State Electricity Commission Railway Yallourn to Morwell 1960s

State Electricity Commission coal Railway between Yallourn open cut and Morwell briquette factory 1960s

[@albert3801]

So unusual the way only one loco on each end has pantographs raised, with he traction current being passed to the second locomotive via jumper cables!

[@reidgck]

Interesting. Seems like the traction current collected by the first locomotive, likely went directly to the traction motors of the loco with the pantographs down in parallel with the traction motors of the first loco. Maybe that avoided going through a regular type multiple unit setup.

[@waynewhite2323]

Look like a train from the old Soviet Union.

[@reidgck]

They privatised it for profiteers, ran it down and closed it down. Can't even buy locally made briquettes these days. They import some from Germany instead; from near where some of these locos were made.

[@waynewhite2323]

@@reidgck Can remember pickin' up briquettes along the train line round Pakenham as a boy, hard times.

[@reidgck]

The local goods trains used to take wagon loads of briquettes all over Victoria to industries and the Newport power station and to stock piles for domestic use as heating, and for hot water services and much more. I still have a few unopened bags. They are far superior to the German ones and have more heat and produce less ash. They would keep a fire going for ages. Won't find any along the line these days. They are extinct.

[@Isochest]

@@reidgck This railway is so like ones you still see in Serbia Germany and some other Eastern European countries. Did it join with the Gippsland line?

[@reidgck]

No it was a different gauge. - a metre gauge. It crossed the Gippsland line and the Princes Hwy on a long bridge just west of Morwell which I'm fairly sure is still there. These locomotives were replaced by some gauge converted DH class they got from Queensland before the line finally closed. The DHs are still around somewhere. Maybe at Puffing Billy.They must be very versatile because some have been converted to 2 foot gauge and are used on sugar cane trains in Queensland.