S308 - Sir Redmond Barry

S 308, builders number 57 - 179 enter service on the 20/01/1958 and was the second last loco of the first order of S class and was named colonial judge, Sir Redmond Barry.

Recently I added another S class to the locomotive fleet and chose to model S308. S308 is a Lima GM shell repainted and fitted onto an Athearn SD9 mechanism. Ian Lindsay Models pilots are fitted together with flush glazing.  The name plates were from VR Models and the decals from BGB. The locomotive is weathered to match photos from 1982-1984. 

S308-C505 roll through Ballarat yard on an Up Jet 

During 1983-84 the S's shared duties with the X class on Dimboola passenger trains (at the time it was not uncommon for the same locomotive to be rostered on this train on consecutive days). The S class (in multiple with other classes) were also regularly rostered on Express goods and grain trains.

Some observations of S308 during the period modelled are:

16, 17 & 18/12/1982 S308-S307 Up Dimboola pass.

22/12/82 S308-S312 Down Dimboola pass.

27, 29 & 30/12/82 S309-S308 Up Dimboola pass.

01/01/83 S309-S308 Up Dimboola pass.

13/02/83 S308 at Ararat locomotive depot 

08/07/83 S308 Down Albury pass.

18/07/83 S308 Down Wodonga Goods

05/01/84 B70 and S308 no.8323 Seymour pass. at Spencer Street station

14/04/84 S312 and S308 on Up Long Island goods at Caulfield

S308 pauses at Ballarat on the Up Dimboola pass. 

After the creation in 1851 of the colony of Victoria, Sir Redmond Barry became the first Solicitor-General of Victoria, with a seat in both the Legislative and Executive Councils. In 1852, he was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria. Later he also served as acting Chief Justice and Administrator of the government.

Barry was noted for his service to the community, and he convinced the state government to spend money on public works, particularly on education. He was instrumental in the foundation of the Royal Melbourne Hospital (1848), the University of Melbourne (1853), and the State Library of Victoria (1854). He served as the first chancellor of the university until his death and was also president of the trustees of the State Library.

Sir Redmond Barry has a number of links with the history of Ballarat. He was the judge in the Eureka Stockade treason trials in the Supreme Court in 1855, in which the thirteen miners were all acquitted. He was the first President of the Ballarat School of Mines (1870), which later became Ballarat University and is now Federation University.

Apex block quarry train with S308 "Sir Redmond Barry" and T348 approaches Wallan station, powering in 8 notch 02/02/85. The standard power for the Apex in this era was S-T or X-T with the S or X on the Melbourne end.

S308 was withdrawn from service on the 25/7/1988. It was initially used as a training aid at South Dynon locomotive depot but subsequently has been preserved at Newport Railway museum.