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Victorian Railways E class (electric)
Encyclopedia
The Victorian Railways E class was a class of electric locomotive
that ran on the Victorian Railways
from 1923 until 1984. Introduced shortly after the electrification of the suburban rail system in Melbourne, Australia, and based on the same electrical and traction equipment as Melbourne's early suburban electric multiple unit
fleet, they provided power for suburban goods services and shunting for six decades.
s such as the Y class
0-6-0
, E class
2-4-2
T and later Dde class
4-6-2
T.
In 1923 it introduced two electric locomotives of 620 hp (460 kW), built at VR's Newport and Jolimont Workshops
with the same General Electric
traction motors and related electrical equipment that had been installed in Melbourne's Tait
and Swing Door
electric suburban train sets.
-style appearance. Despite their appearance and unlike other steeplecab locomotives, they also included a large amount of the electrical equipment including the dynamotor in the driver's cab. The exposure of the driver to this electrical equipment led to them being nicknamed "electric chair
s" among drivers.
A further ten locomotives were built in 1928-29 with similar electrical equipment, but on a longer frame with enclosed cabs at each end.
Until the later introduction of the L class
Co-Co electric locomotives in 1953, these locomotives were simply known as "electric locomotives", there being no others in the VR fleet. With the E class steam locomotives
withdrawn by the 1950s, the twelve locomotives took the E class designation to differentiate them from the L class fleet.
, allowing a single crew to control both as an articulated locomotive with greater tractive effort
than the Victorian Railways C class
heavy goods locomotive, the most powerful locomotive on the VR at the time. Based on their success, suburban goods sidings were rapidly electrified and most suburban goods traffic utilised electric traction. With the electrification of the Gippsland line
as far as Traralgon
in the 1950s, the range of the E class locomotives was similarly extended and they could be found shunting or hauling services along the line.
The E class locomotives were originally painted in a plain black livery, matching that of the VR steam locomotive fleet. During the 1960s they were painted in a variation of the blue and gold livery applied to the VR diesel fleet. The locomotives were initially based at the Jolimont Workshops
along with the suburban electric multiple unit fleet, as steam locomotives were housed at the North Melbourne Locomotive Depot
. However with the opening of the new South Dynon depot in 1964, the entire E class fleet was relocated there in June 1968.
locomotives of a far more modern design.
The box cab E class locomotives continued in service. However, during the 1970s, Victorian Railways conducted detailed studies of goods traffic and found that handling costs made the transport of high rated, small freight items unprofitable. As a result of these studies, rail freight operations were rationalised around block trains carrying bulk freight such as gravel, rice or grain, and suburban goods sidings were closed in favour of road freight service. Furthermore, the use of block trains greatly reduced the need for shunting locomotives. These operational changes rendered the ageing E class suburban electric locomotives surplus, and by 1981 scrappings had commenced. The last was withdrawn from service in 1984.
Four E class locomotives have survived into preservation. As of May 2007, their disposition is as follows:
Electric locomotive
An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or an on-board energy storage device...
that ran on the Victorian Railways
Victorian Railways
The Victorian Railways operated railways in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companies failed or defaulted, the Victorian Railways was established to take over their operations...
from 1923 until 1984. Introduced shortly after the electrification of the suburban rail system in Melbourne, Australia, and based on the same electrical and traction equipment as Melbourne's early suburban electric multiple unit
Electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
fleet, they provided power for suburban goods services and shunting for six decades.
History
With the rapid expansion of Melbourne's suburban electrification scheme, becoming by 1924 the largest in the world at 346 miles (557 km), the Victorian Railways decided to utilise the advantages of electric traction for suburban goods services, which until then had been hauled by steam locomotiveSteam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s such as the Y class
Victorian Railways Y class
The Victorian Railways Y class was an example of the new policy of standard design principles being adopted by the railways of the time. The original pattern locomotive was built by Kitson & Co. at Leeds in England in 1885 and was exhibited along with E426 at the Centennial Exhibition in the...
0-6-0
0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...
, E class
Victorian Railways E class
The pattern suburban E class tank loco was built by Kitson & Co of Leeds, England, in 1888 and was a typical British tank engine of the 2-4-2 wheel arrangement. The original loco was displayed in the Centennial International Exhibition in the Melbourne Exhibition Buildings in 1888...
2-4-2
2-4-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-4-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
T and later Dde class
Victorian Railways Dd class
The Dd class was a passenger and mixed traffic steam locomotive that ran on Victorian Railways from 1902 to 1974...
4-6-2
4-6-2
4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...
T.
In 1923 it introduced two electric locomotives of 620 hp (460 kW), built at VR's Newport and Jolimont Workshops
Jolimont Workshops
Jolimont Workshops was a railway workshop operated by the Victorian Railways beside Jolimont Yard in inner city Melbourne, Australia. Opened in 1917 and dedicated to the maintenance and repair of electric multiple units and locomotives, it was the first part of the yard to be closed and relocated,...
with the same General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
traction motors and related electrical equipment that had been installed in Melbourne's Tait
Tait (train)
The Tait trains, also referred to as the "Red Rattlers", were a wooden bodied Electric Multiple Unit train that operated on the suburban railway network of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. They were introduced in 1910 by the Victorian Railways as steam locomotive hauled cars, and converted to...
and Swing Door
Swing Door (train)
Swing doors, more commonly known as "Dogboxes" or "Doggies" are a wooden bodied Electric Multiple Unit train that operated on the suburban railway network of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
electric suburban train sets.
Production
The first two locomotives were built with a steeplecabSteeplecab
In railroad terminology, a steeplecab is a style or design of electric locomotive; the term is rarely if ever used for other forms of power...
-style appearance. Despite their appearance and unlike other steeplecab locomotives, they also included a large amount of the electrical equipment including the dynamotor in the driver's cab. The exposure of the driver to this electrical equipment led to them being nicknamed "electric chair
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
s" among drivers.
A further ten locomotives were built in 1928-29 with similar electrical equipment, but on a longer frame with enclosed cabs at each end.
Until the later introduction of the L class
Victorian Railways L class (electric)
The Victorian Railways L class was a class of mainline electric locomotive that ran on the Victorian Railways and its successor V/Line from 1953 until 1987...
Co-Co electric locomotives in 1953, these locomotives were simply known as "electric locomotives", there being no others in the VR fleet. With the E class steam locomotives
Victorian Railways E class
The pattern suburban E class tank loco was built by Kitson & Co of Leeds, England, in 1888 and was a typical British tank engine of the 2-4-2 wheel arrangement. The original loco was displayed in the Centennial International Exhibition in the Melbourne Exhibition Buildings in 1888...
withdrawn by the 1950s, the twelve locomotives took the E class designation to differentiate them from the L class fleet.
Regular service
Upon introduction, the two steeple-cab locomotives proved the superiority of electric traction. They were able to operate together with multiple-unit train controlMultiple-unit train control
Multiple-unit train control, sometimes abbreviated to multiple-unit or MU, is a method of simultaneously controlling all the traction equipment in a train from a single location, whether it is a Multiple unit comprising a number of self-powered passenger cars or a set of locomotives.A set of...
, allowing a single crew to control both as an articulated locomotive with greater tractive effort
Tractive effort
As used in mechanical engineering, the term tractive force is the pulling or pushing force exerted by a vehicle on another vehicle or object. The term tractive effort is synonymous with tractive force, and is often used in railway engineering to describe the pulling or pushing capability of a...
than the Victorian Railways C class
Victorian Railways C class
The C class was a mainline goods locomotive of the 2-8-0 'Consolidation' type that ran on the Victorian Railways between 1918 and 1962. Although its original design had some key shortcomings, a number of improvements were made over the class' long career on the VR, many of which were subsequently...
heavy goods locomotive, the most powerful locomotive on the VR at the time. Based on their success, suburban goods sidings were rapidly electrified and most suburban goods traffic utilised electric traction. With the electrification of the Gippsland line
Orbost railway line
The Orbost railway line is a railway serving the Latrobe Valley and Gippsland regions of Victoria, Australia...
as far as Traralgon
Traralgon, Victoria
Traralgon is a regional city located in the Latrobe Valley in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. Traralgon is a city within the City of Latrobe....
in the 1950s, the range of the E class locomotives was similarly extended and they could be found shunting or hauling services along the line.
The E class locomotives were originally painted in a plain black livery, matching that of the VR steam locomotive fleet. During the 1960s they were painted in a variation of the blue and gold livery applied to the VR diesel fleet. The locomotives were initially based at the Jolimont Workshops
Jolimont Workshops
Jolimont Workshops was a railway workshop operated by the Victorian Railways beside Jolimont Yard in inner city Melbourne, Australia. Opened in 1917 and dedicated to the maintenance and repair of electric multiple units and locomotives, it was the first part of the yard to be closed and relocated,...
along with the suburban electric multiple unit fleet, as steam locomotives were housed at the North Melbourne Locomotive Depot
North Melbourne Locomotive Depot
North Melbourne Locomotive Depot was the main location for maintenance of the Victorian Railways steam locomotive fleet based in Melbourne. Located in the middle of the Melbourne Yard precinct in the suburb West Melbourne near North Melbourne railway station, the site is now occupied by the...
. However with the opening of the new South Dynon depot in 1964, the entire E class fleet was relocated there in June 1968.
Demise
The first two steeplecab locomotives were scrapped in July 1955, deemed uneconomic to upgrade with new electrical and coupling equipment. By this time, the electric locomotive fleet had been substantially expanded with 2400 hp L classVictorian Railways L class (electric)
The Victorian Railways L class was a class of mainline electric locomotive that ran on the Victorian Railways and its successor V/Line from 1953 until 1987...
locomotives of a far more modern design.
The box cab E class locomotives continued in service. However, during the 1970s, Victorian Railways conducted detailed studies of goods traffic and found that handling costs made the transport of high rated, small freight items unprofitable. As a result of these studies, rail freight operations were rationalised around block trains carrying bulk freight such as gravel, rice or grain, and suburban goods sidings were closed in favour of road freight service. Furthermore, the use of block trains greatly reduced the need for shunting locomotives. These operational changes rendered the ageing E class suburban electric locomotives surplus, and by 1981 scrappings had commenced. The last was withdrawn from service in 1984.
Preservation
- E 1102 is in static preservation at the Australian Railway Historical SocietyAustralian Railway Historical SocietyThe Australian Railway Historical Society was founded in Sydney in 1933 as The Australasian Railway and Locomotive Historical Society. It aims to foster an interest in the railways, and record and preserve many facets of railway operations. Membership now exceeds 2,500, with Divisions in every...
Williamstown Railway Museum, wearing its original black livery - E 1106 and 1108 are currently stored out of service by Steamrail VictoriaSteamrail VictoriaSteamrail Victoria is a not-for-profit volunteer group established in 1965 to the restore and operate historic locomotives and rolling stock used on the railways in Victoria, Australia. The main depot of the group is at the Newport Railway Workshops in suburban Melbourne...
- E 1109 is also in the custody of Steamrail Victoria, and is presently being restored to operating condition
External links
- victorianrailways.net E class locomotive page Details and further photographs of E class locomotives