Victorian Railways B Class (Diesel)

The B class are a class of diesel locomotives built by Clyde Engineering, Granville for the Victorian Railways in 1952–1953. Ordered and operated by the Victorian Railways, they initiated the dieselization 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==
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 under-investment and wartime over-utilization. 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 dieselization, 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. While running with West Coast Railway, units B61 and B76 had dual marker lights and ditch lights fitted at the No.1 end. They also received shunter's steps at each end, in late 2001 or early 2002. B65 was painted in the simplified West Coast Railway "freight" livery, and did not receive any of these upgrades.
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 	Previous owners 	Status
B60 	Harold W Clapp	14 July 1952 	11 February 1983 	5,669,690	Converted 	Victorian Railways, VicRail, V/Line 	Converted to A60, renamed Sir Harold Clapp Preserved SRHC
B61 	Bernie Baker 	18 August 1952 	 	 	Southern Shorthaul Railroad (SG) 	Victorian Railways, VicRail, V/Line, West Coast Railway 	In service. Streamliners 2016 livery.
B62 	 	8 September 1952 	28 October 1983 	5,541,730	Converted 	Victorian Railways, VicRail, V/Line 	Converted to A62 Preserved 707 Ops
B63 	 	7 October 1952 	 	5,918,480	VicTrack Heritage, allocated to Steamrail 	Victorian Railways, VicRail, V/Line 	Stored Newport
B64 	 	27 October 1952 	 	5,989,509	Receivership – Hoskins Hurst 	Victorian Railways, VicRail, V/Line 	Stored, Bendigo
B65 	 	17 November 1952 	 	 	Southern Shorthaul Railroad 	Victorian Railways, VicRail, V/Line, West Coast Railway 	Auscision Models livery, Stored – North Bendigo
B66 	 	8 December 1952 	11 May 1984 	5,169,500	Converted 	Victorian Railways, VicRail, V/Line 	Converted to A66
B67 	 	22 December 1952 	18 October 1984 	5,217,740	Scrapped 	Victorian Railways, VicRail, V/Line 	Scrapped April 1988, one nose preserved privately
B68 	 	2 February 1953 	19 November 1985 	5,217,740	Scrapped 	Victorian Railways, VicRail, V/Line 	Scrapped April 1988, one nose preserved Geelong.
B69 	 	22 February 1953 	May 1984 	5,283,950	Scrapped 	Victorian Railways, VicRail, V/Line 	Scrapped June 1992
B70 	 	23 March 1953 	3 June 1984 	4,967,250	Converted 	Victorian Railways, VicRail, V/Line 	Converted to A70
B71 	 	13 April 1953 	July 1984 	4,754,520	Converted 	Victorian Railways, VicRail, V/Line 	Converted to A71 (Scrapped 1 June 2019)
B72 	 	14 May 1953 	1 February 1986 	4,754,520	Steamrail Victoria 	Victorian Railways, VicRail, V/Line, Private Owner 	Under restoration
B73 	 	25 May 1953 	17 November 1981 	4,575,930	Converted 	Victorian Railways, VicRail 	Converted to A73 (Scrapped 14 January 2019)
B74 	J.A. Hearsch 	15 June 1953 	May 1988 	4,754,520	VicTrack Heritage, allocated to Seymour Railway Heritage Centre 	Victorian Railways, VicRail, V/Line 	Preserved operational, main line registered, name applied after preservation
B75 	 	6 July 1953 	October 1992 	4,754,520	Southern Shorthaul Railroad (from 2011) (BG) 	Victorian Railways, VicRail, V/Line, West Coast Railway (for spares), Great Northern Rail Services (c.2002), privately owned by members of the Yarra Valley Railway	In service
B76 	 	27 July 1953 	 	 	Southern Shorthaul Railroad 	Victorian Railways, VicRail, V/Line, West Coast Railway, Rail First Asset Management 	Stored North Dynon
B77 	 	17 August 1953 	17 September 1982	4,808,610	Converted 	Victorian Railways, VicRail, V/Line 	Converted to A77 (Scrapped 14 January 2019)
B78 	 	7 September 1953 	29 February 1984 	4,853,800	Converted 	Victorian Railways, VicRail, V/Line 	Converted to A78
B79 	 	28 September 1953	18 June 1984 	4,992,440	Converted 	Victorian Railways, VicRail, V/Line 	Converted to A79 (Scrapped 17 May 2019)
B80 	 	9 October 1953 	 	4,754,520	Southern Shorthaul Railroad 	Victorian Railways, VicRail, V/Line, West Coast Railway, Rail First Asset Management 	In service
B81 	 	9 November 1953 	15 August 1984 	4,944,760	Converted 	Victorian Railways, VicRail, V/Line 	Converted to A81 (Scrapped 14 January 2019)
B82 	 	30 November 1953 	23 May 1988 	 	Scrapped 	Victorian Railways, VicRail, V/Line 	Scrapped August 1996
B83 	 	21 December 1953 	May 1988 	 	VicTrack Heritage, allocated to the Australian Railway Historical Society at Newport.	Victorian Railways, VicRail, V/Line 	Preserved static at Newport Railway Museum
B84 	 	18 January 1954 	23 May 1988 	 	Scrapped 	Victorian Railways, VicRail, V/Line 	Scrapped May 1992
B85 	 	22 February 1954 	13 March 1983 	4,610,040	Converted 	Victorian Railways, VicRail, V/Line 	Converted to A85 (Scrapped 14 January 2019)
==Models==
===N Scale===
Gopher Models have released N Scale Models of the B Class Locomotives, featuring B60 & B61.
===OO Gauge===
Tri-ang manufactured an OO gauge version of the B Class in the 1960s, albeit with four-wheeled bogies. This model is not compatible with modern OO gauge/HO scale track (such as code 100), as the flanges are designed for early Tri-Ang rails, which are roughly twice the size of modern rails.
===HO Scale===
The first HO scale B Class models were manufactured by Lima in the 1970s through to the 1990s. One such example is B80 in V/Line orange and grey livery. These models have European hook-and-loop couplers integrated into the bogies and a transverse pancake motor driving one bogie, similar in design to the Hornby Ringfield motor. As the bogies and couplers are one piece, the pilot is also attached to the bogie rather than the body.
As of October 2009, only HO scale plastic models of the B Class are available produced by Auscision Models. Some are being rerun in 2020 with the option of having DCC with sound already fitted with new liveries being added that weren't in the original run.
2020 Rerun as follows: B60 "Sir Harold W. Clapp" (VR Original), B62 (VR Original with 1 Million Miles Plate), B84 (V/Line All Orange), B80 (Murraylander), B61 (SSR), B65 (Auscision Models), B60 "Sir Harold W. Clapp" (VR Modified), B71 (VR Original), B78 (VR Original), B63 (VR Modified), B70 (VR Modified), B74 (VR As Preserved), B64 (VicRail Teacup), B69 (V/Line Orange and Grey), B83 (V/Line Orange and Grey), B76 (West Coast Rail), B65 (West Coast Rail Austeriety), B61 (Streamliners 2016), B80 (Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia with Metro Trains Stickers) and B75 (Consolidate Rail Leasing).
2009 Original Run as follows: B60 "Sir Harold W. Clapp" (VR Original), B62 (VR Original with 1 Million Miles Plate), B74 (VR Original), B85 (VR Original), B67 (VR Modified), B72 (VR Modified), B75 (VR Modified), B68 (VicRail Teacup), B83 (VicRail Teacup), B84 (V/Line All Orange), B63 (V/Line Orange and Grey), B74 (V/Line Orange and Grey), B82 (V/Line Orange and Grey), B61 (West Coast Rail), B80 (Murraylander), B61 (SSR), B76 (Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia), B65 (Auscision Models) (was a Limited Edition of 300 units) and B60 "Sir Harlod W. Clapp" (VR Modified).
==Gallery==
File:B83.jpg
Category:C-C locomotives
Category:Clyde Engineering locomotives
Category:Victorian Locomotives
Category:Victorian Railways
Category:Built in 1952
Category:Built in 1953
Category:Locomotives
Category:Diesel locomotives
Category:Diesel-electric locomotives
Category:Standard gauge locomotives
Category:4 foot 8 1⁄2 inch gauge
Category:Double-Ended Locomotives