L Class Electric Locomotives Victoria Railways Gippsland Line 1980s

The L class electric locomotives were a common sight on the suburban line to Dandenong (Victoria Australia), beyond which the line had been electrified in the early 1950s to enable the efficient transporting of brown coal and briquettes to Melbourne and the Newport power station, as well as to provide fast passenger trains to Gippsland as far as Traralgon to where the line was electrified. The L class electrics had been in service about thirty years at the time these videos were taken and were near the end of their lives as were the wooden passenger cars that chiefly made up their trains. These video clips were gathered together from tapes of the 1981-1982 era, and put together as a memory of the days when the L class electrics plied the main Gippsland line. These clips were all taken between Oakleigh and Huntingdale railway stations. Also included at the end, are some clips that show some suburban trains of the era including a Tait, a Hitachi, and some Harris (blue) trains. Visible in some shots, is a siding which was reported to be to a World War II camp nearby. This siding has now been dismantled. It was rarley used, however, there happen to be some four wheel wagon loads of briquettes parked there when one of the clips was taken. The siding later served a cement mixing works which can be seen in the distance in another of the clips. Bogie hoppers of cement were delivered ther via the siding. The S class diesel electrics were originally never seen on this line up until about the early 1980s.
One of them, S305, is shown on one of the clips on the so called Apex Quarry train. With the gradual demise of the L class electric locos, S and X class began to appear while more modern locos were utilised in former territory of the S and X class. The L class electrics weighed in at 97 tons and were some 2,400 horsepower. They were able to "drag a 1,000 ton freifgt up the steepest grade" and were also able to maintain over 70 miles per hour on passenger trains. Track gauge = 5ft3in. Built by English Electric. Votage = 1,500 from the overhead, the same as the suburban system. Number of locomotives in the class = 25 - numbered from L1150 to L1175. L1150 is now at the Railway museum operated by the Railway Historical Society at Williamstown. There are about four remaining with L1162 having been restored to run on special occasions. There are some higher detailed still shots
at - www nex.net.au/~reidgck/l-class.htm These shots were taken on the earliest of video home camera of equipment which didn't produce the quality of modern equipment.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• english
• electric
• locomotives
• railways
• suburban
• railroad
• rail

[jagerfaust2009]

ps I always went to the jobs vacant page in the Sun Newspaper when age was appropriate to see the never ending (in those days) VR adds "Trainee Enginemen wanted aged 16 to 34....Yep you guessed it, the bottom line of the eyesight chart let me down :- ( and the blue and gold era faided away but not in dreams and memory. Thanks for uploading (haha, even the old readymix plant drew a tear)...Cheers!

[reidgck]

@jagerfaust2009 Yes Oakleigh was once a great place in comparison with what it is now. Some parts are over developed while others are run down. There are roundabouts and cars everywhere and it is overgrown with excessive trees which have swamped it out. I remember Oakleigh well in the 1950s. There is quite a history there the way things were once done compared to today. I wrote up a story of memories some years back. Should edit it and put it on the net one day with a few pics.

[jagerfaust2009]

This was the happiest time of my life, standing watching and waving as well as taking photo's of the rail traffic between Oakleigh and Huntingdale (exactly the same positions you filmed from) I was born there (Elata Street) and my time of enjoyment was the period 60s and 70's. Those were the days with the moan of the L's dynamic braking on hot summer nights echoing for miles in the still. I came to befriend some drivers in Oakleigh Yard and remember them well. Pity we never met there.......

[reidgck]

@jagerfaust2009 It was a good spot. I lived near there too. Saw the transformations from steam to electric and dielelisation. On blazing hot days in the 1950s in the steam age, many sleepers used to catch fire they blazed and smouldered. Often used to take a bucket of water and tip on them. There were some who said it was sparks from the cast iron brake blocks but after the steam finished the fires did too. Many walked the tracks with bags picking up coal from along the tracks for their fires.

[TheAxelay]

The L class locomotive is quite a sight to behold...But they were right though the L class locomotive is whisper quiet compared to the diesel locomotives like the S class which would explain the accidents deaths involved because you'd never know it was coming hence its name "Whispering Death"..Another nice factor that this locomotive was used in the recent "GHOSTRIDER" film which is even more fitting to it's status because it's a ghost now..

[reidgck]

@TheAxelay They Ls were quiet. The early model flat top T class diesels introduced about the same time though, by comparison, could hardly be said to be that. You could hear them coming miles away and they shook the house and obliterated the sound from the TV on the way past. They are only 8 cylinder engines but I recon that they had no mufflers of any sort in their early days.

[jagerfaust2009]

@reidgck Yep (even had a footy club once) The Rotunda, Harley's Toy Shop, Fortes Electrical etc but you couldn't beat the old Coles Variety Store (Lone Star Loco's) and the old silver donut bus parked around the corner. I also remember a sports / toy shop that had a button outside the shop window, which when pressed made the train go around inside. Look forward to seeing a post on Oakleigh if you get around to it. Thanks and cheers!

[jagerfaust2009]

@reidgck I can just remember steam comming to an end, the electrics (L's) came several years before I was born. Mum used to hold me up in her arms at Houghton Rd Oakleigh adjacent the rail line and the loco crews would blow the whistle and wave. My uncles brother (dec HMAS Canberra) used to be the Commissioners Driver (as well as Royal trains) You may have heard of him, Les Haining (dec)? Yes I've heard about the coal but not the fires, very interesting. All the industry's gone now (as you know

[Wehategod]

I like the Electric Locomotives plus that Blue and Yellow Paint Scheme and the Diesel electrics too. EMD did a great job on those Engines. Very nice footage by the way

[melna1]

In the late 70s I saw many L class when travelling to Malvern on the suburban network. I have read that on cold winter days both pantos would be raised, the first to knock the ice off the wire and improve contact for the second. There is a sad photo on Mark Bau's VR website showing some of the Ls being scrapped.