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Those Were The Days
Victoria, Australia 1952. Victorian Railways new diesel electric B 60 locomotive being delivered to Melbourne passes one of the S class ‘Pacific’ steam locomotives it eventually replaced.
The B class were the first mainline diesel locomotives and were used for both passenger and freight services.
The design was based around the successful Electro Motive Diesel F-unit locomotives with a distinctive bulldog nose. They featured a streamlined drivers cab at each end.
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They were/are a fantastic locomotive. The difference between the American locos and the B class was they had driving positions on both ends, in other words they were double ended. The B class were refurbished some years ago and renumbered to A Class using the same numbers.
Most of them have been retired, but A66 is due to be retired – AGAIN – later this month. It is 66 years old, and still being used for commuter services to outer Melbourne that are not electrified.
The B class locomotive (now A class), in my opinion, is the greatest looking locomotive ever! I was just a kid when Victorian Railways introduced them. They were regular workhorses of the system for over 50 years. There is a single ended variant with limited control from the back end. They were an S class. I have 2 B class and 1 S class on my layout.
The B class were rebuilt in 1984 – 85 with a bigger prime mover, and reclassified as A class, using the same numbers. A66 is the last A class locomotive in service and maybe the last bulldog nosed EMD locomotive in the world still hauling regular passenger services
A66 is being rested from the end of August until the end of the year and will return to service in January 2019
For video of B60 and A66 see this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7W8Br2RZZk4
Ian