The V/Line G Class

In 1974, Victorian Railways changed its name to VicRail, incorporating a new logo. In the early 1980s, the rail icon was interesting to say the least. In 1981, a bright orange and silver paint scheme was introduced which became known as the ‘Teacup’ livery for the logo resembling a stylised teacup and saucer.

However, as far as equipment was concerned, things were not as rosy as they seemed and giving nearly 30-year-old locomotives a new colour scheme didn’t really quite ‘cut it’. The last new dedicated freight locomotive, C510, was delivered in 1978. Aside from the C class, the state was reliant on the B, S and X classes, and they were tired. Power-short and desperate, VicRail once again turned to the Commonwealth and hired three GM class locomotives from Australian National Railways (ANR) to cover shortages on standard gauge services to Wodonga. Branchline traffic had dwindled at an