ALGX lourve van

The yellow AN logo and data panel is on the door on the handbrake side.

The LX 40’2″ Lourve Vans were introduced in 2 batches to the South Australian Railways from 1968. An initial batch of 56 wagons were built by the SAR Islington Workshops in 1968 and were numbered LX 1 – LX 56.  These wagons had pressed metal ends and a low mounted inverted ratchet handbrake at the ‘Long’ end.

A subsequent batch of 100 vans were produced at the workshops from 1969 onwards, numbered – LX 57 – LX 156. These featured strengthened end panels with a mid mounted ratchet handbrake on the ‘Short’ end.

Y150 shunts 2 ALGX in Ballarat yard.

Introduced in the standard SAR Wagon Grey, some were repainted ANR Oxide Red in the late 1970’s. From 1979 the vans were recoded to ALGX.  Following the rebranding as Australian National in 1980, these vans were painted Green & Gold with gold bogies.

Empty pallets lie on the floor of the van.

The ALGX were bogie Exchange Vans and operated across both the Standard Gauge and Broad Gauge networks. On the layout these wagons will mostly be used on Melbourne- Adelaide interstate express goods services and will occasionally be employed in intrastate services to Mildura and Ballarat.