SEC Railway

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The State Electricity Commission of Victoria once ran an extensive railway system in the Yallourn / Morwell area. The last section of railway in use was the Yallourn Morwell Inter Connecting Railway (ICR).
I was fortunate enough to make a number of visits to this railway before it was dieselised and eventually closed.
A small selection of my photos of that line appear on this page.

Engine 122 "Mighty Mouse" with a loaded coal train from Yallourn to Morwell near the site of Morwell Bridge township.
Mighty Mouse pushes the same train back  over the Morwell River bridge (or "trestleway" as the SEC called it) to Yallourn after emptying the hoppers at Morwell.
Engine No. 125 , unofficially named "Thunderbird 5" in spray paint, rounds a curve on the short lived East Field extension built to allow expansion of the open cut. It was soon extended further again and would probably have been extended yet again by now if the line had been kept inoperation.
No 108 on standby at Yallourn. 
Results from one of the (many) derailments along the line.
Nos. 122 and 125 cross at No. 9 (?) loop.
Front view of Nos. 122 and 125 cross at No. 9 (?) loop.
No. 122 pauses for photos on the East Field extension. This was one of the occasions where I was lucky enough to obtain a cab ride. It also meant I was able to have the train stopped anywhere I wished for photos. Such luxury. :)
Mighty Mouse edges forward as the hoppers are loaded on a wet day at Yallourn.
A cab ride on the SEC Interconnecting Railway was an unforgettable experience. The ride was extremely rough in places.
Note the unlit signal. The signalling system had been switched off in the final years due to unreliability. A staff system was in use instead.
One of the unusual level crossing signals used by the SEC. Many were made from old traffic light components. This one was at Yallourn.
One of the SEC crossing signals in use approaching Yallourn loading station.
Railway crossing at Yallourn.
Ballast hoppers at Yallourn.
Track maintenance machines at Yallourn.
SEC electric engines in the Yallourn workshops.
Rakes of hoppers on the sidings at Yallourn.
Train unloading at Morwell ditch bunker. Engine is SEC 125.
Point indicator at Yallourn. These signals were used to indicate the direction turnouts were set. The amber light in the center remained lit and the green lit either side to indicate direction. Keep in mind that empty trains were propelled by the engines, so the driver had to rely in these signals when at the back of the train.
End of train markings on a rake of hoppers at Yallourn.
A Fowler diesel (SEC 14, now at Walhalla) is about to haul dead 122 into the shed. Amusingly, the driver, working on his own, decided to uncouple the Fowler by leaving it in gear and then stepping down to pull the coupling pin. He than had to chase the Fowler and climb back on board to stop it and bring it back to the shed.
SEC 106 hauls a failed 123 "electric Blue" over the combined road / rail over road / rail / road bridge at the western entrance to Morwell.
SEC 122 (Mighty Mouse) about to pass under Princes Freeway, Morwell.
SEC 123 "Mighty Mouse" heads into the dawn light in the last week of SEC operation.
SEC 123 "Mighty Mouse" poses on the East Field extension. This section of track was laid to allow expansion of the East Field open cut. It was later extended even further, but the line had been dieselised by this time. A further expansion was given as a reason for discontinuing rail operations between Yallourn and Morwell.
Unceremoniously bulldozed aside to allow their replacements to be put in the tracks, SEC 123 and 108 will soon be scrapped. The CC locos had only arrived several hours prior to this photo being taken.
CC03 awaits the raising of the overhead wires on some sections of the railway. The CCs fouled the catenary wire in some locations.
Cooks Constructions took over operation of the interconnecting railway and converted the line to diesel operation with ex Queensland Railways DH class locomotives.
Three Cooks Constructions CC class locos haul a brown coal train over Commercial Rd, Morwell toward Morwell ditch bunker to unload.
Later again, the contract to operate the line was given to Energy Brix who acquired ex Tasmanian HEC locomotives. Unfortunately these were severely underpowered for the work required.
A view of 3 of the Energy Brix locomotives propelling a train to the loading area at Yallourn.
The same 3 locos some minutes earlier.
By this time the CC locos were on standby and leased as required to Energy Brix when their locos were not available.
CC01 out of use at Yallourn.