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Victorian Railways S class
Preserved S303 at the Seymour Railway Heritage Centre in October 2007
Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder Clyde Engineering, Granville Model EMD A7 (first order) EMD A16C (second order) Build date 1957-1961 Total produced 18
Specifications Configuration: ​  • UIC Co′Co'  • Commonwealth Co-Co Gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in), 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) Length 18.72 m (61 ft 5 in) Axle load 19.3 t (19.0 long tons; 21.3 short tons) Loco weight 116 t (114 long tons; 128 short tons) Fuel type Diesel Prime mover EMD 16-567C RPM range 300-950rpm Engine type V16 Aspiration Supercharged (Roots blower) Displacement 9072ci total Generator EMD D12/D22 Traction motors EMD D27/D37/D47 Head end power Nil Cylinders 16 Cylinder size 567ci Transmission Diesel-electric Train brakes A7/B7
Performance figures Maximum speed 133 km/h (83 mph) Power output 1,350 kW (1,810 hp)
Career Operators Victorian Railways Number in class 18 Numbers S300-S317 Nicknames Bulldogs, Streamliners First run 1957 Preserved S300, S301, S303, S306, S307, S308, S310, S313 Current owner VicTrack Heritage Seymour Railway Heritage Centre Steamrail Victoria Southern Shorthaul Railroad Disposition 4 in service, 4 preserved, 4 stored, 6 scrapped

The S class are a class of diesel locomotives built by Clyde Engineering, Granville for the Victorian Railways between 1957 and 1961.

History

The S class was based on the Electro-Motive Diesel F7 design and were very similar to the GM12 class then being built by Clyde Engineering for the Commonwealth Railways. They were mechanically similar to the 1952 built double ended B class.

The first order for 10 locomotives were progressively delivered between August 1957 and February 1958. The first four took the names and numbers of the recently scrapped S class steam locomotives, with all being named after prominent Victorians. An additional eight locomotives were ordered for use on the new North East standard gauge line and delivered between November 1960 and December 1961.

The class were initially used on express passenger trains such as the Intercapital Daylight, Southern Aurora, Spirit of Progress and The Overland, but were also used on fast freights. On the broad gauge, they often operated in pairs, while on the standard gauge they usually ran solo. A second 'hostlers' cab was provided at the number two end, but was only used around depots, or to haul empty carriages short distances.

In February 1969, two were destroyed in the Violet Town railway disaster, and were deemed uneconomical to repair and scrapped. In January 1967 S317 was badly damaged in a head-on collision with X33 south of Broadford Loop and was returned to Clyde Engineering for rebuilding. In June 1982, S317 was again involved in a fatal accident when it ran into the rear of the Spirit of Progress at Barnawartha, killing the crew.

As more modern locomotives were introduced, those on the standard gauge moved to the broad gauge. Examples would periodically appear on the standard gauge.

When the G Class engines entered service, the railways declared that no more S Class engines would undergo major overhauls. The last two had been S301 in 1985 and S307 in 1986; as of July 1987, engines S303, 304, 305 and 309 were withdrawn, 308 banned as a leading unit and 306 was under minor repair but still in the VR Blue livery. In February 1994, four (300, 302, 311, 312) were sold to West Coast Railway for use on their Melbourne to Warrnambool passenger service. By April 1999, only four remained in the V/Line fleet and even these were only used during periods of high demand. A few have been preserved.

Privatisation brought an upturn in the class' fortunes with some overhauled and as at May 2014, they remain in service with CFCL Australia, Pacific National and Southern Shorthaul Railroad. In 2019, S300 and S311 were purchased privately from CFCLA. S311 was purchased from its private owner by SSR in mid 2020 and was promptly returned to service, still on standard gauge operating primarily in NSW. Pacific National donated S307 to the Seymour Railway Heritage Centre on 17 March 2023. Pacific National donated S301 to Steamrail Victoria on 7th March 2024, and it is now used on heritage operations.

Fleet status

Photo Gallery

• Victorian Railways S class (diesel)
• West Coast Railway liveried S302 in 2001
• Pacific National liveried S307 at Newport Workshops in March 2008
• Steamrail Victoria's S313 at Newport Workshops on 8 March 2010
• S306 nose to nose with A66 on a tour to Quambatook at Southern Cross on 6 March 2021
• S306 trails NR66 and NR27 on #3WM2 at Middle Footscray on 11 September 2018
• Steamrail Victoria's S313 at Ballarat Station on 30 October 2021
• S306 at Newport Workshops on 13 March 2022
• S307 at the Seymour Railway Heritage Centre depot on 29 April 2023
• S301 at Newport Workshops on 11 March 2024

References

1. ^ Ian Weickhardt (March–April 1979). "VR 'S' class diesel electric locomotive". Australian Model Railway Magazine: 34–36.
2. Oberg, Leon (1984). Locomotives of Australia 1850s - 1980s. Frenchs Forest: Reed Books. pp. 196–197. ISBN 0-730100-05-7.
3. ^ S class diesel electric locomotives Archived 4 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine Mark Bau's VR website
4. ^ Railmac Publications (1992). Australian Fleetbooks: V/Line locomotives. Kitchner Press. ISBN 0-949817-76-7.
5. Oberg, Leon (1980). Diesel Locomotives of Australia. Sydney: AH & AW Reed. p. 286. ISBN 0-589-50211-5.
6. Newsrail September 1988 p. 282
7. "West Coast Railway Fleet Specs". wcr.com.au. 16 November 1999. Archived from the original on 9 October 1999. Retrieved 6 January 2007.
8. Peter Attenborough (February 2004). "West Coast Railway". Australian Model Railway Magazine: 32–34.
9. "The Last of the Bulldogs" Railway Digest April 1999 page 40
10. S Class Archived 31 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine Railpage
11. S Class Archived 29 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine Vicsig
12. https://www.facebook.com/groups/2195575627125412/permalink/2669636536385983/ Archived 2 June 2023 at the Wayback Machine
13. "S301 GIFTED TO STEAMRAIL BY PACIFIC NATIONAL". facebook.com/steamrail. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
14. "VICSIG". vicsig.net. Archived from the original on 19 July 2017. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
15. "VICSIG - Locomotives - S306". vicsig.net. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
16. "VICSIG". vicsig.net. Archived from the original on 19 July 2017. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
17. "S313". www.steamrail.com.au. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
18. "Lifting a jinx? « Rants from Vas". Archived from the original on 13 August 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2019.

Further reading

• Peter Bermingham (1995). The A7 era : the technical, pictorial and evolutionary history of the Victorian Railway's S Class diesel-electric locomotive. Horsepower Histories. ISBN 0-646-25614-9.

External links

Media related to Victorian Railways S class diesel locomotives at Wikimedia Commons

• Clyde Engineering locomotives
• Co-Co locomotives
• Pacific National diesel locomotives
• Railway locomotives introduced in 1957
• Victorian Railways diesel locomotives
• Standard gauge locomotives of Australia
• Broad gauge locomotives in Australia
• Diesel–electric locomotives of Australia
• Streamlined diesel locomotives
• Passenger locomotives