The Y class could be found on branch lines all around Victoria, as well as being used for shunting at many locations. Some of the class can be found as pilots at Dynon or Newport, or shunting carriages at Spencer Street. A Y class has been used by APM at Maryvale and Traralgon.
An interesting feature about this class is that they used GE traction motors recycled from early 'Dogbox' electric suburban rollingstock. As well, some of the first batch had their entire bogies recycled from the 'Doggies'.
Most now see use as shunters and pilots.
Y175 was regeared to 96 km/h for the Commissioner's train.
The Y class has an interesting heritage. The scrapping of swing door suburban trains meant that _M__ motor car bogies were surplus. To take advantage of this equipment it was decided to build a low horsepower shunting locomotive which could also be used on light branch lines.
Eventually seventy five locomotives were built; numbered 101 - 175.
They were an excellent shunting engine; a quick throttle response due to the traction motors in permanent parallel.
They were built between 1963 and 1968 by Clyde Engineering. The prime mover was a V6 567 series, later 645 series engine.
The early units did not feature traction motor blowers. However train service and long hauls up hill saw motors overheat. Traction motor blowers were fitted.
The most unusual feature of the Y class loco's are the two windows mounted just below the roofline at the cab end. The first Y class had these windows mounted as 'shunter windows' below the cab end front windows. The Chief Mechanical Engineer of the time regarded these as too radical and could see that crews would want this feature fitted on other locomotives. The windows were moved up to the roofline and the holes were blanked. Inspection of the first five units showed that holes had been cutout of the cabwork and blanked.
The two characteristic sounds from these locomotives were the V6 exhaust stack noise and the brake rigging rattle whilst in motion. This rattle was generated when loose brake rigging rubbed on worn down wheels which had tread metal overlapping the tyre sides
The Y class would end up as the 2nd most numerous diesel class on the VR and they became VR's standard shunting (switching) loco. They worked in every yard on the system and also filled an important role as power for branchline trains. The drivers controls were set up for long end running and the long end was designated as No. 1 end. The first 50 were equipped with 6 cylinder E.M.D. 567 engines but the last 25 had 6 cylinder E.M.D. 645 engines, the only time a 6 cylinder, E.M.D. 645 engine was used in locomotive service anywhere in the world! An interesting feature of the Y class was that the bogies came off scrapped swing door motors.
Their controls were specially designed for shunting, the loco brake was of a "self lapping" type which made for instantaneous brake action, perfect for shunting and the throttle was so wired that the loco moved the instant the throttle was moved away from idle, again, perfect for shunting.
About 4 Y's were always kept on the standard gauge for work in the Dynon yards but the rest of the fleet were flung to every corner of the system. For many years they were the power on Spencer St. to Werribee peak hour passenger services.
All of the Y's were built at Clyde's Granville N.S.W. plant
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