Yallourn 900mm Railway
Encyclopedia
The Yallourn 900mm Railway was a 900 mm narrow gauge railway operated by the State Electricity Commission of Victoria
in the Latrobe Valley
of Victoria
, Australia
. The railway was built for the haulage of brown coal and overburden
between the Yallourn open cut mine, briquette works, and power station
. The Morwell Interconnecting Railway (ICR) was later constructed, linking the Yallourn mine complex with the Hazelwood open cut, briquette works, and power station
.
, and track in the open cut mine was frequently moved using special track shifters. Locomotives were supplied by Henschel & Son
, Siemens
, and Hitachi
. Use of the electric locomotive declined in later years, with diesel locomotives used on the Interconnecting Railway in the 1990s.
The Yallourn railway commenced operation with the power station, being replaced by conveyor belts in 1984. The Morwell Interconnecting Railway opened with the Hazelwood complex, and crossed the main Gippsland railway
by an overpass at Hernes Oak. The ICR was replaced by diesel locomotive haulage in 1993, with railway operations ending in October 2000 and the track was lifted between September and December 2001. A number of wagons from the railway after closure were acquired by the Walhalla Goldfields Railway
and regauged for their use. A locomotive and coal wagon from the line are preserved at the North Williamstown railway museum.
State Electricity Commission of Victoria
The State Electricity Commission of Victoria was a monopoly electricity generation, transmission and supply utility located in Victoria, Australia...
in the Latrobe Valley
Latrobe Valley
The Latrobe Valley is an inland geographical region and urban area of Gippsland in the state of Victoria, Australia. It is east of the City Of Melbourne and nestled between the Strzelecki Ranges to the south and the Great Dividing Range to the north – with the highest peak to the north of the...
of Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The railway was built for the haulage of brown coal and overburden
Overburden
Overburden is the material that lies above an area of economic or scientific interest in mining and archaeology; most commonly the rock, soil, and ecosystem that lies above a coal seam or ore body. It is also known as 'waste' or 'spoil'...
between the Yallourn open cut mine, briquette works, and power station
Yallourn Power Station, Victoria
Yallourn Power Station was a complex of six brown coal fuelled power stations built progressively from the 1920s to the 1960s. Located in Victoria's Latrobe Valley, the complex was situated beside the Latrobe River, with the company town of Yallourn located to the south west...
. The Morwell Interconnecting Railway (ICR) was later constructed, linking the Yallourn mine complex with the Hazelwood open cut, briquette works, and power station
Hazelwood Power Station, Victoria
Hazelwood Power Station, in the Latrobe Valley, Victoria, Australia is a brown coal fueled base-load power station built between 1964 and 1971. The power station is of 1,600 megawatt capacity, and supplies up to 25% of Victoria's base load electricity and more than 5% of Australia's total energy...
.
Operation
The network used overhead wire electrificationOverhead lines
Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point...
, and track in the open cut mine was frequently moved using special track shifters. Locomotives were supplied by Henschel & Son
Henschel & Son
Henschel & Son was a German company, situated in Kassel, best known during the 20th century as a maker of transportation equipment, including locomotives, trucks, buses and trolleybuses, and armoured fighting vehicles and weapons....
, Siemens
Siemens AG
Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....
, and Hitachi
Hitachi, Ltd.
is a Japanese multinational conglomerate headquartered in Marunouchi 1-chome, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company is the parent of the Hitachi Group as part of the larger DKB Group companies...
. Use of the electric locomotive declined in later years, with diesel locomotives used on the Interconnecting Railway in the 1990s.
The Yallourn railway commenced operation with the power station, being replaced by conveyor belts in 1984. The Morwell Interconnecting Railway opened with the Hazelwood complex, and crossed the main Gippsland railway
Orbost railway line
The Orbost railway line is a railway serving the Latrobe Valley and Gippsland regions of Victoria, Australia...
by an overpass at Hernes Oak. The ICR was replaced by diesel locomotive haulage in 1993, with railway operations ending in October 2000 and the track was lifted between September and December 2001. A number of wagons from the railway after closure were acquired by the Walhalla Goldfields Railway
Walhalla Goldfields Railway
The Walhalla Goldfields Railway is a gauge tourist railway located in the Thomson River and Stringers Creek valleys in Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, near the former gold-mining town and tourist destination of Walhalla.- History :...
and regauged for their use. A locomotive and coal wagon from the line are preserved at the North Williamstown railway museum.
External links
- Railpage Australia: Former Inter-connecting railway (SECV) Morwell
- Ausloco mailing list: ICR (interconnecting railway)
- Darren's Gunzel Gallery: SEC Railway photos
- Locomotive and rolling stock plans