V/Line RTL class

History

It was to be the first of three for V/Line Freight, but the other two were never completed. It was purchased for short-haul duties on grain lines, and began tests in January 1996 on the Dookie and Cobram lines. Numbered RTL1, its vehicle registration number was MVO782. It was included in the sale of V/Line Freight to Freight Australia, and was given the custom registration plate of MVORTL as M series plates are allocated to Victorian government vehicles and with it being placed into private ownership, was no longer eligible for such registration. It was included in the sale of Freight Australia to Pacific National.

Trials of RTL1 began on 22 May 1996, under the condition that it must be treated as a train for safe-working purposes, rather than a maintenance vehicle, but when running with two or fewer vehicles attached it was also to be treated as a track machine that could not reliably operate track circuits. Its maximum speed was set at 60 km/h, and the headlights must always be switched on. The ruling grade limits were:

Newsrail at the time suggested that the RTL could be based at Shepparton, primarily serving there and Echuca with the option to also cater to Bendigo, Tocumwal, Dookie, Benalla and Yarrawonga if the need arose. In that scenario, the T Class locomotive then stationed at Shepparton would be cascaded to Bendigo, replacing its Y Class, and another T Class outside of peak seasons working daily rice trains between Echuca and Moulamein. However, this depended on the weight of the Moulamein - Echuca and Deniliquin - Echuca trains, which could often weigh more than 1,000 and 1,300 tonnes respectively, and the shunting schedule at Shepparton.

Post-privatisation

After being stored at South Dynon Locomotive Depot for a number of years it was sold in 2011 to Just Track, and was used during the 2012 upgrade of the Gawler line in Adelaide. In 2015, it was used to haul wagon flats on the Southern Sydney Freight Line between Enfield and Leightonfield.

Locomotives

References

References

1. "New Road - Rail Vehicle to Improve Competitiveness of V/Line Short-Haul Freight" ''[[Railway Digest]]'', March 1996, p.16
2. In 1999/2000 it was used to haul log trains between [[Bairnsdale railway station. Bairnsdale]] and [[Sale railway station, Victoria. Sale]] on the [[Orbost railway line. Gippsland line]].[http://www.hobbiesplus.com.au/gunzelgallery/rtl.htm RTL] Hobbies Plus
3. (1996). "Rollingstock".
4. [http://railgallery.wongm.com/road-transferable-locomotive/ Road Transferable Locomotive] Wongm's Rail Gallery
5. "Capabilities".
6. [https://extranet.artc.com.au/docman/DocManFiles/DocTypes/TOC/Files/15234.PDF?245175635 Operation of Western Star Road Transferable Locomotive] Australian Rail Track Corporation 4 November 2015