Month of Sundays

 

Not the Church song from Remote Luxury album that was released in 1984, but more than a month of sunday morning visits to Ballarat East Locomotive Depot. Having recently had surgery on my shoulder and spine, i'm been spending some of my recovery time going through old photos and magazines for modelling inspiration. Newsrail in 1984 regularly included observations of locos at Ballarat East Locomotive Depot on Sunday mornings. Observations from August and September 1984 are recorded below.

Sunday 05/08 - S300, S305, B74(TC), T341, T375, Y150, Y151, Y154, W243, RT20 

Sunday 26/08 - B63 (ran 08 45 pass.), B64 (TC), S303, T335, T360 (V/L), Y151, W250 

Sunday 09/09 - B64 (TC) (ran 08 45 pass.), T322, T333, T345, Y151, Y152, Y153, W243 and W250

Sunday 16/09 - X36 (ran 08 45 pass.), T320, T322, T323, T326, T396, Y151,  Y154, W243 and W250

Sunday 23/09 - B64(TC) (ran 08 45 pass.), S303, S304, S312, T322, T353 (V/L), T395, Y151,  W243 and W250.

RT20, W243, W250, S303, S312, Y151 and T322 are gathered around the turntable on Sunday 23rd September 1984.

On average 9 locos were residenced at Ballarat East on a Sunday. There were usually at least 2 mainline locomotives (usually B or X class), one of which would be used on the morning (8122) Up Ballarat pass, the others generally not required until Monday mornings 6.45am and 7.45am pass to Melbourne.

Flat-top T class were the most common loco recorded at Ballarat East. They were present on each Sunday, and on two occasions 3 Flat-tops were in residence. During the day the T's would be moved from the turntable and in the maintenance shed for servicing.

On each Sunday there were a number of shunting locomotives that were based at Ballarat for pilot duties shutdown at the loco depot (no pilots were rostered on a Sunday morning at Ballarat). Y150 to Y154 were based at Ballarat by 1984, and each of these locos are recorded on at least one Sunday morning. W243 and W250, the last W class to remain active outside of the railway workshops were both observed shutdown at Ballarat East. 

Sunday 16th September 1984 sees W242, Y151, W250, T396, X36, T322, T323 and T326 at Ballarat East Locomotive Depot

Although V/Line's corporate colours were launched over a year ago, the majority of locomotives remain in VR blue and gold. Only on 26th August and on the 23rd September were locos in orange and grey present, and on both occasions there was only 1 loco in V/Line colours.  B class in VicRail Tea-cup orange and silver were present on all but one Sunday morning during August and September

Observations such as these provide an insight into locomotives being used on services through Ballarat at this time and help inform which locos to include on the layout's loco roster. 

.

On Sunday 9th September 1984, W250, Y153, B64, Y152, Y151 and W243 sit shutdown around the turntable at Ballarat East Loco.