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Offline hvc  
#1 Posted : 08 January 2022 11:47:10(UTC)
hvc

Australia   
Joined: 03/06/2013(UTC)
Posts: 411
Location: Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Near my home in Melbourne is a flour mill served by the railway. While I was waiting for a take-away the other day I walked down to the train tracks. A wheat train was unloading at the mill...

IMG_3007X.jpeg
IMG_3011X.jpeg

You'll see the road number is S317 - a Victorian Railways S Class, built in 1961. They long since retired from public railways, but some of these old ladies still survive with private railway operators like Southern Shorthaul Railroad.

The obvious similarity with an EMD F7 is not coincidental. Clyde Engineering in Sydney had a license to build the General Motors design, which they then modified for local conditions.

One of the those local conditions was the need to operate (sadly) on more than one gauge of track. They could be fitted with either standard gauge or broad gauge bogies. Here one of her sister locomotives is in the process of being delivered to Victoria, and is having the bogies changed at the border between New South Wales and Victoria. (Crazy, I know. Rail in Australia is still very primitive, and this is one of the reasons).

IMG_3025.JPG

I do love these locomotives, to my eye the most classic of the streamliner designs. Here another sister of hers, S316, heads the Southern Aurora...

IMG_3027.JPG

The locomotive in my photos, S317, was badly damaged in collisions on two occasions. Once in 1967, and then again in 1982 when she was run into the rear of a stationary train, tragically killing the crew:

IMG_3026.JPG

Amazing that after two serious collisions and 60 years she's still earning a living. Her sister S316 was not so lucky, and was one of two S classes completely destroyed in one of Australia's worst railway accidents, the Violet Town railway disaster.

And so as not to finish on such a grim photo, her older sister S303 restored to former glory...

Victorian-railways-s-class.jpeg

Further reading at:

http://www.victorianrailways.net/motive%20power/sdie/sdie.html

and

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_Railways_S_class_(diesel)

Herman
- Herman
thanks 12 users liked this useful post by hvc
Offline Mman  
#2 Posted : 08 January 2022 12:02:42(UTC)
Mman

United Kingdom   
Joined: 23/05/2021(UTC)
Posts: 247
Location: England, Guildford
As they only have a driving cab at one end (!) how were they turned? Triangles, wyes or turntables?
ChrisG
Offline hvc  
#3 Posted : 08 January 2022 12:09:44(UTC)
hvc

Australia   
Joined: 03/06/2013(UTC)
Posts: 411
Location: Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Originally Posted by: Mman Go to Quoted Post
As they only have a driving cab at one end (!) how were they turned? Triangles, wyes or turntables?
ChrisG


They can be operated in pairs, allowing bi-directional operation.

Nowadays they are turned on wyes - the flat end does have a small cab for low-speed running. Back when they were new Victorian Railways still had steam locomotives and turntables, so I guess they would have used those as well.
- Herman
Offline kimballthurlow  
#4 Posted : 08 January 2022 21:23:17(UTC)
kimballthurlow

Australia   
Joined: 18/03/2007(UTC)
Posts: 6,653
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Originally Posted by: hvc Go to Quoted Post
.....

I do love these locomotives, to my eye the most classic of the streamliner designs. Here another sister of hers, S316, heads the Southern Aurora...

.....

Herman


Hello Herman,
Thank you so much for that well written story and photographs on an iconic locomotive.
With their 3 axle bogies they are closer in size and style to the EMD E8, but of course the front end noses on any of the F or E classes were much the same.
Amazing that thay are still operating.

regards
Kimball

HO Scale - Märklin (ep II-III and VI, C Track, digital) - 2 rail HO (Queensland Australia, UK, USA) - 3 rail OO (English Hornby Dublo) - old clockwork O gauge - Live Steam 90mm (3.1/2 inch) gauge.
thanks 1 user liked this useful post by kimballthurlow
hvc
Offline hvc  
#5 Posted : 09 January 2022 00:24:44(UTC)
hvc

Australia   
Joined: 03/06/2013(UTC)
Posts: 411
Location: Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Originally Posted by: kimballthurlow Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: hvc Go to Quoted Post
.....

I do love these locomotives, to my eye the most classic of the streamliner designs. Here another sister of hers, S316, heads the Southern Aurora...

.....

Herman


With their 3 axle bogies they are closer in size and style to the EMD E8, but of course the front end noses on any of the F or E classes were much the same.



You're right, they are more similar to an E8.

An odd difference I noticed doing some reading about them was the provision of a door at the front of the nose, which struck me as a strange addition:

Screen Shot 2022-01-09 at 10.19.04 am.jpg

I don't know what the reason was for the door? I guess access to the passenger cars behind when running in pairs?

EQD9P-qUcAAT6sE.jpeg
8cec4952684892910b37cc3c814cb686c2fdc8e2.jpeg

The doors were welded shut in the 1970s, with the grab handles then lingering until later rebuilds.

Edited by user 09 January 2022 12:49:05(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

- Herman
thanks 4 users liked this useful post by hvc
Offline Alsterstreek  
#6 Posted : 09 January 2022 13:30:50(UTC)
Alsterstreek

Germany   
Joined: 16/11/2011(UTC)
Posts: 5,666
Location: Hybrid Home
The photo caption in below thread is suggesting that a EMD E4 passenger locomotive nose door was meant to allow access to the train:

https://ogrforum.ogauger...rReply=39441156522184870

But then in North America many EMD F type bulldog nose freight locomotive had nose doors...
thanks 3 users liked this useful post by Alsterstreek
Offline DTaylor91  
#7 Posted : 09 January 2022 23:13:00(UTC)
DTaylor91


Joined: 31/08/2007(UTC)
Posts: 414
Location: Kennesaw, GA
Originally Posted by: Alsterstreek Go to Quoted Post
The photo caption in below thread is suggesting that a EMD E4 passenger locomotive nose door was meant to allow access to the train:

https://ogrforum.ogauger...rReply=39441156522184870

But then in North America many EMD F type bulldog nose freight locomotive had nose doors...


A shame that's not a color photo, that paint scheme was epic!

thanks 1 user liked this useful post by DTaylor91
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