M.R.W.A. Class AC open wagons. |
WAGR GER and MRWA AC (RHWA Collection) |
In about 1911 the M.R.W.A. acquired a new group of open wagons, which were identical to the W.A.G.R. GC class. They were numbered AC80-179. Unlike nearly all other M.R.W.A. wagons they had wooden underframes. Further wagons (319-325, 332-349) were acquired in 1913 with a final group (361-385) was built by Collins in 1914. For some reason this last group were later listed as class A after renumbering as 295-318 in 1932. In 1932 AC80-179, 319-325 and 332-349 were also renumbered AC101-224. |
AC class showing the two alternative types of crown plates fitted to the solebars. |
There must have been some difference between A295-318 and the rest of the group which I am unaware of (unless they really were new A wagons delivered as late as 1914 and accidentally listed as AC at first) because they were all written off before the W.A.G.R. takeover in 1964. They were rated at 10 tons rather than the 9 tons listed for the rest of the AC class and this may have had something to do with it. Their demise occurred as follows |
1956 | 298,299, 309, 313, 315 written off |
1959 | 304, 306, 307, 311, 312 written off |
1961-2 | 297, 301, 303, 305, 308, 310, 314, 316, 317 written off |
1963 | 302, 318 written off |
1965 | 295, 296 written off
300 to JETTY 272 |
Between 1950 and 1953 forty W.A.G.R. GC class wagons were loaned to the M.R.W.A. as AC1003-1011, 1031-1061. In 1953 all forty became M.R.W.A. stock and their new Midland and old W.A.G.R. numbers are listed below: |
1953 |
AC71-100 ex W.A.G.R. GC8087, 9023, 1902, 9322, 8784, 7763, 7707, 973, 7075, 10373, 9820, 7666, 6554, 8506, 8440, 10541, 8311, 8097, 9018, 602, 8300, 8607, 8312, 9081, 8893, 8376, 9454, 10024, 8768, 8945 AC225-234 ex W.A.G.R. GC7640, 7398, 9976, 1071, 9677, 8324, 8597, 7632, 10432, 10315 |
Unfortunately I don't know which wagons carried which temporary numbers. The whole class was then taken into W.A.G.R. stock as standard GC class wagons in 1964-5 as follows although none of the previously sold wagons regained their original W.A.G.R. numbers. | |
1964 | AC71-93, 95-103, 105-120, 122-128, 140-160, 162-165, 167-169, 170-173, 175-194, 196,197, 199-205, 207-213, 215-220, 222-227, 229-234 to GC40101-123, 40125-40133, 40135-40150, 40152-40158, 40160-40166, 40168-40190, 40192-40195, 40177-40203, 40205-40224, 40226,40227, 40229-0235, 40237-40243, 40245-40250, 40252-40257, 40259-40264 |
1965 | 94, 104, 121, 129, 137, 161, 166, 174, 195, 198, 206, 214, 221, 228 to W.A.G.R. GC 40124, 40134, 40151, 40159, 40167, 40191, 40196, 40204, 40215, 40218, 40236, 40244, 40251, 40258
40103, 40141, 40191, 40208 written off |
1966 | 40108, 40126, 40151, 40186, 40200, 40204, 40210, 40211, 40247, 40253 written off |
1967 | 40104, 40109, 40113, 40116, 40121, 40124, 40128, 40138, 40140, 40159, 40161, 40162, 40173, 40183, 40192, 40195, 40196, 40197, 40198, 40199, 40205, 40220, 40223, 40224, 40242, 40250, 40254, 40256, 40257, 40262 written off
40130 to JETTY 333 |
1968 | 40110, 40120, 40122, 40127, 40129, 40131, 40132, 40142, 40143, 40146, 40160, 40166, 40170, 40178, 40179, 40184, 40188, 40190, 40201, 40215, 40230, 40232, 40233, 40238, 40239, 40240, 40248, 40249, 40252, 40259, 40261 written off |
1969 | 40163, 40219, 40264 written off |
1970 | 40107, 40111, 40112, 40114, 40134, 40135, 40137, 40144, 40147, 40150, 40155, 40157, 40158, 40167, 40171, 40172, 40177, 40180, 40182, 40185, 40187, 40189, 40221, 40245, 40258 written off |
1971 | 40102, 40156, 40176, 40193, 40212, 40235, 40241 written off |
1972 | 40119, 40123, 40153, 40154, 40165, 40169, 40181, 40194, 40203, 40206, 40207, 40209, 40222, 40226, 40228, 40231, 40234, 40244, 40255 written off |
1973 | 40101, 40105, 40125, 40149, 40152, 40164, 40202, 40213, 40214, 40216, 40218, 40243, 40251written off |
1974 | 40148 written off
40246 labelled "Bitumen traffic only" |
1975 | 40118, 40133, 40174, 40175, 40217 written off |
1976 | 40227, 40246 written off |
1977 | 40145 written off |
1979 | 40106, 40115, 40117, 40136, 40139, 40168, 40225, 40229, 40236, 40237, 40260, 40263 written off |
The final survivors were amongst the last wooden framed wagons running in Western Australia when written off in 1979. The MRWA outline diagram is shown below. |
At the end of its life 40115 served as a "Blue cross" wagon at Fremantle. J. Austin (RHWA Collection) |