State Transport Authority

 

The Transport Act 1983 significantly restructured the administration of transport functions in Victoria. Under the provisions of the Act a State Transport Authority was established succeeding Victorian Railways and the Railway Construction and Property Board, as the authority responsible for the operation of intrastate and interstate freight and passenger services by rail and road outside the Melbourne metropolitan area. The Authority commenced operations on 1 July 1983.

At Ballarat there wasn't any visible change in the first weeks of operation under the new authority except at the Ballarat North Railway workshops where pending the establishment of thr new logo for the State Transport Authority, wagons outshopped were painted in standard colours but without any logo.

So far this month, the Ballarat North Workshops has outshopped a VLCX and 2 VOBX wagons without the usual large VR logo. The workshops has also released a BS car in orange with silver stripes but without the centrally placed VicRail tea-cup logo. Currently the workshops have a backlog of repairs and overhauls with the yard and workshop buildings full of wagons either part way through overhaul or awaiting attention. The overflow wagons has been stored in Doveton Street sidings.

Wagons temporarily stored in the Doveton Street sidings awaiting space at Ballarat North Workshops

Including a few freshly painted wagons without logo's either at the workshops or operating in revenue service adds a little variety to the wagon fleet and helps place the layouts setting during the many changes that occurred to Victorian rail operations in 1983.

W242 shunts overhauled wagons at the Ballarat North railway workshops.