In Service
Because of their weight the C class could only operate on certain lines. Initially the first four were placed on the standard gauge to haul services from Melbourne to Albury while the latter six were put on the standard gauge to haul services to Serviceton. Following upgrades to the infrastructure they were also able to operate on the Ballarat to Geelong line and from January 1982 through to Adelaide with the standard gauge units transferred to the broad gauge.
In September 1988 two were transferred back to the standard gauge and began to operate services through to Sydney.
Following the Melbourne-Adelaide railway being closed for gauge conversion, all remaining broad gauge units were converted to standard gauge and operated services from Melbourne to Parkes until the converted line reopened in July 1995. All were transferred by V/Line to National Rail in June 1995.
Following the delivery of National Rail's NR class locomotives, the C class were put into storage at Junee in 1997 before being moved to Islington Railway Workshops, Adelaide. Unlike the other locomotives National Rail initially used, ownership of the C class passed to National Rail. In August 1999 two were repainted in National Rail livery and returned to service as Melbourne shunters.
The class was then sold with one going to to Seymour Railway Heritage Centre and the other nine to Allco Rail with two leased to Pacific National and seven to Silverton Rail as the Cs class.
Following the collapse of Allco Finance they were sold to Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia and Greentrains and resumed their original identities.
Read more about this topic: Victorian Railways C Class (diesel)
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