V/Line A class

V/Line A class

V/Line liveried A66 at Southern Cross in September 2010

Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder Clyde Engineering, Rosewater Build date 1984/85 Total produced 11

Specifications UIC class Co-Co Gauge 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) Length 18.54 m (60 ft 10 in) Fuel type Diesel Prime mover Electro-Motive Diesel 12-645E3B Generator Electro-Motive Diesel AR10-A4-D18, Replaced with CA5 Traction motors Electro-Motive Diesel D57/D78

Performance figures Maximum speed 133 km/h (83 mph) Power output 1,846 kW (2,476 hp)

Career Operators V/Line Number in class 11 Numbers A60-A85 First run May 1984 Current owner Pacific National V/Line Disposition 1 in service, 10 stored

The A class are a class of diesel locomotives rebuilt from B class locomotives by Clyde Engineering, Rosewater for V/Line in 1984/85.

History

Freight Australia liveried A85 with Pacific National decals in Melbourne in February 2007

File:Vline-a70-fss.jpg

V/Line liveried A70 at Flinders Street in August 2006

The class were rebuilt from B class locomotives originally constructed in the 1950s, as part of the New Deal reforms of passenger rail operations in Victoria. The rebuild contract was let in January 1983 to Clyde Engineering, Rosewater with the first locomotive entering service in May 1984, but the project was abandoned in mid 1985 after rising costs due to structural fatigue, with the 11th rebuild delivered in August 1985. It was decided to instead built more of the N class locomotives, mechanically similar to the A class. The major difference was the addition of head end power generators, as it was believed this was a more efficient way of supplying power for air-conditioning and lighting than power vans or individual generator sets under carriages.

Four locomotives were named after Australian rules football players in September 1984, while A60 was named after former railway commissioner Harold Clapp. In July 1986, A85 was regeared for 160 km/h (99 mph) operation, and tested between Glenorchy and Lubeck, to test an H type carriage set fitted with high speed bogies, but was returned to the standard 133 km/h (83 mph) gearing soon after. In preparation for the privatisation of V/Line, four were allocated to passenger services and seven to freight services.

V/Line withdrew their fleet with A60 operating the final service, the 16:15 Southern Cross to Bacchus Marsh on 24 April 2013. V/Line subsequently returned A66 and A70 to service, with the latter since withdrawn. Pacific National withdrew its last examples in May 2014.

Livery

The class were delivered in the V/Line orange and tangerine scheme. In February 1988 A66 which was painted in a green and gold livery to celebrate the Australian Bicentenary, later appearing in a second special livery to advertise the Melbourne bid for the 1996 Olympic Games. Today the class appears in either the 1995 red and blue or 2008 red and yellow V/Line Passenger liveries, or the green and yellow Freight Australia livery with Pacific National logos.

Status table

Locomotive	Pre-conversion	Named	Entered service	Owner	Status
A60	B60	Sir Harold Clapp	7 September 1984	V/Line	Stored
A62	B62		17 July 1984	V/Line	Stored
A66	B66		22 March 1985	V/Line	In service
A70	B70		10 May 1985	V/Line	Stored
A71	B71	Dick Reynolds	20 March 1984	Pacific National	Stored
A73	B73	Bob Skilton	20 March 1984	Pacific National	Stored
A77	B77	Ian Stewart	17 May 1984	Pacific National	Stored
A78	B78		21 December 1984	Pacific National	Stored
A79	B79		22 June 1985	Pacific National	Stored
A81	B81		15 August 1985	Pacific National	Stored (Accident Damaged)
A85	B85	Haydn Bunton	5 June 1984	Pacific National	Stored

External links

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons