On Sunday the 5th June 1983 the following locomotives were observed stabled at Ballarat East Locomotive Depot. T331, T346, T397, W242, W243, Y151, Y152 and Y154. There was also two withdrawn W class minus numbers stabled near the fuel point.
There would have also been a mainline locomotive that would have hauled the morning passenger service (8122) to Melbourne at 9am. This would have most likely been a B class or perhaps a first or second series X class.
Observations such as these provide an insight into locomotives being used on services through Ballarat at this time. On weekends there always seems to be a number of T class at Ballarat, often being serviced before returning to country. There would also been the shunting locomotives that were based at Ballarat for pilot duties.
1983 was bit of a transition year for shunting locomotives at Ballarat with the W class being used less and less, replaced by more reliable Y class. Y150, Y151, Y152, Y153 and Y154 appear to have been based in Ballarat for these pilot workings, Ararat and Maryborough Roadside goods, Pittong, Skipton and Allendale Goods. Observations in Newsrail recorded that W242, W243, W248, W250 and W260 were all still active at Ballarat (if not all at the same time). There would have also been a W or two confined to shunting within the Ballarat North Railway workshops. As the observation shows, there were withdrawn W's stored at Ballarat East, and likely others in bits at workshops, no doubt being used as a source of spare parts for this notoriously unreliable class.
On the 27th May, W260 was used to shunt the motorail wagon to the rear of the Overland and was then used on the Flour Mill pilot (75 and 76). W243 was used on the Workshops Pilot later in the morning and with Y153 used on afternoon Flour Mill pilots (97 and 98) and with T358 used on the Redan pilots throughout the day (67, 72, 83, 94, 85 and 96). This shows that in the course of a normal weekday 3 or 4 locomotives were required to run the Ballarat pilots. Any other shunters present would have been on standby.
The turntable would also hosted HD vans and sand wagons, DW water tanks and oil and diesel tank wagons. I usually have one or two of the turntable roads with departmental wagons in them.
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| W243 and W242 rest around the Ballarat East turntable 01/02/1982. photo: Bob Richardson |
There would have also been a mainline locomotive that would have hauled the morning passenger service (8122) to Melbourne at 9am. This would have most likely been a B class or perhaps a first or second series X class.
 |
| Y151, Y152 and Y154 rest around the Ballarat East turntable. T331 and T397 can be seen in the background. |
Observations such as these provide an insight into locomotives being used on services through Ballarat at this time. On weekends there always seems to be a number of T class at Ballarat, often being serviced before returning to country. There would also been the shunting locomotives that were based at Ballarat for pilot duties.
1983 was bit of a transition year for shunting locomotives at Ballarat with the W class being used less and less, replaced by more reliable Y class. Y150, Y151, Y152, Y153 and Y154 appear to have been based in Ballarat for these pilot workings, Ararat and Maryborough Roadside goods, Pittong, Skipton and Allendale Goods. Observations in Newsrail recorded that W242, W243, W248, W250 and W260 were all still active at Ballarat (if not all at the same time). There would have also been a W or two confined to shunting within the Ballarat North Railway workshops. As the observation shows, there were withdrawn W's stored at Ballarat East, and likely others in bits at workshops, no doubt being used as a source of spare parts for this notoriously unreliable class.
On the 27th May, W260 was used to shunt the motorail wagon to the rear of the Overland and was then used on the Flour Mill pilot (75 and 76). W243 was used on the Workshops Pilot later in the morning and with Y153 used on afternoon Flour Mill pilots (97 and 98) and with T358 used on the Redan pilots throughout the day (67, 72, 83, 94, 85 and 96). This shows that in the course of a normal weekday 3 or 4 locomotives were required to run the Ballarat pilots. Any other shunters present would have been on standby.
 |
| W243 on pilot duties within Ballarat yard. Restoration of the clock tower continues in the background. |
The turntable would also hosted HD vans and sand wagons, DW water tanks and oil and diesel tank wagons. I usually have one or two of the turntable roads with departmental wagons in them.
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