Victorian Railways C class (diesel)
| Industry | Locomotive manufacturing |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Rosewater , Australia |
| Products | Diesel locomotives |
The C Class diesel locomotives were manufactured by Clyde Engineering in Rosewater for the Victorian Railways between 1977 and 1978, specifically engineered for heavy freight tasks. Their design is derived from the Western Australian Government Railways L class (an Australian adaptation of the EMD SD40) and includes upgraded safety cabs.
History
The initial deployment saw the first four units operating on the North East line connecting Melbourne and Albury, while the other six were assigned to the broad gauge Serviceton line. Subsequent infrastructure enhancements enabled these locomotives to run on the Ballarat to Geelong route and, starting January 1982, extend service through to Adelaide following broad gauge conversion.
On 3 August 1979, C505 and C506 successfully conducted a through-running trial to Adelaide, eliminating the need for locomotive changes at the border. This trial tested heavy loads and incorporated new radio communication technology, leading to routine through-running operations from November of that year. Several units initially ran on standard gauge between Melbourne and Albury before being reassigned to broad gauge interstate routes.
In September 1988, two locomotives reverted to standard gauge to cover routes reaching Sydney. After the closure of the Melbourne-Adelaide railway for gauge conversion, all broad gauge units were converted to standard gauge and operated services from Melbourne to Parkes until reopening in July 1995. By June that year, ownership of all units transferred from V/Line to National Rail.
Following the introduction of National Rail’s NR class locomotives, the C class units were stored at Junee before relocation to Islington Workshops in Adelaide. Unlike other National Rail locomotives, ownership of the C class was directly held by National Rail. By August 1999, two units had been repainted in National Rail colors and returned to service as shunters in Melbourne.
C501 was acquired by the Seymour Railway Heritage Centre, while the other nine were sold to Allco Finance Group’s Allco Rail; two were leased out to Pacific National and seven to Silverton Rail as Cs class. After Allco’s collapse in 2008, three units moved to Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia and six transferred to Greentrains, resuming their original identities.
In April 2016, Southern Shorthaul Railroad purchased the six units from Greentrains. Initially stored at South Dynon Locomotive Depot, they were subsequently transferred to Lithgow State Mine Heritage Park & Railway where full restoration for operational service was completed by August 2016. As of February 2024, all ten locomotives remain in active service; C502 through C510 are owned by Southern Shorthaul Railroad as of January 2025.
Class list
| Key: | In Service | Stored | Preserved | Converted | Under Overhaul | Scrapped |
|---|
| Locomotive | Name | Entered service | Owner | Operator | Livery | Status |
| C501 | George Brown | 14 May 1977 | Seymour Railway Heritage Centre | VR Blue & gold | Operational | |
| C502 | 22 June 1977 | SSR | CFCLA blue & yellow | Operational | ||
| C503 | 19 July 1977 | SSR | CFCLA blue & yellow | Operational | ||
| C504 | 18 August 1977 | SSR | Blue & yellow (SSR & Raw Power logos) | Operational | ||
| C505 | Rachel Bromwich | 13 September 1977 | SSR | SSR Yellow and Black | Operational | |
| C506 | Kara Nally | 6 October 1977 | SSR | SSR Yellow and Black | Operational | |
| C507 | Jo Ferguson | 4 November 1977 | SSR | SSR Yellow and Black | Operational | |
| C508 | 16 December 1977 | SSR | CFCLA blue & yellow | Operational | ||
| C509 | Derek Larnach | 10 March 1978 | SSR | Greentrains green & yellow (SSR logos) | Operational | |
| C510 | 11 July 1978 | SSR | Greentrains green & yellow (SSR logos) | Operational |