Victorian Railways H class (diesel)

For the 1877 steam locomotives, see Victorian Railways H class (1877). For the 1941 steam locomotives, see Victorian Railways H class.

The H class are a class of diesel locomotives built by Clyde Engineering, Granville for the Victorian Railways in 1968–1969.

Victorian Railways H class
Pacific National H1 at Kensington in June 2012
Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder Clyde Engineering, Granville Model EMD G18B Build date 1968–1969 Total produced 5
Specifications Configuration: ​  • UIC Bo-Bo Gauge 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) Length 12.4 m (40 ft 8 in) Fuel type Diesel Prime mover EMD 8-645E Generator EMD D25E Traction motors EMD D29
Performance figures Maximum speed 100 km/h (62 mph) Power output 820 kW (1,100 hp)
Career Operators Victorian Railways Number in class 5 Numbers H1–H5 Current owner Pacific National Disposition 2 preserved, 2 stored, 1 scrapped

History

The H Class were built as T class locomotives with modifications for use at the Melbourne Hump Yard. They were fitted additional equipment for their duties, including extra weight for traction, "manual power control" to allow low speed operation, and an accurate low speed speedometer.

The H class were delivered as T413 to T417, but were reclassified before entering service. The class rarely left Melbourne due to their excessive weight, until being approved to operate on the same lines as the N class in January 1987. All were included in the sale of V/Line Freight to Freight Victoria in May 1999 and passed with the business to Pacific National in August 2004.

Pacific National sold three of the H class to the Ettamogah Rail Hub in 2015. Two of those were on-sold to 707 Operations in 2018. H4 was scrapped in 2020, while H1 had had its long hood cladding removed and was stored in North Dynon between 2020 and April 2022, when it was transferred to the Seymour Railway Heritage Centre as part of a long-term restoration project. In mid-2023, all four of the surviving H classes were bought by Watco Australia, and are currently being refurbished at Newport Workshops.

Status table

Key:	Withdrawn	Preserved	Converted	Scrapped

Locomotive	Delivered as	Entered service	Owner(s)	Status
H1	T413	20 December 1968	VR (Built), VicRail (1976), V/Line (1983), FV/FA (1999/2000), PN(2004-2009), VicTrack Heritage (2009)	Stored at Seymour with the engine cladding removed and the engine partially tarped over.
H2	T414	7 January 1969	VR (Built), VicRail (1976), V/Line (1983), FV/FA (1999/2000), PN (2004), Ettamogah Rail Hub (2015)	Stored – Seymour.
H3	T415	7 February 1969	VR (Built), VicRail (1976), V/Line (1983), FV/FA (1999/2000), PN (2004), Ettamogah Rail Hub (2015), 707 Operations (2018)	Preserved – Operational. On long-term lease to 707 Operations. Unable to lead due its lack of an ICE radio.
H4	T416	24 February 1969	VR (Built), VicRail (1976), V/Line (1983), FV/FA (1999/2000), PN (2004-Jan 2020)	Scrapped North Geelong.
H5	T417	14 March 1969	VR (Built), VicRail (1976), V/Line (1983), FV/FA (1999/2000), PN (2004), Ettamogah Rail Hub (2015), 707 Operations (2017)	Preserved – Operational. Long-term lease to 707 Operations. Has an ICE radio and leads often.

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