Clyde Engineering, which can trace its history as a rolling stock manufacturer back to 1898, signed a licencing agreement with Electro Motive Division of General Motor (EMD) in 1950 to manufacture locomotives of their design for local railways. Thereafter they produced streamliners (bulldogs) and switchers (hood units) for many Australian railway systems.
The first Australian customer was Commonwealth Railways (CR) who placed orders for eleven Model ML1 powered by the EMD567B diesel engine (effectively an EMD F7 fitted with A1A - A1A bogies, thereby requiring no electrical design changes and reducing axle loading) to be known as GM1 class. Generally travelling long distances after which they would be turned for the return trip, no No.2 end cab was considered necessary for these units.
The second customer was the Victorian Railways (VR) which ordered 26 of Model ML2, these differing from the ML1 by having Co-Co bogies, dynamic brakes and a nose cab at each end, thereby avoiding the need to turn them at terminating stations. They were to become the B Class. The third Australian customer was the New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR) which ordered six Model A16C to be known as the 42 Class. They featured Co-Co running gear, a single nose cab and dynamic braking but differed from the GM1 and B Class by having the more powerful EMD 567C diesel engine. To cater for limited No.2 end travel, a holster’s control was installed in the No.2 end.
Both CR and VR became loyal Clyde customers ordering numerous Clyde GM locomotives. In the ‘bulldog’ classification, the former ordered a further 36 Model A16C and 17 Model AT26C locomotives for its standard gauge operation and the latter 18 Model A16C ‘bulldogs’. NSWGR, with a much larger fleet size, appeared to favour the Goodwin Alco product, but still purchased a further 10 Model AJ16C ‘bulldogs’. As privatisation advanced, these locomotives could be found working with many private operators, including Australian Railway Group (ARG), Australian Southern (AS), Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia (CFCLA), Freight Australia, Genesee & Wyoming, Great Northern, Metro, Southern Shorthaul Railway (SSR), Pacific National, VLine and West Coast Railways. Seymour Heritage, Great Southern and Lachlan Valley Railway own and lease out such equipment. Further examples are held by New South Wales Rail Transport Museum and Dorrigo Railway Museum.
This presentation covers the earlier model ‘bulldogs’, including both GM Classes (GM1 and GM12), the B (and its upgraded version the A Class), S and the 42 Class. We will look at the inside and outside features of these and then see them in operation. The latter model ‘bulldogs’ (CLP, CLF and 421 Class) will be covered in presentation Clyde GM’s Later Bulldogs.
Approximate Run Time: 101 minutes.