The Victorian Railways (VR), trading from 1974 as VicRail, was the state-owned operator of most rail transport in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companies failed or defaulted, the Victorian Railways was established to take over their operations. Most of the lines operated by the Victorian Railways were of 5 ft 3 in. However, the railways also operated up to five 2 ft 6 in narrow gauge lines between 1898 and 1962, and a 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in standard gauge line between Albury and Melbourne from 1961.
Preserved S303 in Victorian Railways blue and gold livery in Seymour, Victoria
The Spirit of Progress headed by S301 Sir Thomas Mitchell near Kilmore East in 1938
Head office at 67 Spencer Street
Norman Charles Harris
Narrow-gauge lines of the Victorian Railways
The former Victorian Railways, the state railway authority in Victoria, Australia, built a number of experimental 2 ft 6 in narrow-gauge lines around the beginning of the 20th century. Although all were closed by the early 1960s, parts of two have been reopened as heritage railways.
NA class locomotive 6A, preserved on the Puffing Billy Railway in the original green livery used by the Victorian Railways until 1903. Photographed at Gembrook in 2006.
Embankment on the Colac – Beech Forest line
Restored Garratt G42 on the Puffing Billy Railway
NA locomotive No. 12, in the Black with Red livery used in the early preservation era, at Belgrave on the Puffing Billy Railway.