L class Electric Locomotives Era of the Victorian Railways

[@sleepisabella]

Thank you so much for making this footage available for us to watch. I lived in Traf and as a kid, used to go down to the rails and watch the trains stunting. My first recollections were of steam engines and then the brand new L class engines. They were my favourite ones. I couldn't see enough of them. After moving away around 1975, I really missed them and their beautiful dark blue with yellow stripes and logo. If it weren't for people recording a part of history, this would all be forgotten by most. I do miss the trains and Gippsland very much. Thanks again for a wonderful reminisce of my childhood. 😊

[@reidgck]

Yes they were great days indeed. I remember the first L class through Oakleigh. Heard the then unique air horn from a long way off and rushed to see the loco pass at quite a higher speed than we were used to seeing. Thanks for your comment.

[@darylcheshire1618]

The long trains of wooden cars at the begining might have been the Warragul school trains which were discontinued in the late ‘70s because the kids were trashing the cars. I worked in the Edication Department and saw the 4” file on the topic. There was an outcry about replacing them with buses. The VR tried to encourage free travel for 4 teachers but could only get 2.

[@bewleymatt]

I lived in South Yarra & these guys trundled past 24 hours a day with briquettes. A fantastic array of well preserved history. Thank you!! How stupid to totally remove electric service to the Valley.... especially more than ever now as it would have been so appropriate....and smart. 😢

[@ianomeara3963]

So much has changed since those photos and film was taken. Well done 👍

[@johno01970]

Thanks for the video... interesting seeing all the lines between oakleigh and huntingdale stations!

[@trevgray8707]

Great historical footage to watch, loved the part where the wires went out to Traralgon. So sad that a bit of railway history is no more. Hopefully the wires will be put back in and we will see these L classes back out on the Gippsland line as they were intended back in the day.

[@beagle7622]

They could pull a hell of a load,very quickly. I used to catch one in the morning.

[@debshipard1664]

how short sighted cutting down the wires

[@darylcheshire1618]

I travelled on the last down spark to Warragul.

[@JacobGrimaR761]

May I Use some of Your footage in One of my upcoming Videos about the history of the Gippsland line, with credit to you of course

[@Gaminggunzeller]

If I'm correct the L class locomotives used to run between Melbourne and Traralgon.

[@reidgck]

You are right, the electrified line finished at Traralgon. The main job of the electric locomotive, was to haul briquette trains from Yallourn and Morwell to Melboune and the old Newport Power Station. The briquette factories have been closed for years now unfortunately, and the branch line between Moe and Yallourn to the briquette factory there, was pulled up some years before the Briquette factory at Morwell was similarly closed.

[@darylcheshire1618]

The L class was the most powerful locomotive in the VR until the C class in 1978. The VR bought 25 of them but mothballed some of them because the order was to include the Geelong line which was never electrified. The dynamic braking was very efficient I understand, it fed the power back into the overhead. The "throttle" had 36 notches and was a wheel on top of a vertical column. Not sure how the L class compared to the 46 class.

[@paulgriffiths8359]

@@darylcheshire1618 I have read that three lines were to be electrified under Operation Phoenix, but have never seen any reference until recently about the other two, I have read recently that Geelong as you mentioned was to be electrified. Do you know of which other line was meant to be, I would of thought maybe Ballarat or Bendigo or maybe even Albury but have never seen the other lines named Do you have any ideas on the third line ?

[@darylcheshire1618]

@@paulgriffiths8359 I only remember Tralragon and Geelong lines. The Gippsland line was for coal traffic and the Geelong was the busiest country line. I also remember that 25 locomotives were too many for the Gippsland line and some were mothballed.

[@paulgriffiths8359]

@@darylcheshire1618 thanks for the reply, I'll keep on searching, who knows what might turn up in the future

[@STYtrainspotter2007]

did it even have a train horn

[@VictorianRailHeritage]

Yes it did

[@sergeant5848]

1954 put 'em up fellas. Ok 1994 pull 'em down fellas. Ok 2024 put 'em up fellas. Hmmmm 2054 pull 'em down fellas... Hang on. Lets think about this....

[@farken7467]

What a travesty to pull down wires. Then to put them back up makes no sense.

[@DandamanV]

@@farken7467 Better to undo a bad decision than dwell on what could be.

[@Steven_Rowe]

The half pantographs ruined the look of them. Far better with the old diamond pantographs

[@reidgck]

They half pantographs were probably put on as measures to keep a few locomotives running for a bit longer

[@gordonvincent731]

@@reidgck These pantographs are a French design, Faively., not sure of the spelling.

[@emdB67]

I think they're spelt "Brecknell Willis". ;-) The ones seen on Hitachi trains were spelt "Faiveley" though.