Brief History Of The Class.

One hundred and eighty three 'O' wagons were constructed between 1915 and 1923 to transport brown coal 140km from Yallourn to the Newport where electricity was generated for the new electrified Melbourne suburban train services.

Between 1959 and 1961, seventy five O wagons were rebuilt for ballast discharge use and classified ON. The conversion altered the bottom discharge doors from butterfly "pin catch" type to wheel controlled discharge doors. These doors allowed the discharge rate to be controlled whilst spreading ballast on the move.

Between 1962 and 1968 the majority of the wagons were reclassed to O without alteration or were converted to OC for glass sand traffic.

In the 1970's ON class wagons could be found in limestone traffic from Nowa Nowa to Maryvale Sidings.

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References: Vincent, Peter, "O - Four Wheel Hopper Wagon", Victorian Railways Rolling Stock 1886 - 1996, CD-ROM, 1998

History of O284 (From P. Vincent)

1919	Built at Newport Workshops with a 15ton hopper and 'pin' latched drop doors.
1930	Modified for automatic couplings.
1959	Modified with wheel controlled discharge doors for work on ballast trains and reclassified to class ON.
1961	Reclassified back to O in November.
1978	Off register in December.
1988	Placed on historical register.
199?	Restored by CHTR, in service dropping ballast.

Restoration Policy

O284 Has been restored to a 1969 painting and lettering scheme.

Heritage Significance

Vehicle O284 is of state significance as the only surviving vehicle of its class and its historical association with the electrification of the Melbourne suburban train services.