2184) "Victorian Railways (VR) R711 'Spirit of Bendigo', Australia: "STEAM POWER - Australian Rail Heritage" - Steam Engines Coin Series": Fourth Coin in the 50 Cents Coin Series features the iconic Steam Engine built in 1951: Year of Coin issue: 2022:
"Australian Rail Heritage Coin Series" brings together seven iconic locomotives to celebrate the golden age of Australian Steam Engines.
Covering more than a century of steam travel, the story of the railways opening up the country and putting Australia on a path to federation and a modern nation is presented on this Coin Series.
The Fourth Coin features the "Victorian Railways (VR) R711 - Spirit of Bendigo - , Steam Locomotive/Engine:
A Brief:
The "R" class was an express passenger steam locomotive that ran on Australia's Victorian Railways (VR) from 1951 to 1974.
A long overdue replacement for the 1907-era A2 class 4-6-0, their development and construction was repeatedly delayed due to financial constraints caused by the Great Depression and later the manpower and materials shortages of World War II and the immediate post-war period.
Orders eventually totalling 70 locomotives were placed with the North British Locomotive Company of Glasgow.
The North British Locomotive Company (NBL, NB Loco or North British) was created in 1903 through the merger of three Glasgow locomotive manufacturing companies - Sharp, Stewart and Company (Atlas Works), Neilson, Reid and Company (Hyde Park Works) and Dübs and Company (Queens Park Works), creating the largest locomotive manufacturing company in Europe and the British Empire.
Once initial teething problems were overcome, 'R' class locomotives proved to be a success and their power and speed enabled faster time-tabled services.
However, they were almost immediately superseded by mainline diesel-electric and electric locomotives on the VR from 1952 onwards. With successive orders of diesel-electric locomotives through the 1950s and 1960s gradually displacing them, all but seven of the class were withdrawn and cut up for scrap.
Four of the remaining locomotives were later restored to operating condition between 1984 and 1998. These have seen use ranging from hauling special heritage train services through to substituting for modern diesel-electric locomotives on regular intercity rail services run by V/Line and West Coast Railway.
"R" class locomotives saw a relatively brief but notable return to operation of regularly scheduled mainline passenger rail services when in the late 1990s, two of the remaining locomotives were extensively modified and returned to service.
In order to ensure the locomotive's ability to reliably keep to the timetable, a number of notable design changes were made. These included the replacement of the original single blastpipe with dual Lempor ejectors, conversion to oil firing, fitting of power reverse, and the addition of a diesel control stand to allow for multiple unit operation with diesel electric locomotives where required.
R711 was commissioned in 1951 to haul Victoria’s express passenger trains.
Sleek, modern, and powerful, R711 had a short working life, being retired to stand outside Bendigo Railway Station in 1964, until it was restored in 1996 by West Coast Railway.
R711 re-entered service on regular trains on 21.11.1998, and design refinements based on its performance in service were made to the subsequent conversion, with the exception of a diesel control stand, for R766.
In 2004, West Coast Railway ceased operations after a number of operational problems made the business unviable.
The two R class locomotives made a final trip back to Newport Workshops, where they passed into the care of Steamrail Victoria.
Steamrail Victoria is a not-for-profit volunteer group established in 1965 to restore and operate historic locomotives and rolling stock used on the railways in Victoria, Australia.
The Steanrail Victoria group has the custody of a number of Victorian Railways steam locomotives, including the R, D3 and K classes; in addition to several diesel electric locomotives, and various suburban electric rolling stock. Heritage carriages include the wooden 'E' and 'W' types, steel air conditioned 'S' type carriages, and South Australian 'K' type steel stock.
R 711 has re-entered service with Steamrail Victoria in 2012. and operates as a heritage train engine.
The Coin featuring - the iconic "Victorian Railways (VR) R711 - Spirit of Bendigo -" Steam Engine:
The Folder containing the Coin and a description of its history and how it helped shape modern day Australia
The Obverse of the 50 Cents Uncirculated Coin depicts an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II facing right. The peripheral inscription reads -"ELIZABETH II. AUSTRALIA. 50 CENTS".
The specifications of this Coin are:
Country of issue: Australia; Year: 2022; Coin Series Theme: "Steam Power - Australia's Railway Heritage"; Coin Theme: "VIC R711 - Spirit of Bendigo Steam Engine"; Denomination/Face Value: 50 Cents; Weight: 15.55 grams; Diameter/Size: 31.51 mm; Coin Quality: Uncirculated; Coin Folder: Coloured Uncirculated Coin and Folder, Coin Card; Minted By: Royal Australian Mint: Mintage: 20,000 pieces.
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