Editing Rail transport in Victoria (section)

===A new century===
[[File:Spirit of Progress c1938.jpg|thumb|The ''[[Spirit of Progress]]'' headed by locomotive [[Victorian Railways S class|S301]] ''Sir Thomas Mitchell'' near [[Kilmore East railway station|Kilmore East]] in 1938]]

In 1907, the [[Victorian Railways A2 class|A2 class]] steam locomotive was introduced. There were 185 locomotives in this class, and they were Victorian Railway's main passenger locomotive until the arrival of the diesel-electric [[Victorian Railways B class (diesel)|B class]] in 1952.<ref name="vrhist" /> On 20 April 1908, the [[Sunshine train disaster]] occurred, killing 44 passengers in the worst Victorian railway accident.<ref name="vrhist" />

Electrification of the [[Railways in Melbourne|Melbourne suburban network]] was also carried out, with the first train running in 1919.<ref name="arhs2">{{cite web | title = ARHS Railway Museum: History 1900–1950 | work = ARHS Railway Museum | url = http://www.railwaymuseum.org.au/history2.html | access-date = 5 February 2008 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927142351/http://www.railwaymuseum.org.au/history2.html | archive-date = 27 September 2007}}</ref> By 1924, 210,000 passengers passed through the main city terminal of Flinders Street station per weekday.<ref name="vrhist" /> [[St Kilda railway station|St Kilda]] was Melbourne's busiest suburban station with 4½ million journeys, followed by [[Footscray railway station|Footscray]] with almost 4 million, then [[Elsternwick railway station|Elsternwick]], [[Ascot Vale railway station|Ascot Vale]], [[Essendon railway station|Essendon]] and [[Balaclava railway station, Melbourne|Balaclava]].<ref name="vrhist" /> Technology advancements continued, with 3 position automatic signals introduced in 1915,<ref name="sig">{{Harvnb|Fisher|2007}}</ref>{{page needed|date=April 2020}} the conversion of [[Railway coupling#Buffers and chain|screw couplings]] to [[Railway coupling#AAR coupler|knuckle couplers]] from 1924,<ref name="wagons">{{cite magazine | title = Four wheeled open wagons of the Victorian Railways |magazine= Notes from the Victorian Model Railway Society Prototype Modellers Meet 2007 | author = Mark Bau }}</ref> and the first remote controlled signalling provided in 1925.<ref name="vrhist" /> The first [[level crossing]] flashing lights were installed at [[Mentone, Victoria|Mentone]] on Moorabin Road in 1932.<ref name="vrhist" />

Despite [[World War I]], significant extensions of rail lines were carried out, particularly in the wheat-growing areas in the north-west and west. The new lengthy parallel lines were considered to be cheaper to operate than the numerous short spurs such as those in the [[Goulburn Valley]].<ref name="awaugh" /> By 1930, the railway map of Victoria was largely complete, with the best land settled and the remaining land marginal for agriculture, with several lines built across the state border into the [[Riverina]] of NSW.<ref name="awaugh" /> In November 1937, the first run of the ''[[Spirit of Progress]]'' was made, a [[Streamliner|streamlined]] all air-conditioned train run between Melbourne and Albury, led by the matching [[Victorian Railways S class|S class]] steam locomotives.<ref name="arhs2" />

From 1924 to 1935, the [[Better Farming Train (Victoria)|Better Farming Train]] made 38 tours promoting improved [[agriculture|agricultural]] practices.

The Victorian Railways biggest steam locomotive [[Victorian Railways H class|H 220 ''Heavy Harry'']] entered service in 1941,<ref name="vrhist" /> at a time when the railways were struggling with the needs of the war effort. In 1943, the Victorian Railways employed 25,450, had 577 steam locos and 12 electric locos on register along with 19,823 goods wagons and 1,499 passenger cars, running along {{convert|4758|mi|km}} of lines.<ref name="vrhist" /> The network reached its largest extent in 1942, covering 7668 route kilometres.<ref name="rtsa" />