B class d/e locomotives


B class diesel electric locomotives
B class diesel electric locomotives			Model: ML2

VR's first mainline diesel, the B class were seen all over the state and in every type of service, only the lightest branchlines could not handle them. For most of their lives they were utilised to the max. resulting in very high mileages being run in a very short space of time. (By December 1954 they were averaging 2,630 miles per week)
Until the late 70's they were the only locos used on Bendigo passenger trains. They ran in "jet" service (Adelaide interstate freights) until the late 70's and were also common power on The Overland. They never ran on the Standard Gauge except for a few weeks in 1975 when B 60 was put on the SG to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Harold Clapp. In many ways they were VR's best known and best loved diesel loco. Even now a few are still in service for new operators.

In the early 1980's it was planned to rebuild all 26 B's into A class, after 11 were done the program was stopped.

All of the B's were built at Clyde's Granville N.S.W. plant

B class diagram

Until September 1981 all of the B's wore the VR blue and gold paint scheme, after this time most B's were painted in several different schemes as outlined below.

Click on the color schemes for a photo.

vrb	VR blue and gold
vic	VicRail tangerine and silver
vlo	V/Line orange and grey
wcb	West Coast Railway blue
mur	West Coast Railway special Murraylander scheme
vlo test	V/Line orange test scheme
ssr	Southern Shorthaul Railroad
cfcla	Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia

Road #	Serial #	In service	Withdrawn	Service life	Disposition	Color schemes	Notes
B 60	ML2-1	14/7/1952	11/2/1983	3,523,338 miles	to A 60	vrb	Named "Harold W Clapp"
B 61	ML2-2	18/8/1952			to W.C.R.	vrb - vlo - wcb - ssr
B 62	ML2-3	8/9/1952	28/10/83	3,443,639 miles	to A 62	vrb	First diesel loco in Australia to run one million miles
B 63	ML2-4	7/10/1952	2/6/1988		to Steamrail	vrb - vlo
B 64	ML2-5	27/10/1952			to WCR	vrb - vic - vlo
B 65	ML2-6	17/11/1952			to WCR	vrb - wcb - Auscision
B 66	ML2-7	8/12/1952	11/5/1984		to A 66	vrb
B 67	ML2-8	22/12/1952	18/10/1985	3,242,314 miles	scrapped 4/1988	vrb
B 68	ML2-9	2/2/1953	19/11/1985	3,283,325 miles	scrapped 4/1988	vrb - vic
B 69	ML2-10	23/2/1953	e may 1988		scrapped	vrb - vic - vlo
B 70	ML2-11	23/3/1953	3/6/1984	3,086,350 miles	to A70	vrb
B 71	ML2-12	13/4/1953	1/7/1982	2,954,620 miles	to A 71	vrb
B 72	ML2-13	4/5/1953	2/1/1986	3,365,346 miles	to Steamrail	vrb
B 73	ML2-14	25/5/1953	17/11/1981	2,843,394 miles	to A 73	vrb
B 74	ML2-15	15/6/1953	e may 1988		to SRHC	vrb - vic - vlo - vrb
B 75	ML2-16	6/7/1953			to WCR then to GN now privately owned	vrb
B 76	ML2-17	27/7/1953			to WCR	vrb - vlo - wcb
B 77	ML2-18	17/8/1953	27/9/1982	2,988,174 miles	to A 77	vrb
B 78	ML2-19	7/9/1953	29/2/1984	3,016,135 miles	to A 78	vrb
B 79	ML2-20	28/9/1953	18/6/1984	3,101,884 miles	to A 79	vrb
B 80	ML2-21	19/10/1953			to WCR	vrb - vic - vlo - mur
B 81	ML2-22	9/11/1953	15/8/1984	3,072,680 miles	to A 81	vrb - vic
B 82	ML2-23	30/11/1953	23/5/1988		scrapped	vrb - vic - vlo
B 83	ML2-24	21/12/1953	e may 1988		to ARHS museum	vrb - vic - vlo
B 84	ML2-25	18/1/1954	23/5/1988		scrapped	vrb - vic - vlo test- vlo
B 85	ML2-26	22/2/1954	13/3/1983	2,864,521 miles	to A 85	vrb