The T class are a class of diesel locomotives built by Clyde Engineering, Granville for the Victorian Railways between 1955 and 1968.
History
In July 1954, the Victorian Railways placed an order with Clyde Engineering for 25 (later extended to 27) diesel electric Electro-Motive Diesel G8 locomotives to partially dieselise country branch lines."And now the T’s" Victorian Railways Newsletter October 1954 Page 3The T-Class Diesel-Electric Locomotives Abbott, RL Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, September 1972 pages 169-1751st Order (27 locos): T320-T346 & T413 (1 loco) Mark Bau's VR website
In June 1959, the first of an additional ten entered service. Although mechanically similar to the first batch, they differed by having a cab raised above the hood line.2nd Order (10 locos): T347-T356 Mark Bau's VR website A further ten entered service from December 1961.3rd Order (10 locos): T357-T366 Mark Bau's VR website
In September 1965, the first of an order for 32 was delivered. These differed by having a lower nose.T367-T398 (32 locos) Mark Bau's VR website A final order for 19 was delivered from April 1967.(14 locos): T399-T412 Mark Bau's VR website The last five were built with an extra of ballast weight for improved adhesion and low speed controls for use as shunting locomotives in Melbourne. These were reclassified as the H class shortly after being delivered.H class diesel locomotives Mark Bau's VR website
In July 1969, an additional flat top unit was purchased second hand from Australian Portland Cement who had ordered it for use at its narrow gauge Fyansford Cement Works Railway, Geelong in 1956. Although outwardly similar to the original T class units, it was fitted with dynamic brakes, and became a regular on the steeply graded Cudgewa line.
In 1984/85, Martin & King, Somerton rebuilt 13 flat tops as P class locomotives. This involved a new cab and carbody, replacing the EMD 8-567C engine with an EMD 8-645E, replacement of the main generator and traction motors, and provision of a separate head end power generator.P Class Railpage The rebuild had to use the flat top units as a base because their frames had been designed for 12-cylinder engines, and this left room for the new head-end power units to be fitted.
Although ordered as branch line locomotives, as branch lines began to close, the T class were often used on main line services. For example, due to shortages of mainline locomotives in the mid-1980s, Saturday evening Gippsland trains were regularly run with two or three T class locomotives, but these were unable to keep the schedule and would often run up to half an hour late.
T320-325, 333–335, 341, 343 and 346 were all stored out of service by mid-February 1987, leaving only T342, 344 and 345 (and 413) of the flat-top series in use.
By 14 December 1987, engines T350, 352–354, 360–364, 367–368, 370, 372, 378, 380, 383, 386–387, 389, 391, 393–394, 397, 404, 407, 410-412 were all painted in the V/Line orange and grey livery, while T351, 373, 384, 399 and 403 were being repainted. All the high-nose engines had their valences trimmed by this point.
Re-weighing In mid-1987 V/Line re-weighed their diesel locomotive fleet, and in doing so discovered that the previously published weights were incorrect, in some cases by up to six tonnes. As part of that process it was discovered that ten apparently random T class locomotives - T370, 376, 385, 386, 390, 391, 392 and 407 - were significantly lighter than their classmates and thus were authorised to operate over the Murray River bridge at Echuca to run to Deniliquin and Moulamein (which had recently been cut back from Balranald) in New South Wales, further reducing the need for V/Line's Y class fleet. On those lines the T class locomotives could haul , up from of the Y class. Both classes were restricted to on the Deniliquin line; the Y class was allowed to Moulamein while the T class was restricted to .
Engines sold off Many were withdrawn in the late 1980s with the arrival of the G class locomotives. In October 1992, six low nose locomotives were sold to Australian National with five entering service as the CK class as shunters and bankers in Adelaide. All were included in the sale of Australian National to Australian Southern Railroad in November 1997. One was resold to SCT Logistics with the remaining four operating on the narrow gauge Eyre Peninsula Railway as at January 2014.CK Class RailpageCK Class Vicsig
As of July 1987, thirteen of the 28 flat-top T class units had been converted to P class locomotives and six were listed for sale or lease. T320 was nominally allocated to the Newport Railway Museum, T334 and T342 were leased to APM to work the private siding between Maryvale and their mill, and T325, T335 and T341 were expected to be cannibalised for parts; these three were noted as having 567CR engines, like the later units, rather than their original 567C engines. T346 was only a shell at this point, and was due to be cut up. T413 was used between pairs of H class engines H1, H3 or H5 working the North Geelong grain loop, while T345 was working with H2 on Melbourne Hump Yard.
In 1987, flat top units T322, T323, T324 and T343 were sold to Bob White Electrix in Geelong for use as stationary generator units, providing electrical power for testing high voltage electric motors and generators, bound for submarines. The estimated cost by the State Electricity Commission (SEC) of Victoria to install electrical transformers and a connection to the state electricity grid was exponentially higher than the rumoured purchase price from V/line of per locomotive. All four engines were moved from Melbourne to North Geelong on 18 June 1987, then to a siding at North Shore two days later. The locomotives had their bogies removed and were placed at the Bob White Electrix facility at North Shore on concrete blocks, side-by-side with cabs at the west end, in numeric order increasing from T322 at the north end. On 1 July, T322 was moved over by flatbed truck, followed by T323 and T324 on 15 July and T343 on 16 July. They initially retained their VR liveries, however have since been painted solid blue. These units are still located at this facility and still appear to be in use as of 2023.
Following its withdrawal by V/Line in July 1992, T375 was saved from scrapping in 1993 when Torrumbarry farmer Glen "Trainman" Boatwright purchased the 70-tonne locomotive for $25,000 and moved it to a section of isolated track on his Murray River property. Boatwright periodically ran the locomotive back and forth along the track over the next 33 years to maintain its mechanical components, preventing the engine from seizing and keeping the axle bearings in working order.
In 2026, the Seymour Heritage Centre loaned T375 for mainline preservation, performing on-site servicing, including oil replacement, new batteries, and load tests—before trucking the unit to Echuca, where it was re-railed on 5 July 2026 to run shuttle operations for the Deniliquin-Moama line's 150th anniversary after 34 years off the network. The locomotive was subsequently transferred to the Seymour depot for final mechanical certification and mainline upgrades, including ICE radio installation, cab soundproofing, and handrail replacement.
Others were sold to Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia, El Zorro, Great Northern Rail Services, SCT Logistics, Southern Shorthaul Railroad, and West Coast Railway. A number of the T class have been preserved.T Class Vicsig
Those remaining with V/Line Freight were included in the sale to Freight Australia and in 2000, some stored examples were reactivated and fitted with standard gauge bogies to haul grain services in southern New South Wales."Freight Australia reaches Cowra" Railway Digest August 2000 page 34 These passed with the Freight Australia business to Pacific National in August 2004.
Use on standard gauge Aside from delivery runs (where engines arrived on standard gauge and were transferred within three days of arrival, allowing for weekends), the following are known allocations of T class locomotives operating on standard gauge. Common uses early on were to work ballast trains, and later Ford trains from Upfield towards New South Wales. Very occasionally, the engines would be used to rescue a disabled train.
Locomotive Order To SG Ex SG Days NotesT345 1 Current (as at August 2026) For Specialised Container Transport.T355 2 1,631 Ex SG, to Bendigo Workshops for collision repairsT357 3 Current (as at August 2026) For Seymour Railway Heritage CentreT358 3 1,713 T359 3 1,719 Damaged in "cornfield meet" on 31 July 1965, out of service until 12 September 1965, temporarily replaced by T377.T360 3 232 T371 4 For Freight Australia.T371 4 Current (as at August 2026) For Pacific National.T373 4 For Great Northern Rail ServicesT377 4 43 Date of conversion from standard gauge assumed, based on date of repair of T359 (which T377 temporarily replaced)T379 4 For Pacific National. Now scrapped.T381 4 , before Jan 1998 For Great Northern Rail ServicesT383 4 For Rail Technical Support Group.T383 4 Current (as at August 2026) For Greentrains.T387 5 Current (as at August 2026) For Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia. Now with 707 Operations.T388 5 For Freight AustraliaT390 5 For Freight Australia. Never painted Pacific National blue and yellow scheme. Sold to Southern Shorthaul Railroad by 28 October 2025.T391 5 1,550 T392 5 971 T392 5 For Freight AustraliaT399 6 , before Sep 2001 Replaced T411 as the Wodonga shunter, which experienced a "major defect" and was not expected to be repaired.T399 6 For Freight AustraliaT402 6 398 Replaced T409.T403 6 679 Replaced T409.T404 6 127 T404 6 Current (as at August 2026) For Specialised Container Transport. Restored to T404, was previously CK2.T406 6 10 T407 7 200 T408 7 For Freight AustraliaT409 7 743 Replaced T411, damaged in Seymour flooding.T409 7 195 T409 7 For Freight AustraliaT410 7 411 T411 7 1,511 Ex SG due to flood damage at SeymourT411 7 3,601 Re-entered service following flood damage repair.T411 7 2,430 Repaired, painted V/Line orange; may have returned to service earlier. Was orange at Dynon broad gauge on 20 January 1985; sighted at Ararat on broad gauge on 14 and 21 April 1985. After withdrawal from standard gauge service, was stored and eventually sold.T412 7 1,521 T414 9 Current (as at August 2026) For Specialised Container Transport.
Subtypes The class can be divided into three main styles by appearance:
Flat tops: T320-T346 (first order). Based on Electro-Motive Diesel G8 locomotive design, this order had a low cab and roof.T Class (T320-T346, T413) Railpage High cabs: T347-T356 and T357-T366 (second and third orders). They differed from the flat tops by having a high cab but were mechanically similar. The 3rd order had an altered radiator design.T Class (T347-T356) RailpageT Class (T357-T366) Railpage Low nose: T367-T386, T387-T396, T397-T406 and T407 to T417 (fourth to seventh orders). The fourth order introduced a new low nose that provided greater driver visibility, and a more modern generator. The sixth order introduced the newer EMD 645E engine, replacing the older EMD 567 used before.T Class (T367-T386) RailpageT Class (T387-T396) RailpageT Class (T397-T406) RailpageT Class (T407-T412) Railpage Engines T397 and T398, although part of the sixth order, were delivered with the original lower-powered engines. Externally, the difference was visible by single or twin exhaust stacks for the earlier and later engines respectively. However, due to noise issues, the exhaust stack nearer to the locomotive cabin was quickly welded over on some engines, and T400 had its nearer stack completely removed within a few months of entering service. There was a proposal in the mid-1960s to class the newly delivered, higher-horsepower engines from T399 and above as the U Class, but this was not adopted.