OH overhead maintenance

OH 8, 1978
Photo courtesy Rob O'Regan

Number in Class 13 (1979 total)
Number group 3 - 25
Construction period
In service 1921 - mid 1980's
Where built Newport W.S.
Diagram
More photos
Modeling
VR maintained an overhead train which was used to replace and work on the overhead wire. A group of these wagons was bracketed by two wagons carrying reels of overhead wire. The wire was attached to a stauntion and as the train pulled forward the wire would feed out and workers atop these wagons would secure the wire to the stauntions. They were converted from F horseboxes in 1951 for the Traralgon electrification project.Contact wire only needs to be replaced in 30 + year cycles so the overhead train spent long periods of inactivity stored at North Melbourne workshops.

This was VR's second overhead train, the first was used when Melbourne's suburban system was originally electrified and consisted of H 4 wheel boxvans.

The 6 wheel OH's were converted from F horseboxes. (F 27 itself never got converted to an OH)
Photo circa 1905, probably a builders photo.


OH 6 was converted from F 36 in 1951, photo date 1977

OH 3 was converted from FF 4 in 1951. Photo date 1977

above photo courtesy Peter J. Vincent



OH 15 circa 1979
Photo courtesy Peter J Vincent


ABOVE: OH 27, date unknown.

OH 28 was a wooden H body attached to a "tommy bent" underframe

This photo, from a VR Newsletter, shows the original overhead train in use.


OH 2 was converted from FF 3 in 1951 and used on the Eastern line elctrification, it was scrapped in 1955

page last updated Fri, 24 Feb 2012