|
The X class are a class of mainline diesel locomotives built by Clyde Engineering, Granville and Rosewater for the Victorian Railways between 1966 and 1976. ==History== In preparation for the opening of the standard gauge line between Albury and Melbourne, the Victorian Railways had purchased a further eight S class locomotives, with the last of these entering service in 1961. But from that date traffic had increased, with a 20% increase in train miles being run by the end of the financial year by the middle of 1965, so the fleet was being stretched beyond reasonable capabilities.〔Newsrail June 2015 (Vol. 43, Issue 6)pp167-175〕 Standard gauge trains at the time were typically rostered for a single 1,800 hp engine, and when these were lacking a pair of T class 950 hp engines were coupled and used in lieu. This strategy could only ever be temporary, because the T class was restricted to 60 mph instead of 70 mph, and the two engines added considerable weight over a single larger engine.〔Newsrail June 2015 (Vol. 43, Issue 6)pp167-175〕 So, on 23 July 1965, the Chief Mechancial Engineer, Mr. Galletly, wrote that there was a need for an additional six 1,800 hp engines, which would allow the T class to be shifted back to lower speed and branch duties. The plan at the time was to allocate two of the new engines to the Standard Gauge run, and the other four to Broad Gauge.〔Newsrail June 2015 (Vol. 43, Issue 6)pp167-175〕 Tenders for contract 62902 were closed at 11am September 1st 1965, with reviews completed nine days later. Three offers had been received, from English Electric, A. Goninan and Clyde Engineering. The latter of these provided earlier and faster deliveries of the new fleet, and was cheaper overall because the new engines would share many components with the Victorian Railways' existing S class, and to a lesser extent B class locomotives.〔Newsrail June 2015 (Vol. 43, Issue 6)pp167-175〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Victorian Railways X class (diesel)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|