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. |