Publisher: Train Hobby Publications
Publication Year: 1999
Format: Softcover, Landscape
Pages: 48
Photography: All colour
Condition: New

Locomotive Profile – Victorian Railways X Class X45–X54 is the second part of the acclaimed X class series, documenting the mainline diesel-electric hood units that served Victoria from VR to V/Line. This volume focuses on X45 to X54, a fleet of ten locomotives delivered between 1975 and 1976, designed to handle increasing traffic demands and replace ageing diesel-electric units on broad and standard gauge lines.

These locomotives were constructed by Clyde Engineering at Rosewater, South Australia, with upgraded features including AR10 alternators, improved braking equipment, and a new short-end single-cab design to optimize driver comfort and mainline operations. The X45–X54 series was primarily deployed on interstate and heavy freight services, with multiple-unit formations used to overcome single-end operational limitations. Notably, this series marked the first Victorian X class locomotives authorised to operate in revenue service from Albury to Sydney from December 1982.

Presented as a 48-page, full-colour, big-picture landscape album, this volume captures the locomotives in action across freight, passenger, and interstate services, highlighting their operational versatility and design evolution. This publication is essential for Victorian railway historians, diesel locomotive enthusiasts, modellers, and collectors of Australian railway books, preserving the history of one of Victoria’s most significant diesel classes.