Australian Railway Historical Society (ACT Division)

S Class Freight Trucks S class vehicles are 4-wheel open freight wagons which were used for many years to carry general freight on the NSW rail system. This Society's group, comprising S 5602, S 6058, S 8604 and S 12882, were built between 1907-21. S 18034, formerly L 1175, was built in 1912 and is still an operational vehicle. More than 10,000 of these 4-wheel open wagons were built, forming the backbone of the NSW freight service for some 70 years, and were loaded with almost any freight except livestock. A full load could be 51 bales of wool or 188 bags of grain. Wool was the most common outgoing load from Yass while bulk superphosphate was brought into Yass in large quantities. Only about 30 of these trucks remain in existence. These wagons are known colloqually as "S trucks". The top photograph is of S 18030, built in 1912 and under the care of ARHS (ACT) since 1983. It has been restored and can be seen at the Canberra Railway Museum. The second photograph is the "S truck" at Yass Railway Museum.

Click on picture for larger image; use your 'Back' button to return to this page    S 18030    "S Truck", Yass

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