The KT wagons were introduced to transport pine tree billets from the East Gippsland area to Maryvale for paper manufacture. The billets were forested by contractors and trucked to stations where they were transhipped to rail wagons. Crane slings were placed around the loads on the road trucks and placed into each KT compartment. Main loading stations were Bairnsdale and Heyfield. Bairnsdale in the 1960's was a very busy station with the crane siding always full of KT wagons. The siding held about ten to fifteen trucks.
The KT wagons were converted from _IY_ 22 ton underframes and featured stanchion sides with three bays for loading. The number group ran 320 to 364. This number group was an extension of the _K__ truck numbers and the numbers fit in the middle of the _KR_ group.
The billet operations ceased about 1972 when the Australian Paper Mills (APM) at Maryvale when full length pine logs were transported directly by road to the mill at Maryvale.
To convert the KT wagons to scantling timber traffic, the two internal bulkheads were removed. In a trial, one KT was lengthened about 4 feet and recoded to _IT_ 252. It later became _KS_ 7.
Photos for 'KT '
FileID Description................................................DI754 KT - empty rake in yard, part view, Bairnsdale, 22/12/1970, [oPJV]BB947 KT - body, Newport Workshops, 2/4/1981, [oPJV]BB217 KT 322 + IS 5 - cutdown pair for scrap rail, Spotswood Rec Depot, 18/7/1984, [oPJV]AM297 KT 324, [oPJV]BF084 KT 324 - e2p, Flinders Street Yard, 3/7/1975, [oPJV]BF083 KT 324 - e2q, Flinders Street Yard, 3/7/1975, [oPJV]BF082 KT 324 - s2e1, ldd timber, Flinders Street Yard, 3/7/1975, [oPJV]CZ552 KT 324 - s2e1, oval cutouts, ldd, Westall, 31/10/1976, [oRXO]CN104 KT 326 - s1, ldd timber, 1970s, [oBAU]CT735 KT 329 - part view, Bairnsdale, 25/12/1978, [oPJV]CZ553 KT 332 - s1, ldd, Oakleigh, 21/1/1977, [oRXO]AM298 KT 335, [sPJV]BB824 KT 338 - body, scrap road, Newport Workshops, 30/3/1981, [oPJV]BB869 KT 338 - body, scrapping, Newport Workshops, 4/1981, [oPJV]BK956 KT 338 - s1e2, ldd timber, Castlemaine, 29/6/1975, [oPJV]CT712 KT 338 - s1p, Bairnsdale, 25/12/1978, [oPJV]CT711 KT 338 - s1q, mt, Bairnsdale, 25/12/1978, [oPJV]CZ554 KT 338 - s2, ldd, Dandenong, 14/11/1976, [oRXO]CZ555 KT 341 - s1, ldd, Dandenong, c1977, [oRXO]DA642 KT 341 - s1e1 ldd timber, Berwick, 17/7/1976, [oPJV]DI767 KT 344 - part view, ldd pulpwood billets, Traralgon, 24/12/1970, [oPJV]AN940 KT 344 - part view, loaded pulp logs, Traralgon, 24/12/1970, [oPJV]BV199 KT 345 - class lettering only/OR/ID, Tottenham Yard, 9/11/1980, [oPJV]BV198 KT 345 - e2p OR, Tottenham Yard, 9/11/1980, [oPJV]BV197 KT 345 - e2q OR, Tottenham Yard, 9/11/1980, [oPJV]CC277 KT 347 - part view ldd, Flinders Street Yard, 1/4/1979, [oPJV]CZ556 KT 347 - s2, empty, Dandenong, 14/11/1976, [oRXO]AM301 KT 351, [sPJV]AF924 KT 351 - 3 compt, ldd pulpwood billets, Traralgon, 1968, [oPXJ]CU672 KT 352, Westall, 10/1/1979, [oPJV]CZ557 KT 352 - s2, ldd, Dandenong, 14/11/1976, [oRXO]DA643 KT 352 - s2e1 ldd timber, Berwick, 17/7/1976, [oPJV]AM302 KT 356, [sPJV]CZ558 KT 356 - s2p, empty, Westall, 30/1/1977, [oRXO]AW867 KT 358 - 3 - part view, Stratford, 7/1967, [oPJV]CZ559 KT 360 - s2p, ldd, Westall, c11/1975, [oRXO]CZ560 KT 364 - s2e1, empty, Westall, 30/1/1977, [oRXO]
Diagrams for 'KT '
FileID Description................................................AK187 KT - 1 compt, Nos 1 to 3, 6, 1959, [sPJV]AK186 KT - 2 compt, Nos 4,5, 1959, [sPJV]AK420 KT - pulpwood / partitions, [sPJV]AU692 KT - Pulpwood, with partitions, [oD26]
File c180m compiled by Peter J. Vincent, updated 31/7/2007
