Victorian Railways C class (diesel).html



Victorian Railways C Class

C501 in VR livery at the Seymour Railway Heritage Centre
Power type	General Motors EMD
Builder	Clyde Engineering (Rosewater, South Australia)
Configuration	Co-Co
Length	20.73 m
Locomotive weight	135.00 t
Engine type	EMD 16-645-E3
Generator	AR-10 alternator
Traction motors	6 × D77/78 DC
Top speed	133 km/h
Power output	3000 hp (2.2MW)
Number in class	10
Number	C501-C510
First run	14 May 1977

Former C class locomotive owned by Silverton Rail and renumbered as the Cs class

Coote Industrial owned C505

The Victorian Railways C Class mainline diesel locomotives are a hood unit heavy freight locomotive¹ introduced from 1977, mechanically identical to American EMD SD40s, and used on interstate freight services. Manufactured in South Australia by Clyde Engineering (now EDI Rail) at their Rosewater plant, they were delivered under their own power at the head of interstate goods trains². The locomotives are fitted with safety cabs and were the first turbocharged locomotives delivered to the VR, and the last delivered the in blue and gold livery.

As their weight kept them from many lines, C501 to C504 were placed into standard gauge service between Melbourne and Albury, and C505 to C510 were placed into service between Melbourne and Serviceton, on interstate express freights. They are notable as the first locomotives on through freight between Victoria and South Australia in August 1979.¹

The class were transferred by V/Line to National Rail service in 1995, until delivery of its NR class locomotives, after which the C class were put into storage.³ The class except C501 were then sold to Allco Rail and Silverton Rail, with C505 and C508 leased to National Rail and returned to service as shunters in Melbourne, and the remainder renumbered as the Cs class.⁴ C501 has since been restored to original condition by the Seymour Railway Heritage Centre and leased back to Pacific National, and most of the Cs numbered locos have been rebuilt and renumbered back to their original identities, with only one Cs numbered loco remaining today (formerly C506).

Today all C Class members are on SG.

Locomotives

As Cs class:

References

• victorianrailways.net: C class information
• Vicsig: C class information