Hudson Heaven - Preserved Victorian R Class

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The name 'R Class Productions' had to come from somewhere, right? Well, perhaps this can explain why. First introduced in 1951, the R Class 4-6-4 Hudson-type locomotives were the last hurrah for express passenger steam locomotives for the Victorian Railways, only to live very short and unimpressive lines with the simultaneous introduction of the first generation Diesel-Electrics. Thankkfully their young age saw many seen the end of steam on the VR, with 7 surviving the cutters torch, and 4 being preserved in operational condition, with 3 currently running in Victoria; Steamrail's R761 and R711, and 707 Ops' R707, with R766 presently undergoing restoration in NSW for use on the standard gauge network which links all state capitals.

The footage in this film was taken between 2015 and 2017, and has been separated into 4 chapters encompassing the 4 major regions where these mighty locos can still be found; The West (Geelong/Ballarat) the Central North (Bendigo/Swan Hill/Echuca) the North East (Seymour/Echuca/Shepparton) and the East (Traralgon/Sale)

Filmed with a Sony VG-30EH 'E-mount', stills with a Nikon D5200 18-140mm VR lens and edited in Sony Vegas 12.