Driven Wheelset

Recent works to the historic roundhouse have allowed the transfer of locomotive components and rolling stock from Newport Workshops to the LRG’s new home in Traralgon. From this base, our dedicated volunteers are now able to resume the restoration work that was previously underway at Newport.

As more components arrive, precise measurements are being taken to assess the scope of repairs required on items that have not been touched since the Victorian Railways era. In recent weeks, this process has focused on the locomotive’s driven wheelset.

Most of the running gear for N441 has come from ex-VR locomotive K154, which endured the harsh Latrobe Valley climate for more than three decades. As a result, particular care is being taken to ensure that once restored, N441 operates free of the clunks, bangs, and scrapes that time and wear can leave behind.

The axle boxes and journals of the driven wheels were recently inspected. Encouragingly, the axle boxes were found to be in excellent condition. The white-metal and brass bearing surfaces showed minimal defects, cracks, or porosity. The thrust faces of the white metal were also intact and well bonded to the boxes.

With these positive results, attention then turned to the wheel centres. Volunteers stripped away the old paint and carried out a detailed inspection to check for any hidden faults. Once the engineering team confirmed the centres were sound, the wheels received a protective coat of black paint to preserve the bare metal.

The fully assessed and freshly painted driven wheelset now sits proudly on Road 1 of our roundhouse, marking another important milestone in N441’s restoration. With this stage complete, our volunteers have already turned their attention to the next wheelset. If you would like to help build N441, please consider donating to the Driving Wheel Fundraiser!