Water Wagons

When we look at photos/videos and observe water wagons on trains, we think their role is to supply water for steam locomotives. Today and for the last 50 plus years it has been the “NORM” to see water wagons on heritage trains. When in fact steam locomotives in their hay days did not require them all that often.

 

 

During the steam era watering station were placed to meet the requirements of a locomotives without using water wagons. Adding water wagons to trains reduced the pay load on a train. Steam locomotives could travel approximately 40 miles before needing to refill the tender with water. Locomotives with larger tenders on passenger trains often skipped some watering stations for a faster run. At each watering station 10 minutes was allocated for loco. The driver would inspect the locomotive using a hammer to check tightness of wedges, nuts etc, and oil the value gear and axle’s boxes if required.  The fireman would clean the fire and the cab. Towards the end of the trip he may shovel coal forward in the tender. The guard would come up and take water. All three men worked as a team them days. At some locations when working passenger trains the engine would come off the train at the platform and run forward to the pit to do loco. There was always time to swing the billy in the firebox for a cuppa. The driver provided the billy, billy boiler (a length of steel with a hoop to hold the billy) and the tea leaves. Most crews carried a personal issue water bag for drinking water. All locos did have a drinking water tank mounter in the tender, but there was always a question about there internal cleanness and were did the water come from. Most watering locations had a small hose to clean the cab or wet the coal.  

 Water for steam locomotives came from various scores, thus some were better than others for steaming. Some depots added chemicals to the water to improve steaming.   In the steam era there was various classes of water wagons, the underframes were from other wagons, mostly a timber frame and a steel tank was added. Most tanks were rectangular, a few round tanks were used. The size of the tank was around the carrying capacity of the wagon when filled with water. Both four and eight wheeled wagons were used. Four wheeled wagon classes, TW, FW, FFW, FJW, and the majority were FGW class wagons with a capacity of 2125 gallons. Eight wheeled wagon classes, HW, SW, SJW, UW. There were often differences within the class with different frame structure, tank sizes and shape. Steel WW and GWW were built in 1954 and were available to be used on passenger trains.

 

 

TW Wagons

FW Wagon

  FGW Wagon

SGW Wagon

37 at St Lawrence 1967. FFW Water Wagon.

 

 

The 1960 Commissioners Report show the following wagons is service. Water Trucks – Miscellaneous Classes TW, SW, FW, & (includes one each SW, SJW, and UW for molasses). (27 – 8 Wheel, 36 - 4 wheel). The year before (1959) where was 68 wagons in service. Water trucks FG Class – Grovers bogie (includes 2 temporarily converted to flat-top) and lettered FGWP, total in service 180. In 1959 where was 195. WW water wagons (3,750 gallons) Available for passenger trains – 15 in service. GWW water wagons (3,750 gallons) for Garratt Locos, Available for passenger trains – 10 in service. As a side note, the report shows 3 – OWX eight wheel oil tank wagons converted water tanks. Later they became WE wagons # 29397, 29398, 29399 used for bitumen on loan to Boral. At first they were WX wagons (Capacity 5,000 gals, gross weight 40 tons) intended for use on the Midlander.

 

 

SJW Wagons

 

 

 

 

SW Wagons



HW Wagons

 

  HW, WW, GWW Wagons.

 

UW Water Wagons

 GWW as built.

WW Wagons after 1969. Light Grey paint.  

WW wagons after 1985. Red Circle wagons.

Roller bearing bogies. (off Sunshine Cars ??)

After the steam era a number of loco tenders were coupled in pairs and used as water wagons LTW, similarly they was used in molasses traffic classed LTM. 

 

 

  LTW Wagons BB18¼ Tenders

LTW Wagons C 17 Tenders

Some were painted orange and added to weed spray trains.

 

In the 1960’s water wagons were called water gins, the term was changed following a reported misunderstand with a Guard talking to Train Control.  Detaching a wagon from a train was often referred to as “knocking it off”.  A female aboriginal was also called a gin. I will let you work it out how an miss understand could occur if you have aboriginal station mistress and a guard talking to Control about detaching a water wagon.

 As above, steam locomotives did not use water wagons all that much. I recall see water wagons on the double header C17’s hauled “Westlander”.  A watering station was out of order. The PB15 hauled “Westlander” between Charleville and Cunnamulla had a WW water wagon as standard, the crews indicated it was up hill both ways. It was flat country and trains steamed for the full trips, there was no shut offs or coasting. The water wagon reduced the number of water stops required. Trains doing ballasting and maintenance work returning before reaching the next watering station would take a water wagon.

When in Mackay for the sugar season the North Eaton (Victoria) trains took a water wagon. The train consisted of a C17 locomotive, water wagon, 14 sugar/molasses wagons and a van. The train travelled the Netherdale Branch to Newberry Junction and branched off for Eaton. At Eaton the wagon were pushed into the mill, engine and water wagon were turned for the rear trip, once the first seven wagons were loaded (a full load) you would leave for Newberry. At Newberry the wagons were placed in a siding, the engine, water wagon and van would return to Eaton for the next seven wagons. Once the last seven wagons were loaded the train would come back Newberry, the first seven were picked up and the train continued back to Mackay, the job often took 11/12 hours and their was no watering station. All up a total of 55 miles was travelled, three hours was allocated in the time table for the trip from Mackay to Eaton, a distance of 20 miles.

Mackay elevation was 17 feet above sea level, Newberry Junction 115 feet, Vinco just 3 miles past Newberry was 155 feet and Eaton just 110 feet. My first trip to Eaton was the daylight train, on reaching Vince looking out the front there was nothing in front of the engine, the track dropped away just like a big dipper. On returning the three miles from Eaton to Vince was some trip, you took off like a charging bull to reach the bottom of the hill as fast as you could, by the time you reached the bottom of the hill, the tender was pig rooting, it was a full time job just keeping the tucker box on the tender. Half way up the hill you could walk faster. Engines often carried a large drum of sand on the footplate beside the sand done. 

 

 

Water wagons all looked the same when in fact there was two very different types/ roles the wagons were used for. All wagons had a side delivery pipe on each side with a canvas hose attached.  Some had end delivery pipes as well, these were the ones used with steam locomotives. Other did not have end delivery pipes, these were used to supply drinking water to isolated locations or work sites. These wagons were stencilled “drinking water only”, some had a red band painted around the tank. Some were stencilled with stations in which they operated. On the forward journey they were marshalled behind the hauling locomotive. Trackside tanks requiring water would display a white flag/disc to indicate water was required. The fireman and guard would do the work. A timber plank would ride in the frame under the tank, this was used to carry the canvas hose from the wagon to the tank.

 

 The back pages of the “Working Time Table” shows trains and days allocated to carry out this work. On some trains the wagon was taken off the train at a set stations to reduce the turnaround time returning wagons back to its depot. Water wagons returning to their depot station were marshalled to operational requirements, in other words they could be anywhere on the train.  

The 1973 North Coast Line Working Time Table shows the following for Gympie to Brisbane.

Supply of Drinking Water North Coast

 

Petrie to Landsborough;   439 Mondays (Detach Nambour for 468 Up).

Train 439 is shown in the Working Timetable as the Bundaberg Goods:- Will clear all short north loading, including Kingaroy Branch, Monto Branch, Mary Valley Branch, and if room available clear Bundaberg and Gladstone loading.  Monday will also convey loading for stations Dakabin to Beerwah. When required, convey consignments of fruit from Palmwoods, Nambour, Cooroy or Pomona for stations Gympie and beyond and suitable accommodation (my guess a box wagon) must be supplied on the train from Mayne. Fruit for stations north of Maryborough will be trainshipped at Gympie to be cleared by 275. 439 may attach loading at stations Cooroy or north thereof for the Maryborough District.     

 Monday

Mayne Yard dep. 4:50 am

Nambour 8:12 – 45 Meal and cross 312,200.

Yandina 8:56 – 9:01

Gympie 11:50 – 2:00 PM

Bundaberg arr. 9:26 PM.

 

Landsborough to Yandina; 483 Wednesday (Return 462 to Mayne).

483 is the Landsborough to Yandina shunt from Mayne.

 Yandina to Pomona; 493 Sunday 7S Mondays (Return 10S Nambour, 468 Mayne).

493 Sunday shunts Elimbah to Yandina, later in the morning forms train 7S to Pomona  returning to Nambour as 10S.  

 

Train 439 near Tandur

Gympie to Woondum;   462 Mondays and Thursdays (Detach Cooran for return 491 to Gympie). Tandur to Cooran; 462 Wednesdays (Detach Cooran for return 491 to Gympie).

Train 462 Up will convey sand from Gympie and will shunt and do roadside work as required at stations Monkland to Yandina (inclusive), but will not shunt between Yandina and Zillmere except at Woombye and Palmwoods on Mondays to Thursday to attach a wagon of Roma Street fruit or at stations to detach livestock from Yandina and beyond. Roadside loading for Brunswick Street must be forwarded, as far as possible by this train. 462 will convey Interstate fruit for transhipping at Clapham, Sydney and Melbourne fruit must as far as possible be loaded in separate wagons. Trains must be marshalled as follows, Engine, Melbourne fruit only, wagons containing both Melbourne and Sydney fruit, Sydney fruit. Monday to Friday 462 departs Gympie at 2:25 PM, Cooran 3:57 – 4:12, Yandina 7:48 – 8:23, change crews with 101 (Maryborough Pass), Woombye 8:42 – 9:12, Palmwoods 9:12 – 9:47, Caboolture 10:56 – 11:40, detach pineapple at Northgate, via Central to Roma Street arr, 1:13 am. The change crews with 101, I have seen his occur at Landsborough. Gympie crews would not go past Landsborough on this job. Regardless where the change took place, the arrival time back in Gympie would be the same on train 101.

 

 Any instances of Short Supply or Extra requirements will be referred to “Trains” Roma Street, for attention.

 You may say this is a lot of water for locations so near to Brisbane, most stations north of Caboolture at this time did not have council water connected. Towns near Nambour and Cooroy had town water. Water was also supplied to work sites between stations, I.e. concrete gangs working on bridges, culverts etc.

 Some water wagons were allocated to travelling gangs in camp wagons. Others were specially built for the rail grinder when it entered service.

CWM, CW, CJ and FGW. Gang camped at Glenroy Siding near Charleville

RGW water for the Rail Grinder (WHA Underframe).

 Some were allocated to supply chromated water to smaller diesel depots. A first this was a single loco tender with draw hooks and buffers at both ends. Later a WW was allocated to this traffic, a blue band around the centre of the tank identified it special use of this the WW. 

Water wagons between jobs were stored mainly in the station yard in an allocated road. Shunt crews would fill the water wagons from town water supply and add them to the train.   

Prior to 1969, water wagons were painted black/dark grey, after 1969 the colour changed to the standard freight grey. Likewise the side delivery hose also changed. 

After 1980 timber framed four wheeled wagon were being removed from traffic. This saw a number of tanks transferred to steel framed bogie wagons, mainly cut down CMIS refrigerated wagons.Plan P – 389A shows PCW 43648, 43757 in service 1984, 43647 in 1983,

Plan P – 389 shows PCWT 43650, 43653, 43755 in service 1984, 43762 in 1987, 43763 in 1988.  Capacity 9 660 Litres.  The new wagons were classed PCW and if fitted with auto/transition couplings PCWT.

 

 

 

 

Plan P – 408 WSE 45352 – 45361 in service 1986, Stainless steel tanks supplied by Rheem with a capacity of 24 000 litres. The underframe were a cut down BLCT louvred wagons. Earlier 10 were built using WHE bulk wheat wagon underframes. (#31313, 31331, 31352, 31403, 31404, 31411, 31483, 31508, 31533, 31575). In later years WSE wagons were used in molasses traffic. Most were out of service by 2007, about 6 were allocated to the heritage fleer, and a couple are in maintenance traffic.   

WSE on BLC Underframe

WSE on WHE underframe.

In 1987 instructions were issued not to supply wooden wagons for orders, eight wheeled timber framed wagon were on the way out. 

 

W/N 3/79 18 Jan 1979.

Ten (10) “WO” wagons being progressively introduced into traffic. (# 40185 – 40194). This was increased by another 10 (# 40751 – 40760) Commonwealth Engineering built all wagons. Capacity 45 500 litres of water. Stainless steel tanks.  In 1993, 13 were converted to “OWO” for molasses traffic, a length of chain was added to the filler to provide a guide as to the level required to avoid overloading. The other seven went to maintenance traffic, Track Laying Machine etc. 2008 most were written off due to fatigue. A least one is allocated to the heritage fleet. Several WO wagons were used to transport water from Mount Isa to Cloncurry in November and December 2008 due to drought conditions. Three WO and nine WSE wagons delivered a total of 75,000 litres of water per day.

 Approaching Biloela. 8 water wagons on the train

Angellala (Between Morven and Charleville)

On Westgate.

As a boy growing up in western Queensland, a water wagon on the layout was a must. My first water was made by my grade 7 school teacher. Thank you Graham, very much appreciated even today.  My train set had a red caboose (this vehicle was out of place on my railway), thus was converted a water wagon, the top was removed and a tank made from balsa was added. The top section became my first lineside structure.

 When I stared modelling QGR in H0n3½ in 1974, you guess it, one of the first wagons to be build was an FGW water wagon. A styrene water tank on a frame was mounted on Tri-ang TT underframe. The wagon is now part of the Westgate Museum to remind me of where I started and the standard we had them days.

 

The next water wagon was a Fox Kit WW water wagon, a must for me considering I would observe the Westlander leave Charleville with one attached to the PB 15 locomotive as above. This wagon over the years has had a number of different bogie. Still at work on the layout, not available today. PGC Scale Models recently has released it as a kit.     

 

The FGW on the layout today was scratch build from styrene and mounted on a Chiver’s fine scale underframe. The final UW wagon is scratch build and runs on Caintode Flats bogies.

Most likely these will not be the last water wagons for Westgate, more will follow down the track.

 Enjoy

Arthur

 

Paw Paw Loco

Paw Paw

For about 20 years I had a FNH “Paw Paw” kit in the cupboard with a few other loco kits to do.  About 12 months ago I completed the kit and put the loco to work on the layout.  

At first to run the mechanism in I went looking for a light train to run. Once again the Quilpie Branch came to mind. In the early 60’s, two Paw Paw locos (1505/1504) were sent to Roma to work west, these were the first diesels to run west of Roma. I recall the evening the first one arrived in Charleville, the whole town was down at the station for the big event. It was the longest train I had ever saw, didn’t fit on the platform and the end was out of sight. I guest a big deal for an 11 year old boy. In these days, passenger trains were top of the tree, the best loco in the depot were rostered to work them. Likewise when the diesels started running they could reduce the running time of these trains. Diesel didn’t need to stop ever 30/40 miles for 10 minutes to take water and they could handle bigger loads. In some cases a double header steam hauled train could be pulled with a single diesel. One Paw Paw (small as they were) replaced two C17’s on the standard 11 car Westlander between Roma and Charleville and cut about 60 minutes off the time table. In holiday time a second DEL could be added to the train, extra carriages marshalled into the train and the second division mail was not required. One crew doing the work of three. 

The other passenger train in the area was the Flying Flea running between Charleville and Quilpie. The train consisted of two Sydney Mail sitting cars (CL/BL), a CJFP and a MV Mail Van. Train 98 departed Charleville after the Westlander on Wednesday and Saturday, returning the following day as train 99 to connect with the east bound Westlander.

This time around I recorded the materials I used to paint the kit. When I did 1723 I was not happy with the colour for years and debated several times about stripping it and repainting.

For the Paw Paw the painting process is as below.

1.    Dulux Metalshield Etch Primer (Light Grey) was sprayed over the poxy body and bogie side frame to give a base for the top colour. The rattle can was purchased from Bunnings. I spray the paint into a plastic cup to decan and put it through the air brush for better control. The paint was allowed a couple of days to dry.

2.    Inside the cab and control stands were painter Floquil F 110085 Antique White.

3.    The orange for the lining was sprayed next. Floquil F 110134 SP Daylight Orange was used. Once again a couple of days past before masked off the lines required. Masking tape used was .075 mm Jammydog. They also make 1.00mm and .05 mm Micro masking tape. The .05 may of been a little better.  (Website www.jammydog.com).  Thanks to KEW for the find. Next time a straight edge might be usefully???

4.    The white (Dove Grey) was sprayed next. Tru Color paint available from Austral Modelcraft was used. About half a cup of TCP 005 White with two drops of TCP 171 Weather Black. This paint dries gloss and quick. Acetone was used as a thinner. I used this paint on the styrene bodies on my coal hopper with good results. After a day the white was masked off.

5.    PGC Lacquer QR Diesel Blue was used, this also dries gross and quickly. This is a thick paint and needs to be thinned about 50/50 with lacquer thinner. I now using the PGC QR colour range for my QR rollingstock, a bottle goes a long way. (Airbrush only).

6.    The Dark Grey roof section and footplate is Floquil F 110143 Reefer Gray.

7.    After gently removing all masking tape, the finished body was covered with Floquil F 110003 OZ Hi-Gloss to give all paint a gloss finish.

8.    The bogies were painted with Tru Color TCP 171 Weather Black. The wheels were hand painted with Floquil F 110013 Grimy Black.

9.    Buffer beam, hand painted, Tamiya Y-7 Red enamel. I normally use Humbrol, but my stock had dried up and down at the hobby shop the red I needed was the only one on the whole rack missing, all sold out. So I purchased a small bottle of Tamiya, I quite like the small square screw top bottle, I didn’t get paint all over my hand in removing the lid from the tin.

10.  Hand Rails formed from .015” brass wire from AR Kits. First, Floquil F 110601 Zine Chromate was applied and left for a few days. Humbrol Gloss Black # 21 was the finish coat.

11.  The oil filters on the engine room sides were picked out by hand using Vallejo          acrylic Model Color # 70. 862 Black Grey. 

12.  To highlight the bogie detail, a light weathering was applied with the air brush.

Vallejo Game Air 72.762 Earth, followed by AK Interactive AK 723 dust. I have started using Vallejo acrylic paints of late, I will expand on my new learning curve a little later. With Floquil no longer available, I’m playing around with other types/brands etc. 

The decals were old and kept coming apart, gloss coat was applied to the decal sheet which helped to get them on in one piece. One # 1 moved after apply gloss coat and I didn’t see it until the next day, bugger. Colour not quite right for me and they may be a little on the big side. Didn’t have all the # 1 required and some from a different pack was used. Both packets were open, have no idea of manufacture.

 I did kick about the number for the loco, when in the Roma they were 1500 class, not long after leaving the area they were renumbered 1170 class. Given I could have other later DEL’s in my era with 1500 numbers, I decided it would be 1175.

Over all I think the loco will stay as is, in a near new paint job. Overall, yes some things could have been a tab better, hey that’s modelling, you learn something new every time you do something, plus it gives me something to do better next time.

The loco is fitted with a K & M Mechanism, 6 axle drive and on the weighbridge comes in at 216 grams. 

 I guess I have no reason to tackle the other boxes in the cupboard??

 Trust you find this helpfully.

 

Arthur

Nonda 1969

Townsville Late 1970's.

 

 

Rocklea testing 3100/3200 Class EL  

 

 

DEL 1175 working the "Flying Flea" on Westgate.

 

Many years later, 1175 work the Westlander as a heritage Special on Westgate.

 

 

 

 

What’s on our Trains?

There is various methods to check out your latest master piece or what you are doing on the layout. One of the best methods is to photograph it. You would be surprised at what you see looking at your models/operations on the computer screen.

Most of my wagons have loads and for some time I have been doing presentations at conventions on loads carried on our rail networks. Reviewing the video on “Train spotting at Wyandra” https://youtu.be/PvB30g4tFRI I noted I was not following my own advice in the presentation. !!!!!

 

In the video there were two QR trains that crossed at Wyandra, one train travelling west (an Up train) crossed a train travelling east (a Down Train). On our layouts that is one train coming from our left and the other coming from our right. Both my trains had much the same loading. Both trains were conveying motor vehicles of the same era, and box wagons with doors open.  If they were two coal trains, one would be loaded and the other empty. It’s much the same for freight / goods trains. Trains travelling away from the capital or major coastal cities convey loading for country towns and isolated sidings. The freight on these trains is goods to keep these communities going, food stuffs, milk, building materials, machinery, new cars, trucks and tractors, fuel etc. Trains coming back have the same wagons but would have different loading. Here is Queensland in the sixties the largest product would have been wool.

 

The train travelling west has all wagons conveying freight, the other train travelling east has a number of empty wagons.  

Yes, some wagons look the same loaded or empty, fuel tankers, grain wagons, box wagons to a point, and stock wagons. Most of these travel empty one way and loaded the other way. Fuel tankers and box wagons go out loaded and return empty. Grain and stock wagons go out empty and return loaded.  

 

 Empty box wagons coning back from country areas may have their doors open regardless of instructions to keep them shut.

 

The big difference is open and platform wagons, going out a wagon could have a load of timber, on the return the wagon could be loaded with wool or be empty if not required to fill orders. Some loads in open wagons going out do come back, I.e. drums. Small quantities of some fuel products (kero, Av-gas etc.) and oils are conveyed in 44 gal/200 litre drums. Going out loaded these drums are loaded upright. When empty the drums are returned to the sender. There is no hard and fast rules for returned empty drums. The object of the excise is to load as many as possible into one wagon. This is subject to the height of the wagon sides. If an item of freight is six inches below the top of the doors, no securing is required. If the drums are stacked higher above the sides, a rope over the top was in order. If it was not done, the shunters took great delight in seeing how many drum they could flip off the top. Prior to the early 1990’s, loose shunting was the order of the day. Wagons without air were kicked by the shunt engine and allowed to roll freely down a siding until coming in contact with the first wagon, the size of the “BANG” was subject to the speed the wagon obtained before meeting that wagon. All of this was subject to hot or cold bearings, roller bearings, weight in the wagon and the grade. I recall seeing an ALY (roller bearing) wagon rebound four times off that first wagon before stopping.    

 

 

 

All loads travelling West.

Below are loads travelling East.

 

 

 

For wool there is loading diagrams showing how to get the maximin number of bales into a wagon. All loads don’t need to be full loads. You may find loading methodology may change over time. Wool is one example when the bale material changed to a polly material. Some western stations had set orders for wool. Charleville wagon orders showed equal to 20 F of flats for the wool ramp each day. Within QR open wagons were called flats, one “F” was equal to 15 feet, that is one four wheeled “F” wagon, one eight wheeled “H” wagon was equal to 2F. Red circle (express freight, 50 MPH/80 Km/h) HJSF, HJST, HSA were referred to as red spot H’s. The order would have a mixture of both four and eight wheeled wagons.

 

 

 

 

 

Empty Wagons

Tarpaulins used on loads going out are should not to be left on the floor of an empty open wagon. Tarps not required for retuning loading (wool) were folded and sent back on passenger trains or in box wagons. Many open wagons returning from country locations came back empty. Often dunnage (timber/tyres/pallets etc) used to secure a load arriving at the station was left on the wagon floor after unloading. About every two months a Traffic Inspector would arrive at your station unannounced to carry out a station inspection. This inspection was written up in the Station Inspection book. The Station Master would action all unsatisfactory items before sending the original copy to the General Manager. The inspection covered all aspects of station work, accounting, safe working, and general condition of the place. To keep station yard clean and tidy, station staff would toss rubbish into empty open wagons.   

 

 Water Wagons. 

The Working Time Table allocates trains and days water wagons are to be conveyed on trains. Trains carrying out watering duties, the water wagons are on the lead behind the locomotive. Water wagons returning to depot stations are marshal within the train. I think a lot more could be said on this subject, maybe another blog page down the track.   

 

Car Wagons.

From the early 1960’s, car were conveyed on platform wagons set up to transport wheeled vehicles, SMS (wagons 30 feet long and shorter) and SML (wagons over 30 feet). Later on this classification changed as various different size wagons were added to the fleet. Open wagons were used also. These wagons on trains travelling to country locations carry new cars, trucks, tractors, caravans, farm machinery etc to country dealers for sale. Country trade in for new cars were often sort after in the city due to less rust in their metal body. On the return journey the wagons mostly went back empty, from time to time they may of carry an earlier model vehicle. Plus an odd caravan or machinery item requiring repairs could be returned on the wagons.     

 

 Road Wagons

If we have a look at goods trains back in the 1960’s /70’s, you will find most goods trains had a number of box wagons marshalled on the guard’s van. Some trains also had an ice wagon or two in this consist loaded with fruit and milk. Road wagons carried small quantiles of goods for various stations on the line. This goods was unloaded by station staff and or the Guard. Goods item for station further down the line was also loaded into these wagons. Small items for isolated stations/siding would be placed in the van with the Guard.   

 

Camp Wagons

Each division had a pool of trade/skilled workers, most were required to move around their area of the division, often in remote locations. Most had a home station within the division. These employees did so in camp wagons. Prior to early 1970’s, camp wagons were very basic, mainly converted box wagons, if you were lucky you may have scored a converted carriage. For this blog I’m looking at there place on a train. On a shunt train they would be marshalled within their destination block. On through trains with workers travelling in their camp wagons, the camp wagons were marshalled towards the rear of the train near the guards van subject to roads wagons. They would move back and forward across they area of responsibility.  More about this group of workers can be found in my blog “Paper, Paper” November 2018.           

 

In my latest video “Train spotting at Westgate Branch Points” https://youtu.be/zbPD3j3QDVA has the trains coming and going reflexing prototype operations more correctly.  

PE Wagons

Wagons on Train 209/309 continue from November 2018 blog http://westgateswr.blogspot.com/2018/11/train-209309.html

After the introduction of the MTW’s, the next Platform Wagon to enter service on Queensland Railways was the PX wagon in October/November 1959, built by Commonwealth Engineering at a cost of $5,522.91 per wagon. The classification code was changed in 1964 to “PE” following the introduction of the ROA interstate coding system. “P” was 8 wheeled Platform Wagon and “X” was being used for 12 ton axle load. In the new ROA code, “X” was for wagons suitable for bogie exchange. “E” replaced the “X” as the second letter for the 12 ton axle load (4 x 12 = 48 t gross). Running Numbers 31609 to 31618 were allocated to the class.

 

Partington 06 July 1999.

The wagon tare was 12.8 t and could carry 27.8 t on all lines and 36 t on “A” class lines. Dimensions, Imperial: 32’ long by 9’ wide. Metric: 9750 long by 2740 wide. The wagons could carry a symmetrical load, but unlike the QFX/QFC wagons, its full load is not intended to be supported in the headstock area. The smart looking wagon was fitted with QR 11 three piece cast steel bogies with spoke wheels (5’6” axle centres with 33½” wheels). The drawhooks were fitted with fixed screw coupling, thus a hook was provide under the headstock to carry the coupling then not in use. This type of couple came standard on other rollingstock for a few years, WHE’s, 1460 class DEL’s to name a couple. These coupling were very heavy and stiff without side movement, thus not very popular with shunters, in time most kind of came off.  The drawgear was rated as D2 or Premium in the old language. Later, (likely 1969) the wagons were fitted with red circles for express freight operations as 80 Km/h runners. Around the mid 80’s the wagons were fitted with container securing equipment and could carry a standard 20’ ISO container in the centre of the wagon and fitted with auto coupling, spoke wheels were replaced with disc along the way. The single slot wagons were used on Branch lines, containers where often stuffed/loaded across the wagon floor.  The truss rods were welded angle steel type arrangement.  Another feature of the wagon was the headstock hand brake wheel on one end, this was just “Micky Mouse” when shunting at Roma Street.

 

I guess I better explain shunting Roma Street, it was a gravity yard, all downhill just like Countess Street. After a train arrived at Roma Street all the Westinghouse air was bleed from the wagons. The shunt engine (PB in steam era or a DH after about 68) would hook on the pull the train up into Normanby. The Shunter in Charge would control the move using a set of traffic lights hanging under College Road bridge. There was 2 sets of lights, one for the North Yard (Roads 1 to 16, these were on the Park Land side of the yard) and the second for the South Yard. Red light was stop, Green light to go forward and a Yellow light to come back. The shunt engine would push the train back into the yard with the Shunter in Charge cutting off wagons for the various roads. There was a hand sign for day and a light sign by night for all roads. After the wagons were cut off, the Shunter in Charge would give a sign to the Shunter to which road the wagons were to be placed, by this time the wagons were rolling freely. The Shunter would change the points and ride the wagon operating the hand brake, sometimes you could have 6 or 7 wagons in the sting, hopping off and on to apply or release brakes. Didn’t take long to become a fit little digger I can tell you. The older wooden wagons with lever brakes were a lot of fun, the lever is only on one side. Sometime the Shunter in Charge would check them before letting them loose, if the lever dropped to the bottom he would stop the move, crawl under the wagon and place a dog spike in the hand brake chain. 

 

Back to PE wagons, it was like winning the casket if you got a PE, you would set the road and jump up on the floor, sit on the floor with your legs hanging over the headstock, apply/releasing the brake just like a ship’s captain, being roller bearing it didn’t take much time before you had the wind blowing through your hair. One afternoon I was taking one down 24 Road to place under the gantry, I think 24 Road was the longest road in Roma Street, the gantry crane was next to Platform 8, about were platform 9 is today. As I turn the corner I could see there were a couple of wagons on the stop blocks, Platform 8 was packed with passengers waiting for their train. They didn’t look to very happy and appeared half a sleep, so I decide I would wake them up and bring them into life. I release the brake, jumped off let it go, and found a place to hide so I could watch proceeding, a few seconds later the PE slammed into the other wagons, lots of noise and dust everywhere. The PE bounced into the air along with all the waiting passengers on Platform 8. Lucky for me the wagon stay on the track, I turned and walk back up towards College Road bridge for my next wagon/s. You can see why I pulled the pin, no more fun in the job anymore?????   This method of shunting is still in the Shunter’s Manual and is called “Controlled Shunting”, you need authority to do it. I think I may have been the last to have that authority. . The PE wagons were withdraw from service in 2000.

 

General Appendix 1962 clause 62;  Wagons for Heavy Machinery. 10 PX wagons to carry 35 tons 8 cwt have been allotted, 6 to SE Division, 2 to Rockhampton, and 2 to Townsville. They are available for conveyance of heavy machinery or heavy loading. This class of wagon must not be used without the author of the relevant General Manager. Their travel with a gross weight of over 40 tons shall be restricted to those sections available for B 18 ¼ or heavier steam locomotives. However, provided the gross weight does not exceed 40 tons, i.e. with a maximum nett load of 27 tons 8 cwt, PX wagons may travel on all lines available for steam locomotives.

 

Back to 309/209 on Westgate, the train has 2 “PE” class wagons in the consist conveying farm machinery. Some time ago, I purchased two GHQ farm equipment kits. # 60-0 13 Hay Baler and a # 60-006 1940’s Green 12 A Harvester. Austral Modelcraft has some GHQ kits. The biggest concerns I had was the overall width of the plant.  The harvester was going to stretch the limits, the widest platform wagon on the QR network is a QFX/QFC which is 9’ 4” across the floor. On completing the harvester kit the overall width across the wheels came in as 10’ 6’’ (bugger). I did consider adding a wider floor using crossing timbers across the top of the wagon floor, 10’ 6” was OK for a wide “Out of Gauge” load, but in jacking up the floor I was going to be to high. The grain elevator would arrived at it destination in a different shape, I don’t think the customer would be to happy. It was common practice to load caravan on their axles without wheels to reduce the height. Removing the wheels the harvester came in at 9’ 3” wide.  I did not have a QFX and didn’t feel like building one, so I decided to build at PE making the floor 9’ 3” wide (3” modellers licence, if I didn’t tell you, you wouldn’t pick it). The wagon was built from evergreen styrene and fitted with Southern Rail bogies. Most QR manufactures have bogies that could be used. The coupling are Kadee whisker scale head type # 158. I make my own couple boxes as part of the floor which allows for the buffers and give plenty of clearance around the wheels. The harvester was placed on old sleepers and chained to the wagon, some old sleepers were also used to stop any movement along the wagon. The old sleepers are match stick painted, the pine chock are the same cut with on an angle and left unpainted. 

 Scratch build PE

The Hay Baler was loaded onto a 3’ 6” Models PE wagon, the wagon has been on the layout for some time conveying a tractor with a slasher attached, not the best use of a PE wagon. The bogies are Steam Era XSC bogies cut back (At the time I was able to buy bogies without wheels) and regauged with K & S brass rectangle tube # 8262 (3/32 x 3/16) cut to 15.5 mm long, Steam Era spoke wheels were added making a very free running wagon. The couplings are Kadee H0n3 # 711/714. The method in my madness at the time was to use these couplings on hook wagons which should be marshalled towards the rear of the train. If I didn’t marshal them correctly, the same thing would happen as the prototype. ???  A good one hey. They don’t work the best, plus I want to run trains, not repair wagons, thus over the past few years have changed to using whisker couplings. I has since changed then over using a the Kadee # 262 narrow boxes with a # 158 scale whisker coupler,  mainly buy the bulk packs without boxes.    

 

3' 6" PE Kit. 

 

Steam Era bogies modified for 12mm tracks with # 711 Couplers.

 



Both wagons were weathered using Doctors Ben weathering powers applied with Isocol (rubbing alcohol available from the supermarket).    

I was talking to Peter Kennedy who was Manager of Special Loads in QR for many years. Here is some of what Peter had to say about modifications to PE wagons to carry special loads. You may recall I modified one for the harvester load.

 In their early days I had some control of PE wagons which didn't count for much after QFC wagons were introduced. However in the early 1960s QR was asked by the Army to transport Centurion tanks (52 ton stripped for transport) from Clapham to Gympie for Tin Can Bay. PE Wagons were unsuitable as is, but I never gave up easily. I asked the CME design staff could PE wagons be strengthened to carry these 11ft 6 ins wide and 52 tons tanks. The answer was yes with considerable strengthing of the underframes, increasing the floor timbers to 2 1/2 inches thick and 9ft 4 wide. The extended timbers to be further supported by a heavy angle steel welded on the outside of the solebar. It would be necessary to change the 12TAL bogies by 15 ton axle load bogies. I arranged this by using new 15 ton axle load bogies being built for the new WHO wagons for the Mt Isa line.​

The next issue was bridge loading. The loaded modified PE would be just over 16 TAL but also considerably exceeded the linear limit of 1.5 ton /ft. After lengthy consideration the Bridge Engineer approved the movement with restrictions including each loaded PE must have an empty wagon before and after over certain bridges.  It was all in vein as the transport dept. would not allow the army tank transporters over the road bridges between Gympie and Tin Can Bay.  The Army took the tanks by sea on LSM barges to the Bay. 

Some months later the Army approached QR, this time they wanted to take 4 Centurions from Tin Can Bay to the Army tropical trials near Innisfail. They would take them to Lucinda by an LSM and hoped to road transport them to their tropical trials unit. But!! the transport dept. refused to let their loaded army tank transporters over the Herbert River Bridge. Could QR carry them the short distance from Ingham over the river and then unload them at the next suitable unloading station, the name of which I cannot remember.  QR agreed to do it, but to modify only one wagon PE31612 and conduct a shuttle between the two stations. A  B18 ¼ did the 4 shuttles and was supervised by Harvey Bamford from my section.  I cannot recall if the tanks were ever returned by this method but PE31612 remained in the modified condition for the rest of its life. Whether its original bogies were returned I am unaware but this movement brought home to QR the serious need for a much heavier flat wagon and I was privileged to work in conjunction with the CMEs design staff the outcome was the QFX/C wagon.  Originally, I asked for 10 QFX wagons, they were so popular QR built several hundred of them.  Hope this added a bit more to Arthur’s great story.  

 

 

 PE Ipswich, Auto Couplers, Container spigots, disc wheels, painted grey.