Re: VicRail/Australia Freight diesel paint scheme

[John McCallum <mccallum@unite.com.au>]

James Mancuso wrote:
> 
> After looking at some photos of VicRai/Austrailia Freight diesel locomotives,
> particularly the GM style double ended cab units, I noticed that the two tone
> green paint scheme and winged logo on the nose of these GM units bears a
> striking resemblance to that used by the Erie Railroad here in the States on its
> passenger units from the time they were delivered in 1951 to the October 17,1960
> merger with the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western. This has got to be one of the
> sharpest looking paint schemes on any diesel road Locomotive, Australian or
> American. These double ended GM units are a cross between an EMD F7 made into a
> double ender by splacing two cab ends together and an SD7 roadswitcher with the
> three axle Flexicoil trucks. Does anyone have any rosters of Australian diesels
> and how many of these GM units are still running. I like the way that Clyde
> Engineering adapted the GM 'bulldog nose' for use on these units and the more
> powerful single cabbed units that, to me, are a cross between our passenger E9
> units and the 3600 hp F45 cowl units that used to roam the Santa Fe and
> Burlington Northern railroads here in the States. I would like to know more
> about the diesel fleets of the various railways Down Under. G'day, everybody.
> 
> James Mancuso

A good book to get if it still available is "The ML2 Story". This
details the history of the VR B class diesel locos.
Basically, the B class were a six motor version of the F7 with a cab
each end.
One wonders if EMD would have built the SD7 if it were not for the
Australian government refusing to allow the importation of the 3-axle
flexicoil truck. This resulted in EMD not having a loco to use it under,
hence the SD7.

-- 
John McCallum
email: mccallum@unite.com.au
DTE Director and member Melbourne PC User Group