| Class C (Class N before 1900) Sheep trucks
The W.A.G.R.had a total of about 150 class C sheep trucks of five different designs. The first group consisted of only about eight wagons. These wagons were 17'-0" over headstocks and originally had bell buffers. The first two were built in 1885 with a second batch of five in 1888. All of these older wagons were rebuilt as double-deckers in 1890 and a final wagon was built in 1891. Known running numbers are 105, 106, 177, 189-191, 282. All of the wagons in this group were written off by 1903 although number 177 survived to become Jetty wagon 265. | |
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A cruel enlargement from State Library of WA BA2053/5 shows two of these early sheep wagons at Fremantle. |
Another cruel engagement, this time from State Library of WA BA1344/73, shows an end view at Perth Goods yard. |
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The WAGR outline diagram is shown below.
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A second group of four wagons of an altogether different design were inherited by the W.A.G.R. when the G.S.R was taken over in 1896. They have their own separate page. No sheep trucks were built new on the New Zealand underframe and the first standard design did not arrive until the 1901/2 15'-0" all steel underframe became available. This new design was very similar to contemporary N.Z.R. wagons and they were numbered 5868 - 5892. One wagon (5872) from this batch was at least notionally converted to a class B cattle wagon in 1947. They were written off as below. |
| 1947 | 5870 written off |
| 1948 | 5877 to JETTY 484
5891 written off |
| 1949 | 5887 written off |
| 1950 | 5875, 5880, 5890 to JETTY 770, 784, 768
5874, 5879, 5883, 5886, 5888, 5889 written off |
| 1951 | 5878 written off |
| 1952 | 5871, 5873, 5881 written off |
| 1953 | 5882 written off |
| 1954 | 5868, 5869, 5876, 5884, 5885 written off |
| 1955 | 5892 written off |
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The WAGR outline diagram is shown below.
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The fourth group used the GB type 15'-0" wooden underframe but the body was similar to the third group. These wagons were numbered rather haphazardly as some were given numbers vacated by scrapped wagons. They were built as follows:
The photo at right showing C121 is from State Library of WA BA2271/70. |
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In 1920 replacement of these wagons started with many being converted to (or replaced by) longer CX class wagons. Very few survived this process and the last wagon (6334) was written off in 1954. Conversions to CX were as follows: |
| 1920 | 6317, 6320, 6321, 6335 to CX. |
| 1921 | 6319 to CX |
| 1922 | 6324, 6329 to CX |
| 1923 | 123, 133, 6318, 6331, 6332, 6336, 6337 to CX |
| 1924 | 6333, 6339 to CX |
| 1925 | 130, 134, 135, 6326 to CX |
| 1926 | 120 to CX |
| 1927 | 121, 131 to CX |
| 1928 | 125, 127, 129, 138 to CX |
| 1929 | 118, 119, 140, 142, 144, 150, 6315 to CX |
| 1930 | 122, 124, 128, 6321, 6328 to CX |
| 1931 | 136 to CX |
| 1932 | 126, 137 to CX |
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From 1937 conversions were to the new CXA standard (with probably very little left of the original wagon). 6325 and 6343 were dealt with in 1937 with 6330 following in 1944 and finally 6338 in 1947. Wagon 106 was converted to a class B cattle truck in 1947 and the remaining wagons were written off apart from 6322 which was missing presumed scrapped in 1953. The wagons were written off as follows: |
| 1947 | 6341 written off |
| 1948 | 132, 191 written off |
| 1949 | 105, 6327 written off |
| 1950 | 195, 6316, 6323, 6340, 6342 written off
190 to JETTY 779 |
| 1952 | 177 written off |
| 1953 | 6344 written off
6322 missing at stocktake |
| 1954 | 6334 written off |
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The fifth group of wagons used the same chassis but with a new body design. In these wagons the doors were in the middle of the side rather than at the right hand end. A batch of 50 (8237 - 8286) was built in 1912 followed by a final pair (9723, 9724) in 1915.
Photo shows C8238 when brand new in 1912 (WAGR official 193 RHWA collection) |
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This blow up of State Library of WA BA2271/88, taken at Wuranga, enables comparison of the fourth (left) and fifth (right) groups of C class wagons. Not only is the position of the side doors changed but the ends are different too. |
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The WAGR outline diagram is shown below.
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From 1930 these wago1930ns were also converted to class CX: |
| 1930 | 8247 to CX |
| 1931 | 8244, 8253, 8269, 8277, 8286 to CX |
| 1932 | 8240 to CX |
| From 1933 rebuilds/replacements were to the new CXA standard: |
| 1933 | 8237, 8242, 8252, 8256, 8274, 8284, 9724 to CXA |
| 1935 | 8241, 8250, 8260, 8282 to CXA |
| 1936 | 8254, 8276 to CXA |
| 1937 | 8259, 8264, 8272, 8275 to CXA |
| 1938 | 8251 to CXA |
| 1939 | 8239, 8262, 8263 to CXA |
| 1940 | 8238, 8273 to CXA |
| 1942 | 8249, 9723 to CXA |
| 1943 | 8278 to CXA |
| 1944 | 8255 to CXA |
| 1945 | 8267 to CXA |
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The remaining wagons were written off with the exception of 8246 which was declared missing in 1953. |
| 1947 | 8245, 8265, 8285 written off |
| 1949 | 8268 written off |
| 1950 | 8243, 8266, 8270, 8279 written off |
| 1952 | 8258, 8280, 8281, 8283 written off |
| 1953 | 8246 missing at stocktake |
| 1954 | 8248, 8257, 8261, 8271 written off |
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A State Library of WA view (23304PD ) of the the Midland Saleyards giving a very clear view of he top of one of the fifth group of wagons nearest the camera.
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Other Sheep trucks The W.A.G.R.'s other sheep trucks were classes CA, CX, CXA, and CXB, and the bogie vehicles in Classes S, SA, SA (later SX) and SXT |
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