Class WF, WFDF and WFDY flat top bolster wagons

WAGR official photo of WF30001 on delivery (RHWA collection)

Amongst the very first wagons purpose built for the W.A.G.R. standard gauge at Midland Workshops were the WF class. They also occupied the lowest numbers in the standard gauge 3XXXX series. The first four entered service at the end of 1964 and the rest followed in 1965-1966. Delivering the new standard gauge stock over a narrow gauge network presented some interesting problems as shown above.

1964 WF 30001-30004 built
1965 WF 30005-30035, 30038-30043, 30045-30048 built
1966 WF 30036, 30037, 30044, 30049-30119 built

WAGR official photo of WF30045 with load (RHWA collection)

Conversions started very soon after the class was in service with the last wagon transferring to service stock as class WSA in 1967 and eleven others converted for Motor car traffic ( WMA) in 1968 but returned to WF in 1975. In 1969 eleven wagons were converted for Iron ore containers and reclassified WFW. Eight others were also converted to WFW up to 1979. Two wagons were reclassified WFL in 1971 for the transport of locomotives to the isolated 3'-6" gauge lines. They reverted to WF when this was no longer necessary in 1975.

Nine wagons ran as class WFP between 1973 and 1976. Four wagons were converted for Nickel ore containers and reclassified WFM for a short period (1973-1976).

1967 WF 30119 converted to WSA
1968 WF 30002, 30006, 30012, 30016, 30021, 30022, 30025, 30037, 30098, 30106, 30116 to WMA
1969 WF 30026, 30030, 30031, 30042, 30055, 30058, 30066, 30092, 30104, 30110, 30115 to WFW
1971 WF 30068 to WFW

WF 30059, 30060 to WFL

1973 WF 30035, 30043, 30054 to WFM

WFM 30035 to WF

WF 30036, 30038, 30069, 30082, 30086, 30095, 30097, 30100, 30105 to WFP

1974 WF 30009, 30027 to WFW

WF 30018 to WFM

1975 WFL 30059, 30060 to WF

WFM 30043 to WF

WMA 30002, 30006, 30012, 30016, 30021, 30022, 30025, 30037, 30098, 30106, 30116 to WF

1976 WFM 30018, 30054 to WF

WFP 30036, 30038, 30069, 30082, 30086, 30095, 30097, 30100, 30105 to WF

1979 WF 30001, 30007, 30013, 30067, 30098 to WFW

WAGR official photo of WFDY30057 (RHWA collection)

From 1979 until 1982 WF class wagons were slowly reclassified as WFDY. This process also included bringing the sub WFWs back into the fold as they went directly to WFDY in 1981. WF 30091 was the only wagon written off as class WF.

1979 WF 30002, 30003, 30005, 30010, 30012, 30014, 30016, 30019, 30020, 30021, 30025, 30034, 30038, 30040, 30043, 30044, 30045, 30046, 30047, 30048, 30049, 30050, 30051, 30052, 30054, 30059, 30060, 30061, 30062, 30065, 30069, 30070, 30071, 30074, 30075, 30076, 30078, 30080, 30083, 30086, 30089, 30099, 30102, 30103, 30106, 30107, 30108, 30109, 30112, 30114, 30118 to WFDY
1980 WF 30004, 30006, 30008, 30011, 30015, 30017, 30018, 30022, 30023,30024, 30028, 30029, 30032, 30033, 30035, 30036, 30037, 30039, 30041, 30053, 30056, 30064, 30072, 30073, 30077, 30079, 30082, 30084, 30085, 30087, 30088, 30090, 30093, 30094, 30095, 30097, 30100, 30101, 30105, 30111, 30113, 30116 to WFDY
1981 WF 30063, 30081, 30096, 30117 to WFDY

WFW 30001, 30007, 30009, 30013, 30026, 30027, 30030, 30031, 30042, 30055, 30058, 30066, 30067, 30068, 30092, 30098, 30104, 30110, 30115 to WFDY

1982 WF 30057 to WFDY

WF 30091 written off

Having brought the class pretty much back together by 1982 (only 30119 and 30091 missing) reclassification and conversion for other roles started again in 1983 with five wagons reclassified as WFSY sleeper wagons for the Koolyanobbing to Kalgoorlie re-sleepering.

Two WFDY were comprehensively rebuilt into WGLA class Nickel Matte wagons.

1983 WFDY 30002, 30019. 30068, 30075, 30108 to WFSY
1984 WFDY 30030 written off
1985 WFDY 30027, 30115 to WGLA

Most WFDY wagons were reclassified WFDF in 1988-1990. Wagons identified as not being reclassified at this time (before about 1997) were WFDY 30003, 30018, 30032. In 1989 WFDY30063 joined the service fleet as WSN 30063. Twelve wagons were converted to WFBY in 1990 but they were a short lived group although three seem to have survived the class write off in 1996. In 1997 most of the class were reclassified WQH for sulphuric traffic.

1988 WFDY 30001, 30006, 30011, 30013, 30020, 30024, 30028, 30029, 30036, 30037, 30039, 30040, 30043, 30044, 30046, 30049, 30050, 30060, 30069, 30077, 30080, 30081, 30086, 30092, 30093, 30096, 30099, 30101, 30102, 30103, 30105, 30109, to WFDF
1989 WFDY 30063 to WSN

WFDY 30014, 30015, 30021, 30025, 30034, 30047, 30051, 30053, 30056, 30058, 30059, 30061, 30070, 30071, 30076, 30084, 30085, 30098, 30106, 30107, 30110, 30112, 30114, 30116, 30118 to WFDF

? WFDY 30004, 30010, 30012, 30015, 30016, 30017, 30022, 30023, 30026, 30028, 30029, 30031, 30033, 30035, 30038, 30041, 30042, 30045, 30047, 30051, 30052, 30054, 30055, 30057, 30062, 30064, 30065, 30066, 30067, 30069, 30072, 30073, 30074, 30078, 30079, 30082, 30083, 30087, 30088, 30089, 30090, 30094, 30095, 30097, 30100, 30104, 30111, 30117, to WFDF
1990 WFDF 30008, 30009, 30043, 30044, 30046, 30080, 30081, 30085, 30093, 30103, 30114 to WFBY

WFDY 30048, 30083 to WFBY

WFDY 30007, 30113 written off

1993 WFDY 30005 to WFDF

WFDF 30021, 30024, 30118 written off

1994 WFDF 30004, 30005, 30006, 30010, 30012, 30013, 30014, 30016, 30017, 30022, 30023, 30025, 30033, 30034, 30035, 30036, 30037, 30038, 30039, 30041, 30042, 30045, 30049, 30050, 30051, 30052, 30053, 30054, 30055, 30056, 30057, 30058, 30059, 30060, 30061, 30064, 30065, 30066, 30071, 30072, 30073, 30074, 30077, 30078, 30079, 30082, 30084, 30086, 30087, 30088, 30089, 30090, 30092, 30094, 30095, 30096, 30097, 30098, 30099, 30100, 30101, 30102, 30104, 30105, 30106, 30107, 30110, 30111, 30112, 30117 to RFDF
1995 WFDF 30026, 30031, 30062, 30065, 30067, 30083 to RFDF
1996 WFDF 30014 written off
1997 WFDF/RFDF? 30004, 30005, 30006, 30010, 30011, 30012, 30013, 30016, 30017, 30020, 30022, 30023, 30025, 30026, 30031, 30033, 30034, 30035, 30036, 30037, 30038, 30039, 30040, 30041, 30045, 30049, 30050, 30051, 30052, 30053, 30054, 30055, 30056, 30057, 30058, 30059, 30060, 30061, 30062, 30064, 30065, 30066, 30070, 30071, 30072, 30073, 30074, 30076, 30077, 30078, 30079, 30082, 30084, 30086, 30088, 30089, 30090, 30092, 30094, 30095, 30096, 30097, 30098, 30099, 30100, 30101, 30102, 30105, 30106, 30107, 30109, 30110, 30111, 30112, 30117 to WQH

By 2010 all 75 WQH were still in service as class AQHY. The three WGLA conversions were now class AOLF, and the 5 WFSY class sleeper wagons were now class AFSX. In addition there were seven wagons classed as AQDX (30003, 30009, 30028, 30032, 30067, 30069, 30087) and a further two as AQGY (30048 and 30080). One of the AQGY was listed for scrapping in 2014 ( I don't know which) and one other wagon listed as WFDX but probably an AQDX.

WF Diagram

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