Australian Locomotive Rosters: VICTORIAN A CLASS

Monday, March 30, 2026

VICTORIAN A CLASS

Website: Brad Peadon

Listing: Bradly Coulter

Photos: Both Brads

Update: 1-4-2026

The Victorian A class diesel locomotives were introduced in the mid-1980s for passenger operations under V/Line, and they represent a fairly clever rebuild rather than a completely new design. Between 1984 and 1985, Clyde Engineering took older Victorian Railways B class locomotives and heavily rebuilt them into what became the A class, giving them updated engines, electronics, and improved performance while retaining much of the original structure.

They use an EMD 645-series engine producing around 2,250 horsepower, with a Co-Co wheel arrangement, and visually they still carry that classic streamlined, double-ended cab design inherited from the B class—one of the reasons they’re so recognisable to railfans.

In service, the A class quickly became a mainstay on country passenger trains across Victoria, hauling V/Line services through the 1980s and 1990s. As newer rolling stock arrived, their role shifted, and several were later used in freight service with operators such as Pacific National and Southern Shorthaul Railroad.

Overall, they’re best thought of as a successful life-extension and upgrade of the B class fleet—combining 1950s styling with 1980s mechanical improvements—and a small but distinctive part of Victoria’s diesel locomotive story.

----------------------------------------------------

Follow: Semi-Retired Foamer Media Here.

To be updated on everything we publish, latest locomotive & preservation news, and photography.

----------------------------------------------------

Specs	A
Builder	Clyde Engineering
Rd No.s	A60, A62, A66, A70, A71, A73, A77, A78, A79, A81, A85
Model	AAT22C-2R
Wheels	Co-Co
Length	18540mm
Gauge	Broad
Mass	120t
Engine	EMD 12-645E3B
Power	2475hp

Loco	Build #	Date	Owner	Status	Livery	Other #
A60	84-1184	9/23/1984	VicTrack - SRHC	Stored	VLP mk1	ex B60
A62	84-1183	7/28/1984	VicTrack - 707Ops	Operational	V/Line	ex B62
A66	84-1186	4/6/1985	PTV	Operational	V/Line	ex B66
A70	84-1187	5/23/1985	Southern Shorthaul	Operational	SSR Tiger	ex B70
A71	83-1180	5/21/1984	Pacific National	Scrapped 2019	PN Green	ex B71
A73	83-1179	5/23/1984	Pacific National	Scrapped 2019	PN Green	ex B73
A77	83-1181	5/31/1984	Pacific National	Scrapped 2019	PN Green	ex B77
A78	84-1185	2/5/1985	SRHC	Stored	PN Green	ex B78
A79	84-1188	7/4/1985	Pacific National	Scrapped 2019	PN Green	ex B79
A81	85-1189	10/4/1985	Pacific National	Scrapped 2019	PN Green	ex B81
A85	84-1182	6/13/1985	Pacific National	Scrapped 2019	PN Green	ex B85

A60

A62

A66

Correction: A66

A70

A71

A73

A77

A78

A79

A81

A85

Why weren't they all rebuilt?

They could have rebuilt more of the B class—but it didn’t really make economic or operational sense to convert the whole fleet.

When V/Line created the A class in the mid-1980s, the goal wasn’t to replace every Victorian Railways B class locomotive. It was to produce a small, reliable fleet specifically for passenger work. They only needed about a dozen units for that job, so rebuilding all 26 B class locos would’ve been overkill.

Cost was a big factor as well. The A class rebuilds were quite extensive—new engines, upgraded electrical gear, and significant structural work. By the time you got into the later B class units, some were already pretty worn, and it wasn’t always worth spending that much money on them compared to either leaving them as-is or replacing them with newer locomotives.

There was also a broader fleet strategy at play. During the 1980s, Victorian railways were bringing in other locomotive types and rationalising their fleet. Some B class units were still useful in their original form for freight, while others were simply withdrawn rather than rebuilt. Later on, operators like Pacific National and others would retire or replace older power anyway, so a full rebuild program would have had a fairly short payoff window.

---------------------------------------------------------

Our websites take a lot of time and effort to hopefully share a

lot of content that is of interest.

Please Share Us Some Love Here.

---------------------------------------------------------

Video: Victorian Cab Ride.

---------------------------------------------------------

Brian Atkins, Benjamin Boehle-Mitchell, Bradly Coulter, Bill Dunn, Matthew English, Jamie Fisher, Richard Hay, John Hourigan, Harley Murfitt, Alex P, Brad Peadon, Bob Richardson, Shawn Stutsel, and Brad White.

SB310

Queensland Museum - Rail Workshops

QR Archives

Semi-Retired Foamer Website

Australian Locomotive Rosters Forum

Semi-Retired Foamer Youtube (80s till Today)

Australian Railways - Past and Present

707 Operations

Seymour Railway Heritage Centre

Southern Shorthaul Railroad

Victorian A Class - Wikipedia