Victorian Railways S class (diesel)

S class diesel locomotives

Company type	Diesel-electric locomotive class
Industry	Railway transport
Predecessor	B class (mechanical elements)
Founded	1957
Founder	Clyde Engineering
Successor	G class locomotives (partial replacement)
Headquarters	Granville , Australia
Area served	Victoria, Australia
Products	Diesel-electric locomotives
Owner	Victorian Railways, West Coast Railway, CFCL Australia, Pacific National, Southern Shorthaul Railroad, private owners, heritage groups
Parent	Victorian Railways

The S class diesel locomotives were constructed by Clyde Engineering at Granville for the Victorian Railways during the period spanning 1957 to 1961.

History

Derived from the Electro-Motive Diesel EMD F7 model and bearing resemblance to the Commonwealth Railways GM class, the S class incorporated mechanical elements similar to the earlier double-ended B class. The initial batch of ten units was delivered between August 1957 and February 1958, with four locomotives named after notable Victorians, continuing the tradition of names from retired steam engines. An additional eight units arrived between November 1960 and December 1961, intended for service on the new North East standard gauge railway.

Originally, these locomotives were assigned to high-speed passenger trains such as the Intercapital Daylight, Southern Aurora, Spirit of Progress, and The Overland, while also managing expedited freight services. On broad gauge tracks, they commonly operated in pairs; however, on standard gauge lines, single-unit operation was typical. A secondary 'hostlers' cab was incorporated to assist with depot shunting and short-distance movements.

Two locomotives were lost in the February 1969 Violet Town railway disaster and subsequently dismantled. Particularly, S317 underwent reconstruction after a serious collision in January 1967 but was later involved in a fatal incident again in June 1982.

Following the arrival of newer models like the G Class, S class units on standard gauge were shifted to broad gauge duties. Comprehensive refurbishments ceased by the mid-1980s; by July 1987, several units had been retired or had operational limitations imposed. In February 1994, four locomotives were sold to West Coast Railway to serve regional passenger routes.

The fleet experienced renewed activity after privatisation, with some units undergoing overhauls; as of May 2014, multiple locomotives remained active under operators such as CFCL Australia, Pacific National, and Southern Shorthaul Railroad. Recently, privately acquired units have been either restored for service or donated to heritage groups including the Seymour Railway Heritage Centre and Steamrail Victoria. In July 2025, S317 was repainted in a livery inspired by Victorian Railways and renamed "Jenny Nally," reflecting ongoing preservation efforts.

Fleet status

Key:	In Service	Stored	Preserved	Under Restoration	Under Repair	Scrapped

Locomotive	Serial no	Name	Entered service	Withdrawn	Scrapped	Livery	Status	Owner(s)	Gauge	Notes
First Order
S300	57-164	Matthew Flinders	21 Aug 1957			CFCLA Silver and Blue	Under restoration Canberra	VR (Built), VicRail (1974), V/Line (1983), West Coast Railway (1994), CFCLA (2004), Private (2019?)	1,435 mm standard gauge
S301	57-165	Sir Thomas Mitchell	4 Sep 1957			Freight Australia Green and Yellow with Steamrail Logos	Preserved	VR, VicRail, V/Line, Freight Australia, Pacific National, Steamrail Victoria (2024)	1,600 mm broad gauge
S302	57-166	Edward Henty	18 Sep 1957			El Zorro Orange and Grey with SSR Logos	Scrapped - North Bendigo Workshops 2025	VR, VicRail, V/Line, West Coast Railway, V/Line Passenger, El Zorro, Southern Shorthaul Railroad	1,600 mm broad gauge
S303	57-167	Charles La Trobe	30 Sep 1957	Jul 1988		VR Blue and Gold	Preserved-operational	VR, VicRail, V/Line, VicTrack Heritage Register (1990)	1,435 mm standard gauge
S304	57-168	George Bass	15 Oct 1957	May 1987	Mar 1992	VR Blue and Gold	Scrapped	VR, VicRail, V/Line	1,600 mm broad gauge
S305	57-169	Hamilton Hume	4 Nov 1957	2 Dec 1985	Feb 1991	VR Blue and Gold	Scrapped	VR, VicRail, V/Line	1,600 mm broad gauge
S306	57-170	'John Batman'	'25 Nov 1957'	'Jun 2019'		'Pacific National Blue and Yellow'	'Operational'	'VR, VicRail, V/Line, Freight Australia, Pacific National, 707 Operations (2023)'	'1,600 mm broad gauge'
S307	'57-171'	'John Pascoe Fawkner'	'10 Dec 1957'			'Pacific National Blue and Yellow'	'Preserved'	'VR, VicRail, V/Line, Freight Australia, Pacific National, SRHC (2023)'	'1,435 mm standard gauge'
"S308"	"58-179"	"Sir Redmond Barry"	"20 Jan 1958"	"25 Jul 1988"		"V/Line Orange and Grey"	"Static display"	"VR, VicRail, V/Line, VicTrack Heritage"	"1,600 mm broad gauge"
"S309"	"58-182"	"William Lonsdale"	"24 Feb 1958"	"19 Jul 1988"	"1996"	"V/Line Orange and Grey"	"Scrapped"	"VR, VicRail, V/Line"	"1,600 mm broad gauge"
"Second Order"
"S310"	"60-227"	"George Higinbotham"	"25 Nov 1960"			"V/Line Orange and Grey"	"Stored"	"VR, VicRail, V/Line, Freight Australia, Pacific National, Seymour Railway Heritage Centre (2013)"	"1,600 mm broad gauge"
"S311"	"60-228"	"Sir Ferdinand von Mueller"	"16 Nov 1960"			"CFCLA Silver and Blue with SSR Logos"	"In Service"	"VR, VicRail, V/Line, West Coast Railway, CFCLA, Private (2019?), Southern Shorthaul Railroad (2020)"	"1,435 mm standard gauge"
"S312"	"60-229"	"Peter Lalor"	"27 Jan 1961"			"Rail Power Black with SSR Logos"	"Operational"	"VR, VicRail,V/Line West Coast Railway Rail Power SSR"	"1,600 mm broad gauge"
"S313"	"61-230"	"Alfred Deakin"	"27 Feb 1961"	"14 Dec 1994"		"VR Blue and Gold"	"Preserved-operational"	"VR,VicRail,V/Line,VicTrack Heritage Register (1996)"	"1,600 mm broad gauge"
"S314"	"61-231"	"Sir John O'Shanassy"	"20 Apr 1961"	"7 Feb 1969"	"7 Feb 1969"	"VR Blue and Gold"	"Scrapped"	"VR"	"1,435 mm standard gauge"
"S315"	"61-238"	"Sir Charles Gavan Duffy"	"16 Oct 1961"	"23 Aug 1988"	"Apr 1992"	"V/Line Orange and Grey"	"Scrapped"	"VR,VicRail,V/Line"	"1,435 mm standard gauge"
'S316'	'61-239'	'Sir Andrew Clarke'	'10 Nov 1961'	'7 Feb 1969'	'7 Feb 1969'	'VR Blue and Gold'	'Scrapped'	'VR'	'1,435 mm standard gauge'
'S317'	'61-240'	'Jenny Nally'	'7 Dec 1961'			'Victorian Railways Inspired Black and Yellow'	'Operational'	'VR,VicRail,V/Line,[Great Northern Rail Services],Southern Shorthaul Railroad'	'1,435 mm standard gauge'