M.R.W.A. Class AC open wagons.

M.R.W.A. Class AC open wagons.

In about 1911 the M.R.W.A. acquired a new group of open wagons, which were identical to the W.A.G.R. GC class. They were numbered AC80-179. Unlike nearly all other M.R.W.A. wagons they had wooden underframes. Further wagons (319-325, 332-349) were acquired in 1913 with a final group (361-385) was built by Collins in 1914. For some reason this last group were later listed as class A after renumbering as 295-318 in 1932. In 1932 AC80-179, 319-325 and 332-349 were also renumbered AC101-224.

AC class showing the two alternative types of crown plates fitted to the solebars.

There must have been some difference between A295-318 and the rest of the group which I am unaware of (unless they really were new A wagons delivered as late as 1914 and accidentally listed as AC at first) because they were all written off before the W.A.G.R. takeover in 1964. They were rated at 10 tons rather than the 9 tons listed for the rest of the AC class and this may have had something to do with it. Their demise occurred as follows

1956	298,299, 309, 313, 315 written off
1959	304, 306, 307, 311, 312 written off
1961-2	297, 301, 303, 305, 308, 310, 314, 316, 317 written off
1963	302, 318 written off
1965	295, 296 written off 300 to JETTY 272

Between 1950 and 1953 forty W.A.G.R. GC class wagons were loaned to the M.R.W.A. as AC1003-1011, 1031-1061. In 1953 all forty became M.R.W.A. stock and their new Midland and old W.A.G.R. numbers are listed below:

1953	AC71-100 ex W.A.G.R. GC8087, 9023, 1902, 9322, 8784, 7763, 7707, 973, 7075, 10373, 9820, 7666, 6554, 8506, 8440, 10541, 8311, 8097, 9018, 602, 8300, 8607, 8312, 9081, 8893, 8376, 9454, 10024, 8768, 8945 AC225-234 ex W.A.G.R. GC7640, 7398, 9976, 1071, 9677, 8324, 8597, 7632, 10432, 10315

Unfortunately I don't know which wagons carried which temporary numbers. The whole class was then taken into W.A.G.R. stock as standard GC class wagons in 1964-5 as follows although none of the previously sold wagons regained their original W.A.G.R. numbers.

1964	AC71-93, 95-103, 105-120, 122-128, 140-160, 162-165, 167-169, 170-173, 175-194, 196,197, 199-205, 207-213, 215-220, 222-227, 229-234 to GC40101-123, 40125-40133, 40135-40150, 40152-40158, 40160-40166, 40168-40190, 40192-40195, 40177-40203, 40205-40224, 40226,40227, 40229-0235, 40237-40243, 40245-40250, 40252-40257, 40259-40264
1965	94, 104, 121, 129, 137, 161, 166, 174, 195, 198, 206, 214, 221, 228 to W.A.G.R. GC 40124, 40134, 40151, 40159, 40167, 40191, 40196, 40204, 40215, 40218, 40236, 40244, 40251, 40258 40103, 40141, 40191, 40208 written off
1966	40108, 40126, 40151, 40186, 40200, 40204, 40210, 40211, 40247, 40253 written off
1967	40104, 40109, 40113, 40116, 40121, 40124, 40128, 40138, 40140, 40159, 40161, 40162, 40173, 40183, 40192, 40195, 40196, 40197, 40198, 40199, 40205, 40220, 40223, 40224, 40242, 40250, 40254, 40256, 40257, 40262 written off 40130 to JETTY 333
1968	40110, 40120, 40122, 40127, 40129, 40131, 40132, 40142, 40143, 40146, 40160, 40166, 40170, 40178, 40179, 40184, 40188, 40190, 40201, 40215, 40230, 40232, 40233, 40238, 40239, 40240, 40248, 40249, 40252, 40259, 40261 written off
1969	40163, 40219, 40264 written off
1970	40107, 40111, 40112, 40114, 40134, 40135, 40137, 40144, 40147, 40150, 40155, 40157, 40158, 40167, 40171, 40172, 40177, 40180, 40182, 40185, 40187, 40189, 40221, 40245, 40258 written off
1971	40102, 40156, 40176, 40193, 40212, 40235, 40241 written off
1972	40119, 40123, 40153, 40154, 40165, 40169, 40181, 40194, 40203, 40206, 40207, 40209, 40222, 40226, 40228, 40231, 40234, 40244, 40255 written off
1973	40101, 40105, 40125, 40149, 40152, 40164, 40202, 40213, 40214, 40216, 40218, 40243, 40251written off
1974	40148 written off 40246 labelled "Bitumen traffic only"
1975	40118, 40133, 40174, 40175, 40217 written off
1976	40227, 40246 written off
1977	40145 written off
1979	40106, 40115, 40117, 40136, 40139, 40168, 40225, 40229, 40236, 40237, 40260, 40263 written off

The final survivors were amongst the last wooden framed wagons running in Western Australia when written off in 1979.