West Coast Railway Modernised R Class Locomotives R711 & R766
In the Australian state of Victoria West Coast Railway operated the franchised passenger service between Melbourne Spencer Street and the coastal town of Warrnambool. Under Phil's guidance R Class 4-6-4s R711 & R766 were modernised to haul steam services. Sadly following changes on the railways of Victoria these services have now ceased. R711 & R766 have now passed into the care of Steamrail Victoria.
Whilst the modifications are nowhere near as comprehensive as applied by David Wardale and Phil in South Africa the two locomotives are interesting examples of the untapped potential of the steam engine. The work was undertaken at West Coast's Ballaarat East Workshops. Phil's contribution to the modification work centred on the oil firing and exhaust ejector systems, improved packings, piston rings and lubrication.
West Coast Railway R Class 4-6-4 R711 on one of the turntable roads at South Dynon depot. June 20 2001
I do not claim the below list to be exhaustive; rather it is based on my own observations and experience of the locomotives. Any errors or omissions are mine. This list includes more than just the parts designed by Phil.
Changes made during the rebuilds include:
A series of modifications visible in the cab (all visible on one page), including:
R711 at Melbourne Spencer Street before heading to Echuca. July 29 2001
A very comprehensive article regarding
the modifications was published in the Steamrail
Victoria magazine 
in August 2001. Click here to read it.
In 2002 an article written by the
webmaster appeared in the 6024 Society magazine, the 'Kings Messenger', regarding
my experiences with R711 during 2001. Click
here to read it. 
In late April 2002 I paid a visit to West Coast's depot at Ballaarat to see R766. This locomotive was awaiting final work to be completed following a motion failure the previous year.
R766 has a brass numberplate as seen here at Ballaarat East depot. April 2002
R766 at Ballaarat East. Note also the bufferbeam plates are brass. April 2002
The failure in April 2001 resulted in a bent crankpin. With the wheels out of the frames this unusual view was possible showing the nature of the bar frames etc. April 2002
This is the driving wheel at Ballaarat East with a new crank pin installed. April 2002
Ballaarat East retains a turntable from the days when it was a roundhouse. Here R766 on the left sits alongside Steamrail R700 which was at the depot for a rebuild. April 2002
