Summary

Steel oval Locomotive Builders Plate, Model G8B, Serial No. 64-336, manufactured by the Clyde Engineering Co. Ltd., Granville Works, New South Wales in 1964. Manufacturer's identification plate originally fitted to a Victorian Railways 'T' Class Diesel Electric Locomotive, No. T381. Clyde Engineering Co. Ltd. was the Australian licensee for General Motors, Electro-Motive Division products which included the Victorian Railways T Class Diesel's.

The diesel-electric locomotive T-381 entered service with the Victorian Railways on 25 September 1964 (later known as V/Line from 1983) and was withdrawn in August 1992, being transferred to the Great Northern Rail Services, a private railway operator based in Victoria, Australia, which from 1994-2002 provided locomotives and train crews to other rail operators (such as National Rail) and rail vehicle maintenance services in Victoria.

The Victorian Railways T-class locomotives were a modified version of General Motors' Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) standard general-purpose G8 locomotive design of the B-B designation (with two four-wheel traction bogies and a traction motor mounted on each axle), that were built in Australia under licence by the Clyde Engineering Co. Ltd., of Granville, New South Wales, between 1955 and 1968. The T-class diesel-electrics were originally intended for service on Victorian branch lines, replacing the obsolete Y, E, D1 and D4 class steam locomotives, but saw service throughout the Victorian Railways (and later V/Line) network on both passenger and freight trains throughout a 40+ year period. They were the most numerous type of design locomotive on the Victorian Railways with a total of 94 being acquired in five batches over a 19 year period. T-381 was part of the fourth batch acquired, which had a modified body design with a lower nose bonnet for improved forward driver visibility. This design feature was to become standard on all subsequent Victorian Railways locomotives.

In the United States and Canada, the EMD GP B-B diesel-electrics had proved to be a remarkably versatile and enduring locomotive design, with nearly 3,000 units built for more than 150 railway operators by the time the design was introduced in Victoria. Rated at 900 horsepower, the G8B design had a maximum static axle loading of just over 15 tons, with a maximum roadworthy weight of 60 tons and maximum rated speed of 60 miles per hour (100 k.p.h.). They were originally painted in the Victorian Railways standard 'diesel era' livery with royal blue body and a single gold band along each side merging into a 'V' at the front and rear ends over the circular 'VR' monogram in gold with five-feathered 'wings' either side also in gold. After transfer to V/Line and private operator ownership in later years many were repainted in a variety of schemes.

Physical Description

Steel oval-shaped plate with embossed and stamped numbers and symbols on it on a painted blue background. Image of upper body of a bird (eagle or phoenix) rising from a flaming hearth in centre. Bird is outlined in black paint on a red background surrounded by an orange ring. Name of maker is painted painted white on a black background underneath the bird. Four holes punched at each extremity of the plate.

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