owners was that R 711 had to maintain a diesel schedule on the normal Warrnambool passenger train. Gary already had in his mind how this would be achieved. Some things we already knew. We knew that oil firing worked well on R classes. The two VR oil burners, R 719 and R 748, were considered the best of the fleet. We knew we would not have time to clean fires on the Warrnambool line and a coal burner would not make it through without cleaning the fire.

Power output however was a problem, particularly due to the Geelong tunnel. We knew we would have to take eight cars through from a standing start. An ordinary R class would have been lacking to take it through.

Q: In looking for a broad gauge steam locomotive for mainline work in Victoria there was not much choice, was there? Was the R class ideal, or was it a matter of having to make do with what you had? Some people say the R is a bit of an oddity; a sort of medium Pacific with too many wheels and carrying a weight penalty because of the 5" bar frames. (I suppose with the stoker motor gone the extra axle is really not needed?)

A: Is the R class an ideal locomotive? On the day it was the best locomotive we could get. Even if we had other choices, the R class would be close to being ideal. Those big bar frames might have been an overkill for an ordinary R class but having modified an R as we have, the solid frame is a God-send. One only has to look at the problems railways had worldwide with plate frames in passenger service to know why the VR opted for good, solid bar frames. Without doubt the major problem with A2s [VR 2 cylinder 4-6-0 type] was cracking of plate frames.

Q: Having negotiated for an available R (and how this all came about has been covered sufficiently by others) what happened next? When did the South African Engineer come into the picture? How did you find him? Who was he and what was his name? What was his background? Did you go over there? Did he come here or did you do it all by correspondence?

A: Gary met with Phil Girdlestone in South Africa during one of his visits there. Phil had been associated with David Wardale who had done a lot of work with the South African Railways resulting in the "Red Devil", the modified 25NC which was reclassified the 26 class. David Wardale gained his background in modified steam from the Argentinian Engineer, L. D. Porta. All the redesign work that Phil Girdlestone did (in connection with the R class) was by correspondence which was rather intensive at the time.

Q: Coal fired locomotives have problems of low availability and they are very labour intensive. So, could you elaborate further as to why oil firing was chosen as the major modification? Compared with a coal fired locomotive, how often do the tubes need cleaning? Does the smokebox fill with residues? Does the loco have an ashpan? (I noticed on the Easter 2000 trip, when we arrived at Wodonga they simply refuelled the loco, topped up the water, turned it and we were ready to go straight back! Is this what oil firing is all about?)

A: Coal fired locomotives were not an option for us because of time constraints and the variable quality of coal these days and of course it is labour intensive. If you had to run a coal burning R class in regular service these days, I think you would be lucky to find the footplate men to do it.

It is all well and good running a coal burning R class now and again, but if you do it on a regular basis it would be very thin even for the most ardent steam Engineman.

From the Crew point of view, oil firing is easy and requires very little physical work. There are no cinders or soot so the operating environment is about the same as a diesel. The biggest problem is sitting on it in hot weather and that applies to any steam engine.

Cleaning the tubes is usually done on the run by feeding sand into the firebox when the loco is working hard. This is usually done just before Waurn Ponds on the down trip and just past Allansford on the return journey. If needed it is done more frequently. There is very little build up in the smokebox but the oil firing does produce an often heavy build up of unburnt oils in the firebox walls which has to be cleaned off after every exam. This is done by needlegun and is an onerous task. Some of the modifications to R 766, such as fitting a smaller burner and a lower fire pan, are being done in an attempt to overcome this problem.

R 711 does have an ashpan. It was fitted later when we realised it occasionally dropped some hot carbon out through the firebox air holes. On R 766 we have left the original ashpan for this purpose.

Q: Using drawings, could you show what the oil burner looks like and how it works? How do you light it from cold? Presumably, compared with a coal burner (where you start with kindling, then add coal, slowly building up the heat), the oil burner could be brought to full heat quite quickly. Does this mean you can raise steam faster or do considerations of boiler stress relief require you to hold back?

A: The oil burner system on R 711 and R 766 consists of two burners: a pilot burner set in the Fireman's-side front corner of the firebox and a main burner set in the middle of the firebox. The pilot burner is a small "Major" burner of about 10 gallons per hour capacity. Its function is for lighting up and maintaining the fire when the locomotive is standing around or moving around the yard.

West Coast Railway's R 711 and Steamrail Victoria's S 313 stand at Benalla so that the former can take water (the S class requiring no such attention). The pair are hauling a railfan special to Wodonga, where they will meet up with green Pacifics 3801 and 3830 as part of the NSW RTM's Millennium Aurora visit. Good Friday 21.4.2000. BARRY MERTON

The main burner in the centre of the firebox is South African designed and built, and sprays steam-atomised oil in a radial fashion. It is set into the firepan which has 5" diameter air tubes set in a radial pattern around it, the idea being the flow of oil is sprayed in a radial pattern, plus the action of the air coming through the air holes will cause the oil to swirl, thus prolonging its path in the firebox.

Given everything is working as it should, the system works well, easily maintaining full steam pressure under any load conditions. A feature of the system is that the harder the engine works the better it steams. Conversely, when rolling, the fire is low and steam can drop if the Fireman is not on the ball.

One of the problems with R 711 is that the fan of oil spreading out of the main burner will spread far enough to hit the sides of the firebox which is probably the cause of the build up previously mentioned. Hence, the smaller burner fitted to R 766.

Lighting up is achieved by using the pilot burner and compressor air. The system has developed since we started, but these days we light up using a diesel locomotive. Compressed air is supplied by the main reservoir system on the diesel and a fitting on the fuel pump of all West Coast diesels allows a diesel fuel line with force fed fuel to be connected via a fuel hose direct to the pilot burner. Thus we light up on diesel fuel from diesel locos.

Once the diesel fuel line and main reservoir are connected, the pilot burner is lit and then there is nothing to do until the loco gets up steam five hours later. Once 30 or 40 lb of steam is on the gauge, the atomiser valve for the main burner can be turned on and the main burner opened up to bring the steam pressure up. Lighting up can be quicker if need be, but it is usually timed to take five to six hours.

Fuel by the way is waste sump oil, de-watered and filtered, at about 8-10 cents per litre. The oil tank holds 10,750 litres. It is not possible however to complete a round trip with one tankfull.

Q: The front end with the two funnels has fascinated all of us. What lies beneath? Is it a version of the Lempor system? The funnels seem to be wider apart. The coal burners only have a single funnel and notwithstanding the energy wasted by the gasses "punching through", they seem to have done all right on that system. Does the oil burning design require more draught?

A: The front end of R 711 and R 766 is standard double funnel Lempor front end. The reason the funnels are spread apart on an angle is that the system works better if the funnels are as long as possible, thus by setting them on an angle there can be an increase in length. The Lempor exhaust is the latest and simplest of a long list of front ends designed to increase steam locomotive efficiency and it does work very well. In essence the modified front end is similar to fitting a set of extractors to a motor car. The efficiency of the engine is improved by streamlining the flow of exhaust gases, but there is a little more to it than that.

The Lempor system works on the principle of converging and diverging cones, the same as a steam injector works. The lower part of the funnel is in the form of an inverted cone, whilst the upper part forms an ordinary cone. The exhaust steam converges and then diverges, improving the flow of exhaust steam and enhancing the smokebox draught. Another important change, however, is below the funnels. The blastpipe manifold has been replaced by a "Kordina", which has the primary function of dividing the steam between the two cylinders to prevent a flow of steam going from one cylinder to the other rather than out the exhaust. Exhaust from the Kordina exhausts through two lots of four stainless steel multiple exhaust nozzles into the funnels. The overall effect of this system is that the exhaust steam is exhausted by the action of the front end rather than being pumped out by the motion of the engine, resulting in a loss of horsepower.

Inside R 766's smokebox we see the base of a standard-type Lempor double funnel arrangement. 25.5.2001.
MARTYN BANE

The biggest difference the front makes to an R class is the method of driving. R 711 handles its best, and is designed to be driven, at full throttle with as short a cut off as possible. If driven like this the power difference between a modified R class and an ordinary R is phenomenal, however if driven on the throttle with a long cut off the power difference is much less pronounced. This of course raises the question of how good is R 711 in comparison with an ordinary R class. The simple answer is that we do not know. By feel and my manual calculation there would seem to be a 23 or 30 per cent increase in power, but without a dynamometer car it is impossible to say. What I can say is I would happily take R 711 and eight cars through the South Geelong tunnel from a standing start at Geelong and have done it many times. It would worry me with an ordinary R class.

Q: The servo motor on the reversing gear. This looks different to the cylindrical gear seen on other Australian locomotives. Was it just easier to fabricate or does it work better? Could you explain how it works? Also, why was it decided to add this device in the design? I think most of us understand that the reversing wheel is one of the most important controls when it comes to maximising steam locomotive performance, particularly when varying demands are to be met. Was the motor added to make things easier for the Driver and as a consequence, encourage its greater use?

A: The power reverser gear fitted to R 711 is just standard Hadfield power reverser gear obtained second hand from South Africa. It has two interconnecting cylinders, the rear one being the steam cylinder whilst the front one is the oil cylinder which locks the reverse gear in the desired setting.

The oil reservoir and pump for the oil cylinder are mounted next to the Fireman's seat on R 711. On R 766 the power reverser is on hand but has not yet been fitted. R 766 will run with standard reverse gear for a little while until its power reverse gear can be overhauled and fitted.

The reason the power reverse gear was fitted was that an ordinary R class requires 22 turns to go from forward to reverse. The power reverse on R 711 is four turns from forward to reverse and you could do it with your little finger. The modified front end works best when the engine is at full throttle and controlled by the reversing wheel. The power reverse therefore makes the whole job a lot easier for the Driver.

On the Driver's-side running board of R 711 the power-reverse apparatus is shown. This reduces the number of reversing wheel turns from twenty-two to four, to change direction. 18.8.2001. MARTYN BANE

Q: Regarding the extra piston rings. What was the reason for this modification? How many rings were there before? How many now? What is the function of the copper pipes plumbed into the top of the valve castings?

A: The valves on R 711 were redesigned to be made with bronze valve heads, each head being fitted with eight rings. The original design was with cast iron heads and two rings on each head. This was considered to be very inefficient by Phil Girdlestone due to blow-through resulting in loss of economy and loss of power. The multiple valve rings certainly work well. If you look at almost any video of an R class at work, a ball of steam will be seen at the valve spindle. A good video to watch is the parallel run on Good Friday 2000 taken from the "standard" gauge train. When R 761 goes past note the steam at the valve spindle. When R 711 goes past note no steam at the valve spindle. This has nothing to do with maintenance; it relates to the design that allows steam leakage.

We soon came to the conclusion the bronze valve heads were a failure. One broken ring resulted in the rest jamming up because the lands between the rings were soft enough to be forced against the rings and jam them. As a result they were replaced with cast iron, still retaining the multiple rings per valve head but of modified design. This solved the valve problems and they gave no further trouble.

The cause of the problems with the valve heads was the high level of superheat we were getting out of the engine. This was good for efficiency but bad for cylinder and valve lubrication. It took the highest temperature cylinder oil available before we could find one that would not break down in use. We have still not found a high temperature paint that will stay on the cylinder castings for more than one trip. Cylinder lubrication is now direct into the piston valve heads, which accounts for the extra lubrication lines to the cylinders. The original atomised oil supply to the main steam pipes was found to be totally useless and only good for producing carbon and has subsequently been removed. Serious consideration is being given to reducing the length of superheating elements to decrease the heat of superheated steam.

During a photo opportunity at Euroa R 761, R 711 and 3801, 3830 are on the parallel run from Wodonga to Melbourne. R 761 ran sleeping cars to Wodonga Thursday night; R 711 and S 313 took up a day train from Melbourne Friday morning. At Wodonga the two Rs were combined for the return journey and later that day 313 headed south with the empty sleeping cars. 21.4.2000. WARREN BANFIELD

Q: The diesel control-stand. On the Easter 2000 trip to Wodonga we couldn't help noticing how well the steam/diesel combination worked. It seems their different performance characteristics are very complementary. The diesel is able to deliver full power almost before the last car has left the platform, but then the power tends to fall away thereafter. The steamer is a feeble starter but the power builds up, topping out at about 70 to 80 km/h, at which point its power curve rises above the diesel's.

On the Wodonga trip we could hear the S class [313] roar into life on all the major banks with the result being we were able to maintain excellent climbing speeds, but for the rest of the time we could appreciate the solid power being delivered by the R. Driving two locomotives at once, especially locos with such different characteristics must have required a certain amount of practice on the part of the crews. What do the crews think of this practice and from your own point of view, is this a worthwhile arrangement?

In "multiple unit" on the Saturday morning service to Warrnambool, R 711 and B 76 cross the Mt Emu Creek bridge between Boorcan and Terang. 4.8.2001. MARTYN BANE

A: The diesel controller fitted to R 711 is a simple and logical addition. Operating two locomotives in tandem is quite easy and requires little effort on the part of the Driver. In the early days the tendency was, when steam and diesel were in multi-unit, to use the diesel as much as possible to make it easier for the Fireman. We now do the opposite and use the R class as much as possible and the diesel only when needed. The reason for this is, when being pushed the steamer has reduced lubrication resulting in broken rings and difficulty with steaming, remembering the loco steams better when working. So now we use the R class as much as possible resulting in good lubrication and good steaming and only use the diesel when starting off or on hills. I might point out we are all happier when the diesel is not there and we are running solo with the steamer.

In this day of fines for late running and liability for delays, I suspect diesel controllers are a thing of the future in steam loco cabs as much as it disappoints me to have to say that. This is no reflection on the equipment which works brilliantly and is very easy to use.

The diesel controller (centre of photograph) in the cab of steam loco R 711. 18.8.2001. MARTYN BANE

Q: Most of the above questions have come into mind after reading the various snippets that have appeared in other railway publications. Are there any other major modifications I might have missed that should be included? What about the whistle dramas I have just been reading about? Did R 711 come to you minus its whistle in the first place?

A: You have fairly well covered the major modifications. There are a lot of little mods, such as turning the gauge glasses outwards so they are easier to see; fitting inbuilt radios (that was a major mod. really); and converting the electrical systems from 32 v to 24 v (the radios are 24 v) and so on.

The whistle dramas were hardly dramas. Our problem was finding one that could be heard clearly from the front. The original whistle was a six chime off South Australian Railways 700 class loco 706. You could hear this for miles in every direction except forward, so it went and was replaced by a whistle from a VR J class.This was OK but the boys wanted a six chime so they made one. No-one liked that much so now it is running with a D3 whistle. There was no whistle on it when we acquired it; in fact most things were missing.

Near Birregurra one Saturday morning R 711 suffered a major failure of the Fireman's-side motion gear. This caused the piston to punch through the front cover of its cylinder. In a photo taken an hour or two later; Steamrails fitter-in-charge Warren Hall is effecting emergency repairs that will allow 711 to be towed to Colac. Thirteen days later the rectified loco re-entered service. 15. 7.2000. MATT GRASS

Q: Regarding the tender. People have spoken of the remarkable range of your modified R class. It seems to go a long way on a tender-full of fuel and water. What sort of range are we talking about? Have the modifications to the tender allowed you to increase the water capacity or is the extra range due in some way to the modifications carried out on the loco, or is it a combination of the two? Why did you decide to put the water connection at the base of the tender?

A: The tender capacity has been changed a little, but not by much. R 711 will run Melbourne to Warrnambool with a light train on a tender of water but, on say eight cars, it will be down below the crossbars at Colac. It is hard to judge if the water consumption is better than an ordinary R or not.

The water hydrant fillers are at the bottom of the tender so you don't have to climb up to fill it. It's easier and less risk of injury. We don't have to shovel down coal in the tender so there is not much reason for getting up most of the time.

The tender filler lid is air operated with a control in the cab for filling at Colac. This usually is the only time we fill from the top.

This photograph of the normally straight Fireman's-side connecting rod well illustrates the forces at work during R 711 's motion gear failure. 15.7.2000. MATT GRASS

Q: Performance. There have been various references in regard to R 766 about how the altered angle of the nozzles in the oil burner will make it go even better than R 711, but this doesn't mean much because no-one yet has really told us how well R 711 goes. Have you been able to actually measure and document the performance characteristics of the loco and if so could you tell us something about it? For instance, is the oil burning R permitted to haul heavier loads than its coal burning equivalents? For the R class, the figure of 2,000 hp has always been a bit elusive. Recordings of this figure have been made briefly but never for a sustained period (as far as I am aware).

A: Performance - I have already covered that bit. In the January 2001 Newsrail is an article on the motion work failure a few months ago and also taking a load 25 tons above the goods load on one of the Echuca passenger trains. [At the time this article was compiled, R 766 had not yet re-entered service so therefore was still to experience the Little River incident. -Ed.]

As an extra response to the question of performance, Dave Macartney forwarded the following tables. These timings were all recorded by F G. Lodge on the Warrnambool line aboard what is claimed to be the fastest regular steam hauled train in the world. The figures speak for themselves [see page 26].

When it comes to climbing, while the Grovedale Bank is nowhere as severe as some of the banks that traverse the Great Dividing Range, the "oily" R class with eight cars certainly makes short work of it. Clearly more studies of the "oily" R class performance are needed and the Echuca run would provide an excellent venue.

Q: Apart from the nozzles, having the chance to get a second go did you do anything differently when modifying R 766?

A: There are a number of differences between R 711 and R 766 and a little bit of experimenting. On 766 the power reverser has yet to be fitted and the valve heads have not been changed yet; we thought we would try the old style to see if it made any difference. If there is any difference we will convert R 766 to the R 711 style of valve head. R 766 has a lighter shade of blue. The oil burner is set lower and is smaller and should work better. Other than that, R 766 will be much the same as R 711, although some of the work has yet to be done.

Q: Regarding reliability. Running a railway with a fleet of vintage locomotives cannot be easy. R 711 has had its share of failures - rods flying off and so on. How much of a worry is this?

A: Reliability - other than the motion work failure there have been hardly any failures that would have stopped the locomotive. Even so it is a full time job to keep the locos running. There is always some little job that needs doing.

Considering the mileage the loco is doing it does not cause too much stress but does subject the steam engine minders to a lot of hard work. The average distance R 711 runs is 30,000 km per year.

Q: Crews. Diesel and steam locomotives offer very different working environments for the crews. Are the crews generally supportive when it comes to manning the steamers?

A: Most of the crewing is done by three or four Drivers and three or four Firemen, almost all of whom have some involvement in the maintenance of the locos. Given that the people who operate the machines generally fix them, we have few crewing problems.

The Author thanks Gary McDonald for giving the OK for this article to be written; Bob Buttrims for doing the work; and Dave Macartney for his back-up.

During the "Swan Hill Day Tour" run for the ARE, R 766 under West Coast's care rides the turntable at Swan Hill. 766, modified to the same configuration as 711, has not run since suffering a major mechanical failure at Little River on 14th April this year. At the time of writing this caption, however, repairs were almost completed. 31.3.2001. CLAUDE RILEY

In Summary

Mainline steam. A commercial success or subsidised novelty?

When West Coast Railway took over the running of the Melbourne to Warrnambool passenger service it faced a monumental task. New diesel locomotives were out of the question so it would have to operate with very second hand ones. The Ballarat East workshop was secured for the restoration and maintenance of the locomotive and rolling stock fleet and as if this was not challenging enough, it had to take on the railway authorities and try to make them do something about the permanent way. For one thing, Geelong to Warrnambool was the last substantial length of Victorian mainline track still not welded and heavy speed restrictions applied over many sections.

Anyway, with the railway finally up and running as a private operation with its friendly customer service, it soon became apparent the venturers were gaining increases in passenger numbers. This was particularly so on the Sunday services with the weekday services not far behind. This left Saturday - that traditional Australian day when we go to watch sports, mow lawns or do the shopping. Consequently this was a flat day for train travel and it was clear something special was needed to lift the Saturday service to make it viable.

This is where the brain wave came from to introduce steam."Steam in regular service." No phrase has more magic in it than that amongst the fraternity of railway enthusiasts. It's not that there is a shortage of regular tourist steam rides available; boutique tourist lines exist around the country and they are giving a leisurely experience of steam travel to thousands of people every week. But thundering down the main line at 115 km/h behind a manic R class, with siderods flashing and whistle howling is something else! For the passengers this is a lot more than just a train ride - this is a spectacle and they are part of it. With people watching from the line side and cars pacing alongside, this is fame!

The Magazine of Steamrail Victoria Incorporated

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