W workmen's sleepers

W 416 was built new in 1945
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By the 1970's there were two kinds of "W" workmen's sleepers. W 416 shows the purpose built W, these started appearing in 1910. The other kind of W is illustrated by W 442 which is a chopped up bogie passenger car.
In service they were a 4 wheel version of a WW. They were used to house railway employees at wherever a gang was working. Railway employees usually called these cars "bughuts" |
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W 1 at Ararat, 1978

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W 47 started life as BH 63, built 1862.
In 1907 it was converted to a workmens sleeper and coded WS 49. The 1910 recoding saw it go to W 47, it was scrapped in 1933. photo circa 1922 |

W 56 started life as E 20 one of a group of 5 mailvans built at Newport in 1884 & 1885
In Feb 1909 it was converted to a workmens sleeper and coded WS 58
during the 1910 recoding it bacame WS 56. It was scrapped in 1931
Diagram below is from the 1904 diagrams book


W 70 was recoded from WS 72 circa 1910. (WS 72 built new June 1906)
It was autocoupled with a new steel underframe, May 1957
Photo at Geelong, 1978

W 72 built new photographed in 1977



W 103, converted from WS 105 circa 1910
New steel underframe and autocoupled ???
Photographed 1977



W 171 converted from YH 226 Nov 1913, scrapped 1936
Photo circa 1920




W 235 converted from YH 359 Feb. 1924.
In 1958 it recieved a steel underframe in conjunction with it being autocoupled.
Photographed at Geelong, 1978

W 256, photographed 1977

Photo courtesy Peter J. Vincent circa 1978


W 299 built new April 1928, photographed 1978.

In the late 70's, toward the end of their lives, several W's were refurbished.
Photo courtesy Peter J. Vincent

W 301 at Shepparton, stencilled for "weighbridge fitters" it accompanied a weighbridge test truck and presumably provided accomodation for the weighbridge fitter. Note the horizontal bracing that has been added around the body. Aug. 1981
Photo courtesy Peter J. Vincent
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