Clyde Open Day

[Grahame John Ferguson <grahamef@users.mcmedia.com.au>]

To those of you outside Victoria and those not familiar with
diesel-locomotive history, the B class was one of the first locomotives in
the world to have Co-Co bogies.  Up to the early 50's Bo-Bo or AIA-AIA
bogies were the norm.  An AIA-AIA bogie for GM1 was quite sufficent for the
easy grades between Port Pirie and Kalgoorlie.  However in Victoria they
would have been useless for the grades over the Great Divide on the
North-East and Western lines, with tractive effort reduced by one third. 

The late great George Brown the Assistant CME(later VR Chief Commissioner)
was sent to EMD at La Grange Illinios USA to push for the development of a
Co-Co bogie.  He joined them in the development of the flexicoil bogie and
this in turn went into production as the SD-7. Yes the Yanks did call this
model a bogie not a "truck' in honour of George Brown's efforts. After this
success George Brown returned to oversee the production of the B class by Clyde.

The B class was Australia's first double ended diesel locomotive, and the
first for an EMD locomotive and the first with a Co-Co bogie in Australia.
The specifications were for:a horsepower rating of at least 1500hp; a axle
load of no more than 19 tons: a bi-directional locomotive with driving cabs
at both ends; able to run from Melbourne to Mildura and return without
refuelling; have dynamic brakes; and have reduced maintenance times than
contemporary locomotives.  With this versitility why do you think that one
is now on the standard gauge.

The reasons that I have mentioned above are the reasons why the B class is
far more significant on the World stage than GM1.  GM1 is a reprofiled F7
without dynamic brakes.  The B class is truly a landmark
Clyde/Australian/EMD/World locomotive. Why has it been overlooked? I am
dumbfounded to answer that.   Luckily there is one on standard gauge in
Seymour- B74!

Don't get me wrong, I would love to see GM1 again back to its resplendent
old self, and it is Clyde's first diesel locomotive after all. But to those
who state that the B class is hardly as significant as GM1, I'm afraid on
the World stage, the facts reveal otherwise.

regards,   Grahame Ferguson.