Bumper Grain Harvest

The movement of the record 1983 grain harvest to ports of Geelong and Portland commenced in the last week November 1983. The drought of 1982/83 had been disastrous for the state's grain growers with only 350,000 tonnes harvested, the lowest grain crop in nearly 40 years.  In 1983 good autumn, winter and spring rains fell over most of Victoria and saw the forecast grain harvest grow to over 4 million tonnes.

In order to move this record crop, the Grain Elevators Board of Victoria reorganised the grain receival system. The plan involved the establishment of 14 Central Receival Points (CRP's) and 70 overflow stations to be serviced by daily trains. The CRP's were to be service by block hopper trains with the empty wagons being returned from the port to the silo's for reloading within a 24 hour period. The balance of the silos in Victoria (almost 200) would receive no trains until after the harvest period. 

The 14 designated Central Receival Points (CRP's) for the 1983/84 harvest were:

Serviceton Line - Nhill, Dimboola and Murtoa (inland terminal)

Yaapeet Line - Jeparit

Patchewollock Line - Warracknabeal and Beulah

Kulwin Line - Wycheproof and Berriwillock

Mildura Line - Dunolly (inland terminal)

Echuca Line - Elmore and Echuca

Tocumwal Line - Murchison East

Oaklands Line - Yarrawonga and Oaklands

In addition, a new grain unloading facility on a loop was completed at Geelong, avoiding time consuming shunting with the dead end sidings at the old grain terminal. With these changes the GEB and V/Line hoped to move more grain from these points than would have traditionally be moved from almost 300 silos during the peak harvest period.

Below is a summary of grain trains through Ballarat North on a typical summer's day during 1983/84 harvest.

T359-T400-T371 lead a Dunolly bound block grain train of VHGY's past Ballarat C Box. T359 is a powerline model while the trailing units are scratchbuilt bodies on Athearn SW1500 mechanisms.

 

S307 and X32 haul a block train GH's off the Maryborough line. X32 had only recently been repainted into V/Line colours. The X is an Austrains model while the S is a modified Lima model.



GH's are scratchbuilt bodies on Steam Era Model's GY underframes. Variations such as one large or two small roof hatches have been modelled together with GH's with cutout ends, a modification to improve access to the brakes.



Included in the consist was GH 1, the prototype of the conversion program of GY open wagons to enclosed hopper wagons. On GH1 the supports for the walkway didn't extend to the bottom of the sloped roof section and it lacked the cut-out steps in the roof ends. 

B83 and T381 cross the junction of the Serviceton and Maryborough line with a block train of empty GH's for loading at overflow silo's on the Mildura line. 

X44 long end leading with B64 on block train of 22 VHGY's. The train had loaded at the two CRP's on the Kulwin line (Wycheproof and Berriwillock).

T382 and T356 lead a long train of GY's for loading at overflow silos on the Robinvale line.

S305-S303 roll past the Garden City Flower Mill with a train of empty GH's bound for loading at overflow silos on the Kulwin line.

T401 and B67 head a long load of GY's through the junction of the Serviceton and Maryborough lines. The train had loaded at overflow silos on the Mildura Line.
 

Included in the consist was an outside sill GY, No.1160 and one of the last red GY's, No. 904.