Class LA Ballast Hopper
In 1931 a group of ten ballast hoppers were taken over from the PWD (PWD number 79-88). These wagons had been built for the PWD by the State Implement and Engineering works at Fremantle. They were of a more modern design and higher capacity than the existing L class wagons and so were given a new classification (LA). A superb picture of LA593 can be found in the Weston Langford collection here.

1931 233, 262, 406, 426, 471, 587, 593, 599, 600, 604 ex PWD 79-88 in that order.
1964 233, 406, 593, 600 fitted with extension boards
1965 262, 599, 604 fitted with extension boards
1966 471, 587 fitted with extension boards
1968 262, 471 written off
1969 599 written off
1970 587 written off
1971 406 written off
1977 426, 593, 600, 604 written off
1983 233 written off. Preserved Hotham Valley railway.
The WAGR outline diagram of these prewar wagons is shown below.

WAGR official photo of LA23701 (RHWA collection)

The ten 1931 wagons formed the basis for a new postwar ballast hopper to replace the old, life expired L class wagons. There were detail differences between the two groups as might be expected given the passage of time. The new wagons having a deeper underframe and being noticeably taller. A total of 155 of these new wagons were built between 1955 and 1960. The WAGR outline diagram of these postwar wagons is shown below.

From 1963, 7" high extension boards were fitted to most of these wagons and a 25mph (later 40kph) speed limit imposed when loaded. About 40 remained without these extensions, presumably to work on lines where the full weight could not be taken.

1955 23701 - 23750 built
1957 23751 - 23800 built
1958 23801-6 built
1959 23807-23825 built
1960 23826 - 23855 built
1963 23701, 23702, 23703, 23707, 23708, 23710, 23711, 23712, 23713, 23715, 23716, 23718, 23719, 23722, 23723, 23724, 23725, 23726, 23728, 23729, 23730, 23731, 23732, 23733, 23734, 23739, 23740, 23742, 23743, 23744, 23745, 23746, 23747, 23748, 23749, 23750, 23752, 23753, 23755, 23756, 23758, 23759, 23760, 23761, 23762, 23763, 23765, 23766, 23767, 23768, 23769, 23770, 23771, 23773, 23774, 23775, 23776, 23777, 23778, 23779, 23781, 23782, 23784, 23786, 23787, 23789, 23760, 23791, 23795, 23796, 23797, 23798, 23799, 23800, 23801, 23802, 23803, 23804, 23806, 23807, 23808, 23810, 23811, 23812, 23813, 23814, 23816, 23818, 23819, 23820, 23822, 23823, 23824, 23825, 23827, 23828, 23829, 23830, 23831, 23832, 23834, 23835, 23836, 23837, 23839, 23840, 23841, 23842, 23843, 23844, 23846, 23848, 23849, 23850, 23851, 23855 fitted with extension boards
1964 23706, 23717, 23720, 23721, 23727, 23735, 23736, 23737, 23738, 23741, 23754, 23764, 23772, 23783, 23788, 23792, 23793, 23794, 23817, 23821, 23826, 23845, 23847, 23852, 23853, 23854 fitted with extension boards

23704, 23714, 23785, 23833 written off

1965 23705, 23709, 23751, 23757, 23780, 23805, 23809, 23815, 23838 fitted with extension boards

23753 written off

1970 23722, 23796 written off
1971 23726, 23756, 23793, 23806 written off
1978 23830 written off
1980 23746, 23802 written off
1981 23825 written off
1985 23701, 23702, 23718, 23720, 23729, 23734, 23736, 23737, 23744, 23745, 23749, 23757, 23775, 23777, 23778, 23779, 23782, 23788, 23789, 23790, 23792, 23794, 23797, 23800, 23808, 23810, 23819, 23821, 23826, 23827, 23832, 23838, 23840, 23844, 23845, 23849 written off
1986 23709, 23760, 23762, 23786, 23801, 23812, 23817, 23834 written off
1987 23770 written off
1988 23783 written off
1989 23843 written off
1990 23706, 23780, 23799, 23811 written off
1992 23733, 23707, 23787 written off
1993 23804 written off
1995 23703, 23711, 23712, 23717, 23725, 23740, 23748, 23752, 23754, 23764, 23765, 23768, 23769, 23774, 23795, 23803, 23806, 23807, 23822, 23823, 23829, 23837, 23841, 23846, 23852 written off
1996 23829 written off (also recorded as 1995!)
A further group of wagons classified as LA were the MRWA O class wagons which were put in class LA in 1964 until it was realised that they were much more comparable to the older L class wagons. By 1966 they had all been re-classified as L.
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