Qube takes over hauling Victorian steel trains

FOR many years the movement of steel products in Australia for steel maker Bluescope Steel was handled by Pacific National, and overall was one of the biggest freight contracts in Australia. In January 2022, the contracts, which had run since 2007, were awarded to competing operators, with Qube and SCT Logistics sharing the work.

Among the traffic flows

Qube now handles is from Long Island (Hastings) to Melbourne on the Victorian 1600mm broad gauge network. Most of these services are worked by nine Class VL locos from the small class of 12 similar locos built by short-lived manufacturer Avteq in 2006. They use a 16 cylinder EMD645 engine and can be used on both 1435mm and 1600 mm gauge (by swapping bogies).

DARREN WOOD Two VL Class locos Nos. VL 356 and VL 353 plus, not as usual, two older locos Nos. B 74 and B 80, are seen working train 9565; the 13.20 North Dynon Yard to Long Island Bluescope Steel (Hastings) train at Tyabb on January 25. The two B Class locos were built in 1952 and 1953 respectively and remain in use – No. B74 is preserved but leased for main line work, while No. B80 is leased to Qube.