WK workmens kitchen car

ABOVE: Workmen at Newport workshops put the finishing touches to WK 1. photo date Oct 1959, official VR photo.   

There was only one vehicle in this class, it was equipped with a kitchen and tables to feed 25 workers at a time. The carriage started life as 45' AA 272. In 1909 it was lenghtened to 57' 3" and recoded to A 167. It appears to have been loaned to the SAR for two years from 1942. In 195 1it was withdrawn from revenue service and appeared as a kitchen car in late 1959. In the late 1950s there were several major Way & Works projects taking place, principally amongst them was the building of the Melbourne to Albury standard gauge line and this carriage was almost certainly built as a result of these projects. It would have accompanied large gangs. By the late 1970s it seemed to be welded to the rails next to the car sheds at Spencer St. In 1982 it was sold and was recorded at being at Leongatha.

ABOVE:WK 1 at Spencer street pass. sidings, July 25 1978. Photo courtesy Geoff Winkler

ABOVE: WK 1 at Spencer Street late 1970s, photo courtesy Rob O'Regan