{"id":99888,"date":"2024-08-02T15:38:55","date_gmt":"2024-08-02T05:38:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=99888"},"modified":"2024-08-02T15:39:15","modified_gmt":"2024-08-02T05:39:15","slug":"locomotive-k163-on-the-oaklands-railway-line-in-1963","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=99888","title":{"rendered":"Locomotive K163 on the Oaklands Railway Line in 1963"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Mentioning wheat trains on the Oaklands line – I have fond memories of a cab ride on K163 with VR driver Barry Dunn on 7 January 1965.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On that morning I’d driven from Wangaratta but arrived in Yarrawonga after Barry’s Down train had departed northwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A fast drive allowed me to catch up with the train, K163 running tender-first with a rake of empty GY trucks and to board it at a level crossing somewhere near Sloane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We trundled along as far north as Wangamong, where K163 shunted the empties and picked up a rake of loaded, tarp-covered trucks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a stinking hot day and the line’s track gang was burning off between the boundary fences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the Up departure, Barry offered me a ‘steer’. I’m pleased to say that I managed to start that train with only one little wheelslip!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The load was, as I recall, 1400 tons of wheat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Herewith a few photos taken that day, including some taken closer to Yarrawonga after we got back to my car and I’d driven ahead of the train.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Credit: John Thompson<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It was a stinking hot day and the line’s track gang was burning off between the boundary fences.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":99890,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[273,2469,47],"tags":[12187,12188,8,10484],"class_list":["post-99888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-australia","category-mainline-steam","category-rail-news","tag-k163","tag-oaklands-railway-line","tag-victoria","tag-yarrawonga"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t