Re: C class's and Belarine Peninsula Railways (two qns)

[mauried@commslab.gov.au (Maurie Daly)]

In article <35a28dde.7986204@news.enternet.com.au> steam4me@enternet.com.au (Yuri J Sos) writes:
>From: steam4me@enternet.com.au (Yuri J Sos)
>Subject: Re: C class's and Belarine Peninsula Railways (two qns)
>Date: Tue, 07 Jul 1998 12:56:23 +1000

>"Reuben Farrelly" <reubie@bigpond.com.AAA> wrote, and I selectively
>quote:


>>Why are the C class being scrapped when locos such as the Y, T and B
>>class still live on?  

>C class are in storage, not being scrapped.  I suspect NR is being a
>"dog in the manger" about them denying high horsepower locos (C,BL,EL,
>etc) to their competitors (or perhaps it's good business practice -
>don't give your competitors an even break).  NR aren't using them
>because they are older, less fuel efficient than NR class; also I
>don't believe they are covered by a maintenance agreement.

>The C class also were used in long haul interstate service and I
>imagine would have clocked up very high mileages in that sort of
>service.  T & Y class just don't get worked that hard.  I've also been
>told by a  driver that turbo-charged engines are more expensive to
>maintain once they get older than supercharged/Roots blown engines (is
>this why WCR is successfully still running B & S class in daily
>service?).  Maybe that's another reason Paul Moore/GN has bought 12
>GMs, ie is an old supercharged engine better than an old turbocharged
>engine?

>Anyone care to comment on the above?

>Regards

>Yuri
>-- 

For most of their lives , prior to the creation of NR , the Cs were used 
almost exclusively between Melb - Serviceton , and later to a much lesser 
extent to Adelaide on the Melb - Adelaide superfreighters.
In this regard they would have clocked up no more miles than the S class & X 
class hauled superfreighters that preceeded them , in fact the Ss would have 
done many more miles than the Cs ever did.
They also wernt worked hard, as the Melb - Adelaide line for locos that 
terminated at Serviceton is primarily flat, except for the Ingilston Bank.
The initial intention was to replace 2 X S class with 1 X C class on each 
superfreighter, but apart from the load testing that occurred with C501 on its 
delivery run from Ararat to Melb where it lifted a1500 tonne superfreighter 
single handed with little effort all the way to Melb , this intended operation 
never happened and just about all superfreighters were hauled with 2 X C class.
In their early years on the western line problems were experienced with bad 
fouling of injectors and to a lesser extent fatigue cracks in the crankcase 
which was ultimately shown to be caused by operating the locos at low output 
power for extended periods of time , the sort of operation that you get on a 
superfreighter from Ararat to Serviceton.
Whether their was some fundamental design flaw in the locos when they were 
built well never know , but since they used a very similar engine to the ALs 
its unlikely.
Poor maintenance procedures may have played some part in it , being the first 
turbocharged locos that Vline ever purchased.
There may be some argument in favor of the older blower driven locos as being 
more reliable as they get older,but there are still a lot of pretty old 
turbocharged locos getting around, all the 48s and their derivatives are 
turbocharged.
The Westrail Ls were also turbocharged , and introduced much earlier than the 
Cs ,(1968) and most of the class , though old and gradually being replaced by 
the new Q class are still in service.

cheers
MD