Maryvale

Written By: Alex Thorn
Photos By: Chris Nuthall, Ian Green, Thomas McIntosh and Tom Schache

Page Last Updated: 18/7/20

The Maryvale paper train conveys paper products to and from the Australian Paper Mill in Maryvale (north of Morwell in the Victorian Latrobe Valley) to Melbourne. It typically delivers containers to Victoria Dock for export or forwarding by rail to other major cities on intermodal trains. The trains from the mill travel down a short branch to the main Bairnsdale line where they join, proceeding to Melbourne.

X41-A81-A77 with #9461 on the North Melbourne Flyover. (8/4/00)
Photo By: Chris Nuthall

X37-XR554 with #9461 at Westall. (2/12/09)
Photo By: Chris Nuthall

Before privatisation of Victoria’s freight operator V/line Freight, the branch from Morwell to the Maryvale paper mill was serviced independently, using small Whitcombe locomotives. These trains would bring louvre and open wagons from the mill site to exchange sidings situated alongside the mainline. The wagons would be picked up by Gippsland freight trains heading to Melbourne, operated by VR and later, V/line. During the 1980s and 1990s, V/line leased units such as T342 and Y173 to APM, who painted them in a bright all-over yellow livery to undertake the service between the mill and mainline.

In 1996, freight services began operating directly from the paper mill to Melbourne, operated by V/line Freight until privatisation shortly after in 1999. Locomotives typically used during this period and into the 2000s could include A, X, P, T and H classes, until higher powered units like G, BL and XR class were utilised on occasions. Lesser powered units were still popular with the service well into the 2000s and 2010s under Pacific National ownership. #9461 and #9462 would be the normal down and up run numbers respectively.

A73-S307 with #9462 near Huntingdale. (1/3/11)
Photo By: Ian Green

VL362-X31 with #9472 near Huntingdale. (2/11/13)
Photo By: Ian Green

In June 2013, Qube Logistics took over operations from Pacific National to operate the Maryvale services. A mix of old and new power was common initially, however trains are now normally hauled by two high powered units. CFCLA/Qube G and VL classes are typically used, however as Qube only operate a small pool of BG locomotives, hired heritage units from SRHC are relatively common. These locomotives haul rakes usually comprising of 29 SQEF wagons topped with 20 or 40 foot ISO containers. #9475 and #9476 are the normal down and up run numbers respectively. Trains depart Maryvale 6 times a week in the early/mid morning arriving in Melbourne by the mid/late afternoon. They depart Melbourne in the late evening back to Maryvale where they arrive close to midnight.

BL29-XRB560-BL34-X31-P20 with #9462 at Clayton. The XRB featured on this train following test runs in Gippsland with BL29 and BL34. (11/12/05)
Photo By: Chris Nuthall