You would think with a name like that he would have to come from Scotland but he’s Australian. He was built by Clyde Engineering, an Australian company, probably at their Granville Workshops in NSW in 1961. Unfortunately, most of his details were lost in the Fire except for his bronze ‘Clyde’ plate on the top of the cabin and the GM on his diesel engine. This has made it very hard to track his history. Looking at the diesel locomotives used on the Queensland cane railways he looks to be identical to their larger engines. However, I have been told that he was built for Broken Hill Associates smelters in Port Pirie and is, therefore, probably a Model HG3R 0-6-0 railway shunting engine Number 61-241. As such he has a General Motors diesel engine that powers a hydraulic drive system, operating on six wheels. Weighing in at around 25 tons he is actually as heavy as our 176-steam locomotive.
Following the withdrawal of the ‘Menzies’ (Number G 71) steam locomotive from duties around Yarloop in March of 1973, it seems that Millars replaced it with the diesel shunter. The account of Clyde’s arrival places it as circa 1973 and details the Millars’ staff who received it. Timber companies seemed to buy second hand railway engines. Ten years after this, Bunnings was able to buy Millars’ (WA). It seems that between 1983 and the early 1990s Bunnings chose other means of transport. Around this time, two of the Yarloop Workshops volunteers, one the President of the Yarloop Workshops Inc. Jim McKay, saw Clyde sitting forlornly in the mill yard and asked Bunnings if the Workshops could have him. This was agreed to and Clyde was brought down to the Workshops behind the mill logger. The volunteers proceeded to restore Clyde with resources from Charlie Hull Contracting’s, Murray Cook. It took them a solid week or more to free the engine, remove water from throughout and repair him. The finished locomotive was fully restored to operate and eventually pose for many photos in its yellow and red livery.
A story to conclude.
Some years back a couple of our members, who I believe, were part of our steam team and probably engine drivers, apparently decided to give Clyde a run. His batteries were charged and they managed to start up his GM engine. The big Running Shed doors in front of him were opened and they edged him out onto the eastern line that used to lead to the mill. I think they got to about the gates leading out of the site when they realised that the weight of Clyde was causing the rails to part. The prospect of having to lift Clyde back into his home caused the people involved to quickly change direction and restore Clyde to his resting place.
Snug and secure in the Running Shed at the north end of the Workshops and with good batteries, Clyde was operational until the Fire. The Fire and the clean-up people who started to cut off his cab with their oxy-acetylene torch have left him in a sad state. He will probably never move again by his own power but I believe that, despite his appearance, Clyde is still restorable. I hope that he will be red and yellow again and children of all ages will once more imagine themselves driving him around Yarloop.[1]
Before the Fire, photo by Robert Astley
After the Fire (above and below)
Mackay Sugar’s ‘Bassett’, photographer unknown.
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[1] From ‘The Phoenix Rises Very Slowly’ Part 14, by Allan Ward.