Victorian Railways R Class - Hudson - A Rail Film - Silent 16mm film

The R class was an express passenger steam locomotive that ran on Australia's Victorian Railways (VR) from 1951 to 1974. A long overdue replacement for the 1907-era A2 class 4-6-0, their development and construction was repeatedly delayed due to financial constraints caused by the Great Depression and later the manpower and materials shortages of World War II and the immediate postwar period.
Orders eventually totalling 70 locomotives were placed with the North British Locomotive Company of Glasgow. Once initial teething problems were overcome, R class locomotives proved to be a success and their power and speed enabled faster timetabled services. However, they were almost immediately superseded by mainline diesel-electric and electric locomotives on the VR from 1952 onwards. With successive orders of diesel-electric locomotives through the 1950s and 1960s gradually displacing them, all but seven of the class were withdrawn and cut up for scrap.
Four of the remaining locomotives were later restored to operating condition between 1984 and 1998. These have seen use ranging from hauling special heritage train services through to substituting for modern diesel-electric locomotives on regular intercity rail services run by V/Line and West Coast Railway. Another surviving example, number R 704, was originally displayed at the Festival of Britain in 1951 and is now on permanent display at the Australian Railway Historical Society Museum in Williamstown North, Victoria.

[@johnd8892]

Good to see this. Pity that after going to the effort and expense of titles, that the wheel arrangement was wrong. The R being a 4-6-4 not the 4-8-4 mistake in the title. Now if you had movie film of the VR H class 4-8-4 220 in service then that would be amazing. Only seen a newsreel scrap of the H stationary at Newport when new.

[@andrewrussack8647]

I see a bit of SAR footage has snuck into the film. A 700 class perhaps, on the Willunga line?

[@daviddunn4538]

Excellent, thanks for sharing.

[@ratcat7668]

I will be uploading 3 more videos about the Melbourne limited. I met Tom Binns.

[@vincentweatherly9991]

1:40 correct me if I’m wrong but Moorabool Viaduct

[@michaelnaisbitt7926]

This is a pity that the both the R class and the J class were scrapped to prematurely average mileages on the Js 540,000, miles the R class 550 to 620,00 miles the wheel bearings hardly broken in

[@landydave1000]

What R was considered the best.? Eg X31 was best of its class