Vale - Murray Willmott

It’s sad to advise that former Hotham Valley Railway Engineering Manager and great supporter of S549; Murray Willmott passed away in his sleep on Wednesday night.

Murray was an ally of S549 throughout the years following its restoration to working order. An example of this was in July 1997, following a full shift at HVR in Pinjarra, Murray would leave there and travel to the museum in the very early hours of the morning to help prepare 549 for its light engine trials to Muchea and return, he would also follow it to Upper Swan to give assistance if required, he could have easily opted to go home and spend time with his family for a well deserved break..!!

Late in the 90’s the rules around running tour trains was changing fast, no longer was Westrail covering insurances, accreditation of rollingstock & qualified crews; so it basically left S549 with nowhere to go. Hotham Valley Railway was approached seeking support to run Greenmount out of Pinjarra as part of the HVR pool of engines to at least see her out on the mainline hauling passenger trains for what the restoration was intended.

This would only be possible with the support from Murray, as history shows, it is fortunate that he did give the ok. Murray (& HVR) didn’t really need S549 added to its engine list as he was already responsible for the upkeep of the four W’s, Pm & G class steamers as well as the various diesels, his plate was full.

During its two-year tenure at Pinjarra, S549 would be used on the odd passenger service;

• A surprise pick-up at Armadale for a Collie bound tour, getting off at Pinjarra to be replaced by a Pm & W combination.
• Taking the lead along with Pm706 to Brunswick on the Harvey show special. It was on this tour that the Cartazzi bearing was running hot. Upon its return to Pinjarra, not requested to do so, Murray would dismantle the axlebox to find the bearing keep installed incorrectly, he then reassembled it without making a big fuss about it. Why.? Because that’s the type of bloke he was.
• Teaming up with W903 on a special to the Jarrahdale show, possibly the only S class to venture up the steep climb to Jarrahdale.

None of these opportunities would have occurred had it not been for the support from Murray.

Murray’s support didn’t end upon S549 being returned to Bassendean in 1999. In 2006, S549 was planned to go to the 100 years of rail celebrations in Dowerin however her Cartazzi bearing was damaged following it running hot from poor lubrication on a return trip to Midland a couple of years earlier. A donor bearing was acquired from sister engine S542 located at Perth Terminal, however it was needed to be scraped it to suit the axle on S549. Murray was asked if he would like to assist and once again threw his support to the task. It was a huge task as the bearing from S542 was of a larger radius and it took many hours and days to get right, It was basically down to the wire to get it done correctly and in time. But with Murray’s skills it was always going to be spot on. The bearing behaved itself and a true testament to Murray’s skills.

Would Greenmount have gone to Dowerin without Murray’s help..?, it can be argued, however I seriously doubt it.

Putting S549 aside for a moment, if you took a photo from the lineside or rode behind a Hotham Valley train in the 70’s, 80,s and 90’s, then Murray was a large influence of providing these opportunities. Of course, Murray didn’t do this alone, he was however a large piece of the pie.

As silly as it sounds, if S549 could talk, she would thank Murray for those rare opportunities out on the mainline since restored.

Rest in Peace – Murray Willmott