Item ST 42953 Locomotive Number Plate - Victorian Railway, S Class, 'Matthew Flinders', 1938

Summary

'300'. Ex Victorian railways S Class locomotive, S 300, "Matthew Flinders". Brass, with blue painted background and polished brass numbers. This locomotive was used to haul express passenger trains on the broad gauge section of the Melbourne-Sydney line between Melbourne and Albury/Wodonga. S 300 was originally built at Newport railway workshops in 1928, however this plate was fitted in March 1938 when the locomotive was streamlined and given a new livery for the famous "Spirit of Progress" express. S 300 was broken up for scrap in September 1954. The blue background is believed to be original paintwork and thus represents one of three of the authentic surviving records of the "Spirit of Progress" livery.