Ballarat observations - Friday 27th May 1983

The August 1993 issue of Newsrail included a list of train observations made 35 years ago at Ballarat B Box on Friday 27th May 1983.

Time	Train No.	Loco	Train	Consist
06:45	8118	B66	Melbourne pass
06:50	9130	C509	Adelaide - Melb Express Goods
06:53	391	T383	Ballarat – Pittong Goods
06:57	67	T358	Down Redan Pilot
07:16	835	X52-S313	Overland
07:25		W260	Shunt Overland car carrier
07:45	8122	B72	Melbourne pass
07:51	75	W260	Down Flour Mill Pilot
08:06	76	W260	Up Flour Mill Pilot
08:37	72	T358	Up Redan Pilot
09:48	8130	S309	Dimboola – Melb pass
10:03	8105	B61	Horsham pass
10:31	232	T406-T388	Maryborough – Ballarat Roadside Goods	42 x GY’s
10:56	8109	B65	Melb - Ballarat pass
11:04	79	T358	Down Whites Pilot
11:32		W243	Down Workshops Pilot
11:42	90	T358	Up Whites Pilot
11:45	8134	B65	Ballarat – Melb Pilot
11:58	392	T383	Pittong – Ballarat Goods
12:20		W243	Up Workshops Pilot
12:37	9146	S311-T320	Adelaide - Melb Express Goods
13:04	83	T358	Down Redan Pilot
14:02	94	T358	Up Redan Pilot
14:15	8115	S315-B83	Melb-Ballarat pass
14:45	8142	B83	Ballarat – Melb pass
15:03		X41	Up Maryborough Goods
15:10	85	T358	Ballarat - Redan Pilot
15:28	9144	T367-T324	Adelaide – Melb Goods
15:48	9199	S315	Melb – Adelaide Express Goods
16:50	8146	B61	Horsham – Melb pass
16:53	97	Y153	Flour Mill Pilot
16:58	96	T358	Redan – Ballarat Pilot
17:15	9127	C506	Melb-Adelaide Express Goods
17:25	98	Y153	Flour Mill Pilot
17:38	239?	X41-T403	Down Maryborough Goods
17:50	8121	B65	Melb-Ballarat pass
18:03	9133	C504	Melb – Adelaide Goods
18:45	8150	B65	Ballarat – Melb pass
19:25	8135	X50	Melb-Ballarat pass
20:00	8133	S303	Melb-Dimboola pass
20:53	9147	C510	Melb – Adelaide Express Goods
21:16		T403	Up Maryborough Goods
23:15	8141	S311-S310	Overland
23:35	8143	B80-T382	Vinelander

Some interesting observations are:

• Use of T358 on pilot duties. Use of locomotives without self lapping brakes on pilot duties was rare.
• All C class hauled Adelaide - Melbourne express goods being hauled solo. By years end solo C's workings had disappeared with the first stage of CTC west of Ararat being commissioned and longer Jet's commenced running.
• S315 arriving with B83 on the 8115 Ballarat pass. at 14:45 and then departing on the 9199 Melb - Adel. Goods  at 15:48. This begs the question as to what loco's brought 9199 to Ballarat and had there been issues that required a replacement loco to be summoned from Melbourne.
• Use of T class on Adelaide - Melbourne express goods. (T367-T324 on 9144, S311-T320 on 9146).
• W243 and W260 being used on workshops and flour mill pilot duties.

Its 1748 as B65 rolls down grade through Ballarat East with 8121, Down Ballarat Pass.

So how many locomotives would it take to replicate the observations made on this day? There were 44 train movements recorded utilising 31 locomotives from 7 different classes. There were 8 trains that were double-headed (4 x goods - 232, 9146, 9144 and 9199, 4 x passenger - down Vinelander, up and down Overland, 8115). Many locomotives were observed twice, mostly on up and down passenger services. T358 on Redan and Flour Mill pilot duties (67, 72, 79, 90, 83, 94, 85, 96) was observed the most number of times.

In my current fleet all of the locomotive classes that were observed are represented, although my fleet is somewhat smaller. The balance is about right with similar proportions of the mainline locomotives (B, C, S, X). The most notable gaps is the absence of any W class.

Observed on 27th May 1983	Current Fleet
B class 61, 65, 66, 72, 80, 83 Total 6	B class 60, 65, 69, 72, 81 Total 5
C class 504, 506, 509, 510 Total 4	C class 501, 503, 504, 507 Total 4
S class 303, 309, 310, 311, 313, 315 Total 6	S class 300, 305, 307, 311, 312, 313 Total 6
T class 320, 324, 358, 367, 382, 383, 388, 403, 406 Total 9	T class 321, 331, 354, 356, 359, 367, 381, 388, 401 Total 9
W class 243, 260 Total 2	W class
X class 41, 50, 52 Total 3	X class 31, 43, 44, 48 Total 4
Y class 153 Total 1	Y class 111, 150, 151, 152, 170 Total 5
Total 31	Total 33



At 1235 S311-T320 on 9146 Adelaide - Melbourne Express Goods rumbles through Ballarat North Junction and across Macarthur Street. S311 is clean having been repainted in April for Royal train to Ballarat.