A Class
By Alex Thorn
Freshly overhauled and repainted into its original orange and grey V/line livery, A66 runs light engine from Newport Workshops at Spotswood as 0588. 30/5/22
Photo By: Alex Thorn
Photo By: Alex Thorn
By the 1980's, the Victorian rail scene was becoming tired and dilapidated with outdated locomotives, rollingstock and services not being able to cope with the increased pressure. VicRail, formerly the Victorian Railways, would begin to try and entice people back to rail transport beginning in 1978 with increased funding allowed to the railways from the government as part of the 'New Deal' reforms. These reforms would eventually update the range of rollingstock and locomotives used by VicRail, including new N set steel carriages and refurbishment programs. One of the programs to be rolled out was a refurbishment of the 26 B class locomotives into higher powered and modernised units. This idea came about due to the high costs of purchasing brand new locomotives. Despite a number of B class units being repainted into the new orange and silver 'Teacup' VicRail livery, it wouldn't be until 1982 that Clyde Engineering would be contacted about rebuilding the fleet of locomotives they had delivered to VR 30 years previous.
VicRail wished to retain the basic bulldog design of the B class units, although without a full redesign of the locomotive, it would be restricted in engine size among other features. A turbocharged EMD 12-645E3B engine was chosen as well as a redesigned cab layout, a new generator and new traction motors. In March 1982, B73 became the first unit sent to Clyde's Rosewater plant in South Australia with B71 following soon after. As the locos were stripped back and engine components removed, it became clear that rebuilding the B class units would be a challenge given the short length between the two cabs, especially in comparison to newer locomotives. After many redesigns to accommodate the more powerful engine and turbo intakes, A73 was completed by the end of 1983. It received a coat of the then new V/line orange and grey livery and sent across to Victoria.
Despite the new A class units becoming a success in achieving their purpose, many of the B class sent to Clyde for rebuild required large amounts of repair work to frames among other things which greatly reduced the cost saving as opposed to building brand new locomotives. A73 had been sent back to Clyde soon after delivery for some rectification and union bans in regard to noise also threw a spanner in the works for V/line and the new A class units.
The A class which had been completed were placed in service by early-mid 1984, crews still reporting various issues which would eventually be fixed. More B class would be sent to South Australia for rebuild throughout 1984 however by mid year, it was made apparent that the A class rebuild program would not be cost effective enough to be viable and it would cease after a total of 11 A class were produced. the As were used mostly in passenger service as they could easily maintain timetable, particularly on the north-east corridor to Albury. Goods services worked by A class were initially uncommon. The final units were finally introduced by August 1985 and would soon enter service.
Between 1985 and 1987, 25 brand new N class locomotives were introduced by V/line and although very similar to the As mechanically, these new units did not have the same problems seen in the A class such as rough riding. The N class also included a head-end power generator which was a major advantage especially in passenger service. A class required a power van attached to passenger trains to supply the carriages with lighting. On many services, the As found themselves side-lined by the more favourable N class. Use on freight services became more common in the late 1980's.
In 1988, Australia celebrated its bicentenary and rail operators around the country painted selected locomotives in special paint schemes. A66 was the lucky chosen locomotive for V/line and was out-shopped in a stand-out yellow and green livery. The unit would wear this livery until late 1989 when it was repainted into yet another unique livery for Melbourne's bid to hold the 1996 Olympic Games. Soon after, it would return to the standard orange and grey livery.
As the 1990's began, various A class members were relegated to freight service only as poor ride quality issues became prominent once again. Passenger workings as a whole for the class had become much more uncommon.
In 1995, V/line introduced an updated livery for its passenger fleet, particularly for the N and P classes as well as their N and H set carriages, however A62 would also be painted in the new red, white and blue livery in 1996. With the introduction of the new Sprinter DMU's around the same time, A class would be pushed further from passenger service and on to freight. In July 1997, the split between V/line Freight and V/line Passenger occurred, with both newly formed entities receiving their own dedicated locomotives. Locos A60, A62, A66 and A70 would be under V/line Passenger usage while the rest of the fleet went to V/line Freight. The passenger units were progressively overhauled and repainted while some of the freight units would also receive repaints. A78 would receive a V/line Freight variant of the orange and grey colours.
During 1999, V/line Freight became Freight Victoria after the sector was privatised and taken over by the new operator. From 2000, the A class would receive the new green and yellow livery however their work would remain unchanged, still being used heavily on many different freight trains. From 2001, the A class run under Freight Victoria (later Freight Australia) would also gain upgrades in increasing power output including new traction motors and adjustments in gearing. The A class units would never operate on standard gauge, except of one occasion whereby A85 was fitted with a set of SG bogies in mid 2002 whilst its BG set were in for an overhaul. It also allowed the unit to pose with brand new V544 during its naming ceremony.
As for the V/line Passenger A class, they became a common sight on short distance and commuter services to Seymour, South Geelong and Bacchus Marsh during the 2000's. They were also used on the Frankston to Stony Point line in conjunction with the head-end power fitted MTH carriages until 2008 when they were replaced by Sprinter DMU's. In 2009, A66 became the first and only member of the A class to receive the 'Cheeseburger' red, yellow and white V/line Passenger livery. The A class would continue in passenger service albeit dwindling with the introduction and widespread use of V/locity DMU's. in 2013, V/line withdrew their A class from service, although A66 would make a number of returns to work Bacchus Marsh peak services. The very last V/line service to be led by an A class was in August 2018 when A66 ran its final service to Bacchus Marsh.
The Freight Australia A class had passed on to Pacific National after their takeover in 2004 with their work continuing on the same for a number of years. By May 2014, the last Pacific National A class were withdrawn and stored in South Dynon. In January 2019, PN scrapped A73, A77, A81 and A85 to free up space around the BG turntable and to dispose of redundant assets, with A71 and A79 following in the later months. A78 was transferred to the North Bendigo Workshops for further storage and is the last remaining freight A class.
After a period of time in storage, A60, A62 and A70 were finally transferred to heritage operators after much speculation about their fate. A60 was transferred to Seymour for the SRHC in June 2020 for restoration and A62 was transferred to Newport Workshops for 707 Operations on the same day. A70 was also later sent to Newport Workshops in 2022, presumably for a source of spare parts.
A66 has led an interesting career over the course of its career, and it continues to do so to this day. Still operated by V/line, it spent periods of time in storage but also found work on hire to heritage operators such as Steamrail and 707 Operations. In May 2022, it emerged from Newport Workshops in a fresh coat of original V/line orange and grey and continues to see constant use with heritage operators on hire from V/line.
VicRail wished to retain the basic bulldog design of the B class units, although without a full redesign of the locomotive, it would be restricted in engine size among other features. A turbocharged EMD 12-645E3B engine was chosen as well as a redesigned cab layout, a new generator and new traction motors. In March 1982, B73 became the first unit sent to Clyde's Rosewater plant in South Australia with B71 following soon after. As the locos were stripped back and engine components removed, it became clear that rebuilding the B class units would be a challenge given the short length between the two cabs, especially in comparison to newer locomotives. After many redesigns to accommodate the more powerful engine and turbo intakes, A73 was completed by the end of 1983. It received a coat of the then new V/line orange and grey livery and sent across to Victoria.
Despite the new A class units becoming a success in achieving their purpose, many of the B class sent to Clyde for rebuild required large amounts of repair work to frames among other things which greatly reduced the cost saving as opposed to building brand new locomotives. A73 had been sent back to Clyde soon after delivery for some rectification and union bans in regard to noise also threw a spanner in the works for V/line and the new A class units.
The A class which had been completed were placed in service by early-mid 1984, crews still reporting various issues which would eventually be fixed. More B class would be sent to South Australia for rebuild throughout 1984 however by mid year, it was made apparent that the A class rebuild program would not be cost effective enough to be viable and it would cease after a total of 11 A class were produced. the As were used mostly in passenger service as they could easily maintain timetable, particularly on the north-east corridor to Albury. Goods services worked by A class were initially uncommon. The final units were finally introduced by August 1985 and would soon enter service.
Between 1985 and 1987, 25 brand new N class locomotives were introduced by V/line and although very similar to the As mechanically, these new units did not have the same problems seen in the A class such as rough riding. The N class also included a head-end power generator which was a major advantage especially in passenger service. A class required a power van attached to passenger trains to supply the carriages with lighting. On many services, the As found themselves side-lined by the more favourable N class. Use on freight services became more common in the late 1980's.
In 1988, Australia celebrated its bicentenary and rail operators around the country painted selected locomotives in special paint schemes. A66 was the lucky chosen locomotive for V/line and was out-shopped in a stand-out yellow and green livery. The unit would wear this livery until late 1989 when it was repainted into yet another unique livery for Melbourne's bid to hold the 1996 Olympic Games. Soon after, it would return to the standard orange and grey livery.
As the 1990's began, various A class members were relegated to freight service only as poor ride quality issues became prominent once again. Passenger workings as a whole for the class had become much more uncommon.
In 1995, V/line introduced an updated livery for its passenger fleet, particularly for the N and P classes as well as their N and H set carriages, however A62 would also be painted in the new red, white and blue livery in 1996. With the introduction of the new Sprinter DMU's around the same time, A class would be pushed further from passenger service and on to freight. In July 1997, the split between V/line Freight and V/line Passenger occurred, with both newly formed entities receiving their own dedicated locomotives. Locos A60, A62, A66 and A70 would be under V/line Passenger usage while the rest of the fleet went to V/line Freight. The passenger units were progressively overhauled and repainted while some of the freight units would also receive repaints. A78 would receive a V/line Freight variant of the orange and grey colours.
During 1999, V/line Freight became Freight Victoria after the sector was privatised and taken over by the new operator. From 2000, the A class would receive the new green and yellow livery however their work would remain unchanged, still being used heavily on many different freight trains. From 2001, the A class run under Freight Victoria (later Freight Australia) would also gain upgrades in increasing power output including new traction motors and adjustments in gearing. The A class units would never operate on standard gauge, except of one occasion whereby A85 was fitted with a set of SG bogies in mid 2002 whilst its BG set were in for an overhaul. It also allowed the unit to pose with brand new V544 during its naming ceremony.
As for the V/line Passenger A class, they became a common sight on short distance and commuter services to Seymour, South Geelong and Bacchus Marsh during the 2000's. They were also used on the Frankston to Stony Point line in conjunction with the head-end power fitted MTH carriages until 2008 when they were replaced by Sprinter DMU's. In 2009, A66 became the first and only member of the A class to receive the 'Cheeseburger' red, yellow and white V/line Passenger livery. The A class would continue in passenger service albeit dwindling with the introduction and widespread use of V/locity DMU's. in 2013, V/line withdrew their A class from service, although A66 would make a number of returns to work Bacchus Marsh peak services. The very last V/line service to be led by an A class was in August 2018 when A66 ran its final service to Bacchus Marsh.
The Freight Australia A class had passed on to Pacific National after their takeover in 2004 with their work continuing on the same for a number of years. By May 2014, the last Pacific National A class were withdrawn and stored in South Dynon. In January 2019, PN scrapped A73, A77, A81 and A85 to free up space around the BG turntable and to dispose of redundant assets, with A71 and A79 following in the later months. A78 was transferred to the North Bendigo Workshops for further storage and is the last remaining freight A class.
After a period of time in storage, A60, A62 and A70 were finally transferred to heritage operators after much speculation about their fate. A60 was transferred to Seymour for the SRHC in June 2020 for restoration and A62 was transferred to Newport Workshops for 707 Operations on the same day. A70 was also later sent to Newport Workshops in 2022, presumably for a source of spare parts.
A66 has led an interesting career over the course of its career, and it continues to do so to this day. Still operated by V/line, it spent periods of time in storage but also found work on hire to heritage operators such as Steamrail and 707 Operations. In May 2022, it emerged from Newport Workshops in a fresh coat of original V/line orange and grey and continues to see constant use with heritage operators on hire from V/line.
Data Table
Loco |
In Service |
Owner |
Livery |
Status |
A60 |
09/84 |
SRHC |
VLP MK2 |
Stored |
A62 |
07/84 |
707 Operations |
VLP MK2 |
Stored |
A66 |
03/85 |
V/line |
V/line MK1 |
In Service |
A70 |
05/85 |
V/line |
VLP MK2 |
Stored |
A71 |
03/84 |
PN |
FA/PN |
Scrapped |
A73 |
12/83 |
PN |
FA/PN |
Scrapped |
A77 |
05/84 |
PN |
FA/PN |
Scrapped |
A78 |
12/84 |
PN |
FA/PN |
Stored |
A79 |
06/85 |
PN |
FA/PN |
Scrapped |
A81 |
08/85 |
PN |
FA/PN |
Scrapped |
A85 |
06/84 |
PN |
FA/PN |
Scrapped |
Credits:
Power to the Rails - John Scott
Wikipedia
Updated: 11/10/22
Power to the Rails - John Scott
Wikipedia
Updated: 11/10/22