Friday, Facts & Fotos! FFF 38. Friday 14th April ’23.
West Block 7, 8 & 9 roads
Seven-0-seven Operations do basically the same type of locomotive and carriage maintenance work in 7 & 8 roads as Steamrail do in 4, 5, & 6 roads. The area is equipped with machinery, overhead cranes and storage of parts. They run main-line charter trips for private tours, corporate events, tours and filming across the Victorian rail network.
8 Road was originally designated as a boiler-making/ blacksmithing shop but is now used by 707 for maintenance and carriage storage. The cross-track from the store in Centre Block cuts right across all the tracks in WB thru from 2 to 9 road. (See the original 1880s drawing of West Block)
The DERM Preservation Society occupy 9 road. The physical structure of their section of West Block is much the same except that the beautiful brickwork above the north-facing facade has been replaced by corrugated iron. The Doring report says this change was done in c1934 but the reason for the change is not given. Originally all the doors in WB were of heavy wooden construction, but all have been replaced over the years by roller shutter or steel sliding doors.
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