Victorian Railways B class (diesel)

Victorian Railways B Class
B74 hauling the 70th anniversary Spirit of Progress in November 2007
Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder Clyde Engineering, Granville Model Electro Motive Diesel ML2 Build date 1952/53 Total produced 26 Rebuilder Clyde Engineering, Rosewater Rebuild date 1984/85 Number rebuilt 11
Specifications Configuration: ​  • UIC Co-Co Gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge, 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) Length 18.70 m (61 ft 4 in) Loco weight 114 t (112 long tons; 126 short tons) Fuel type Diesel Prime mover Electro-Motive Diesel 16-567BC RPM range 950rpm max Engine type V16 diesel engine Aspiration Supercharged (Roots Blown) Displacement Total: 9072ci Generator Electro-Motive Diesel D12 Traction motors Electro-Motive Diesel D27 Head end power Nil Cylinders 16 Cylinder size 567ci per cylinder Transmission Diesel electric MU working Capable of Multi unit Loco brake A7EL - Dynamic Brake Train brakes A7EL
Performance figures Maximum speed 133 km/h (83 mph) Power output 1,120 kW (1,500 hp) Tractive effort Starting: 267 kN (60,000 lbf) Continuous: 178 kN (40,000 lbf) at 18 km/h (11.2 mph)
Career Operators Victorian Railways (Vline), West Coast Railway, CFCLA, SSR, CRL, Number in class 26 Numbers B60-B85 First run 14 July 1952 Preserved B72, B74, B83 Current owner CFCL Australia Southern Shorthaul Railroad Disposition 8 in service, 3 preserved, 9 stored, 6 scrapped

The B class are a class of diesel locomotives built by Clyde Engineering, Granville for the Victorian Railways in 1952/53. Ordered and operated by the Victorian Railways, they initiated the dieselisation of the system and saw use on both passenger and freight services, with many remaining in service today, both in preserved and revenue service. Some were rebuilt as the V/Line A class, while others have been scrapped.

History

Clyde Engineering Builders plate on B85

Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia B76 in Melbourne in August 2006

The B class were the first mainline diesel locomotives built for the Victorian Railways. The design was based on the successful Electro-Motive Diesel F-unit locomotives with the distinctive bulldog nose. They were unusual in having a streamlined drivers cab at each end.

Inception

After World War II the Victorian Railways was run down from years of Depression-era underinvestment and wartime overutilisation. Chief Mechanical Engineer Ahlston traveled the world studying railway rehabilitation. Britain leaned towards steam locomotives, while France was moving towards main line electrification. The United States was more divided, with General Motors' Electro-Motive Division at La Grange, Illinois turning out modern E and F-units diesels. However the EMD units axle load was too heavy for the Victorian tracks, and the Commonwealth Government would not allow the use of foreign currency to purchase United States diesels. As a result the £80 million Operation Phoenix featured steam locomotives and electrification of the Gippsland line, either locally built or imported from the United Kingdom.

To achieve a lighter axle load a six axles / six motor Co-Co wheel arrangement was required. By 1949, the head of Electro-Motive Diesel Dick Dilworth was convinced that lighter axle load locomotives would be popular in Australia and other foreign countries. Frank Shea of Clyde Engineering had also negotiated with EMD to build the new locomotive locally, in order to overcome the foreign exchange restrictions. The order was placed in 1951 and the first locomotive was delivered on 14 July 1952.

Into service

The 26 members of the class operated on broad gauge lines throughout Victoria, working the majority of the important passenger trains, as well as fast freights. Many timetables were accelerated, and steam locomotives began to be scrapped in large numbers. The visit of Queen Elizabeth in 1954 saw her ride behind B60 on a special train.

While costing £80 per horsepower compared to £60 for steam, the new locomotives ran 130,000 miles per year, compared to 35,000 and 60,000 miles per year for main line steam locomotives. The Chief Engineers Office found that one B class did the work of three steam locomotives. Their success led to further dieselisation, with the delivery of the T class branch line units from 1955, and the single ended S class mainline units from 1957.

Demise, reactivation and preservation

As part of the 1980s New Deal plan to reinvigorate country passenger services, it was decided to rebuild the B class with new traction equipment as the A class. The rebuild contract was let in January 1983 to Clyde Engineering, Rosewater, with the first unit entering service in May 1984. The project was abandoned in mid 1985 after rising costs due to structural fatigue, with the eleventh and final rebuild delivered in August 1985.

At the same time newer high power locomotives had been delivered, including the N class passenger units and the more numerous G class freight locomotives. The B class gradually retired by V/Line from 1982 with some scrapped. Six were purchased by West Coast Railway in the early 1990s for use on their Melbourne to Warrnambool passenger service.

In May 2004 the Victorian Department of Infrastructure issued an alert on stress cracks on the underframes of the B class locomotives, including the units owned by West Coast Railway. Following West Coast Railway's demise in August 2004 these were sold to Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia and refurbished with some being resold to Southern Shorthaul Railroad. This saw some converted to standard gauge and their sphere of operation increased to include New South Wales. Seymour Railway Heritage Centre have B74 preserved in operating condition and is the only preserved locomotive in operation.

Fleet summary

Key:	In Service	Withdrawn	Preserved	Converted	Scrapped

Number	Name	In service	Out of service	Km	Current owner	Status
B60	Harold W Clapp	14 July 1952	11 February 1983	5,669,690	V/Line Passenger	Converted to A60, renamed Sir Harold Clapp
B61	Bernie Baker	18 August 1952			Southern Shorthaul Railroad	In service
B62		8 September 1952	28 October 1983	5,541,730	V/Line Passenger	Converted to A62
B63		7 October 1952		5,918,480	El Zorro	Stored
B64		27 October 1952		5,989,509	El Zorro	Stored, Bendigo
B65		17 November 1952			Southern Shorthaul Railroad	In service
B66		8 December 1952	11 May 1984	5,169,500	V/Line Passenger	Converted to A66
B67		22 December 1952	18 October 1984	5,217,740		Scrapped April 1988, one nose preserved privately
B68		2 February 1953	19 November 1985	5,217,740		Scrapped April 1988
B69		22 February 1953	May 1984	5,283,950		Scrapped June 1992
B70		23 March 1953	3 June 1984	4,967,250	V/Line Passenger	Converted to A70
B71		13 April 1953	July 1984	4,754,520	Pacific National	Converted to A71
B72		14 May 1953	1 February 1986	4,754,520	Steamrail Victoria	Under restoration
B73		25 May 1953	17 November 1981	4,575,930	Pacific National	Converted to A73
B74	J.A. Hearsch	15 June 1953	May 1988	4,754,520	Seymour Railway Heritage Centre	Preserved operational, main line registered, name applied after preservation
B75		6 July 1953	October 1992	4,754,520	Southern Shorthaul Railroad	Was privately owned for preservation, sold to Southern Shorthaul Railroad in 2011, under overhaul December 2012 Bendigo
B76		27 July 1955			CFCL Australia	In service
B77		17 August 1953	17 September 1982	4,808,610	Pacific National	Converted to A77
B78		7 September 1953	29 February 1984	4,853,800	Pacific National	Converted to A78
B79		28 September 1953	18 June 1984	4,992,440	Pacific National	Converted to A79
B80		9 October 1953		4,754,520	CFCL Australia	In service
B81		9 November 1953	15 August 1984	4,944,760	Pacific National	Converted to A81
B82		30 November 1953	23 May 1988			Scrapped August 1996
B83		21 December 1953	May 1988		Australian Railway Historical Society	Preserved static at North Williamstown Railway Museum
B84		18 January 1954	23 May 1988			Scrapped May 1992
B85		22 February 1954	13 March 1983	4,610,040	Pacific National	Converted to A85

Further reading

• Peter Bermingham (1982). The ML2 story : the history of the Victorian Railways' famous B Class diesel-electric locomotive. Railway Traction Research Group. ISBN 0-959839-29-1.