PS Edwards (Murray River, Australia)

[Roderick Smith]

I have split this from the APAM lopm thread, so that it will be more findable.

Here are three photos of the raising of PS Edwards in 1980.
I am surprised at the time needed, February to June.
Could Michael or any of the Echuca regulars please interview the people involved, and post the story of the lift?  Who had the ingenious idea of using disused railway tenders for buoyancy in this way?  Is my theory, that these two formed the basis of MV (possibly SWPV) Maranoa, and PV Gypsy Ellen?  Perhaps more photos may be borrowed and scanned?

What was the location?
Presumably that is PS Etona in the third photo: moored there anyhow, or positioned as the support base for the operation?
How was the hull removed from the water and transported to the port?

Several tenders from steam locos being scrapped in the 1960s were modified slightly to become water wagons.  They ran in coupled pairs, coupled drawbar to drawbar, with the original knuckle couplers at the outer ends.  All of the prolific classes had tenders with raised sides at the front, and these two don't.  I suspect that the raised sides were cut away as part of the conversion.  The former coal recess has been covered over, possibly to allow the water tank to be expanded (why bother on a conversion being done on the cheap?).  The F is a symbol announcing the class of freight train to which the water wagons could be attached: fast freight, allowed up to 100 km/h on suitable track.

Frank was a teacher at Echuca Technical School, who was a prolific contributor of local news to the magazine Newsrail (and its predecessor Divisional Diary).  I met him when I was editor, 1974-76.  Some of the crew on PS Canberra in July remembered him as their teacher.  He was killed a few years ago (afaik before retirement) when his pushbike was hit by a car as he was cycling around Echuca.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[ljhall]

Hi Roderick,

Not sure about the coal tenders ! - but I think that the PS Edwards was removed from the site by cranes, then placed onto a truck.
You probably already know by now, but she sank directly between the Wharf and the Riverboat Dock, the PS Etona is shown in her usual mooring site.
The Edwards sank on November 25, 1958, and despite being under water for over 20 years, she would have been salvageable back in the early 80's, but she's just too far gone now !
Have you seen what's left of her ?
She is sitting in the front yard of a brick house down Menzies Road which is off Strathallan 'or' Andersons Road, a few klms south of the Ogilvie Av. end of High Street.

I don't think she's been there since being salvaged though, from memory, the late Geoff Evans had her hulk on his property just out of Moama.
Geoff was once part owner of the Cadell County Motor Lodge located nearby and a picture of the PS Edwards appeared on the sign at the motel' driveway.

Cheers,

[thewharfonline]

Awhile ago Michael posted pictures along with the Australien.

I've seen some shots of the wharf with Edwards still slightly visible as something like a little bit of hull and a wheel above water line.

I don't know much about the lift though.

Sean

[ljhall]

On my last trip I discovered a bit more of the 'Edwards', you probably already know, but her original steam engine and boiler are sitting in amongst the Peppercorn Trees in the front yard of the Brothel, well I'm fairly certain they are the originals, - the 'Edwards' had at least 3, possibly 4 engines, with the last one being fitted in 1916.
Her original Turbine or Dynamo is on display in the Cargo Shed Museum on the Wharf.

[michael]

Alot of that machinery has been moved to the shipwright area as they are going to rebuild the log ramp and use it for demonstrations: Log barge, log ramp then up to the sawmills.

[Excelsior]

Spent a bit of time on Google Earth this morning & managed to locate the Edwards.  She's a little difficult to find & further out from the highway than I remembered...  Although it has been 5 years since I saw her.

[ljhall]

Actually I had a look on 'Google Earth' a few days ago also, the satellite image has been up-dated, and I can tell that it's from late 2006, because the 'Lady Rae' is moored at the Port and the 'Hero' is moored at Log Slip Landing.
I noticed that you can now zoom in a lot further than before, which is great !
I also panned south for a bit until I found the 'Edwards' - yes, she is a few klms out !!! and pretty much directly east of where the 'Australien' is located, only on a different side of the Campaspe.
I last saw the 'Edwards' in October 06, around about the same time the satellite image was taken.
I have a photo of most of the starboard side, - there's a small tree blocking the middle section.
Michael's photos posted in 'APAM - The Director's Cut' show the twisted bow section and much of the port side, (which is a lot worse than the starboard side.)
She has a wooden rib-cage, which is now way too far gone for a restoration/re-build.
The Paddles may be salvageable, but not the Steam Engine & Boiler that was in her when she sank.
I do know that the Marshall Portable on wheels sitting in a paddock nearby 'was' intended to be the new machinery for her - if she was ever re-built.

I wonder what will happen to the remains ?