Trackside

An ongoing project, to classify and record all of the different types of motive power operating in NSW currently (or recently, if only withdrawn in the last decade). Classified below by year introduced and operator:

New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR) and State Rail Authority (SRA):

44 Class (1957). The 44 class once numbered 100 units and were of the popular DL500 “World Series” design. Dual cab locomotives, the 44 class became the backbone of the NSW railways for many years after their introduction until their withdrawl from government service in the mid 1990’s.

48 Class (1959). The most numerous class of diesel in NSW, the 48 Class were instrumental in the removal of steam from a number of lightly laid branch lines. A classic Goodwin ALCO unit, a large number of 48 class are still in service today on branch lines around the state.

49 Class (1960).  Built for the Western Division, the 49 Class saw use all around the state working tasks from branch line freights to portlink shuttles in Sydney. Today a number of the class survive in private operation.

45 Class (1962). The 45 Class are essentially a narrow hood version of the popular 44 Class, having a near identical power and weight. In appearance they look like a larger version of a 48 Class unit, and saw widespread use across NSW working anything from interstate freight to heavy coal trains and anything in between.

421 Class (1965). A progression of the 1955-built 42 Class, the 421 Class did not prove to be too popular with crews of the day. Despite this, many continue in service to this day in private operation.

422 Class (1969). The first box-shaped units in NSW, the 422 Class had a very high reliability, and as a result were very popular with crews of the time. So popular infact, that all twenty of the units built are still in commercial service today!

442 Class (1971). Nicknamed “jumbos”, these units look quite similar to the earlier 422 Class, although are a Goodwin ALCO product as opposed to the GM/EMD product as the 422 Class were. Built to replace the first mainline diesels in NSW (The 40 Class), the 442 Class even included some parts salvaged from the 40 Class they replaced.

47 Class (1972). Originally built to displace the final steam locomotives from the Newcastle area, these units spent their early years in the west. When introduced, the 47’s had a high failure rate, leading to their withdrawal in the 1990’s. Despite this, some units continue on in service with private operators.

80 Class (1978). A follow on to the 442 class, the 80 class spent most of their careers in the west of the state. Despite being a relatively new unit, most of the class are now out of service and are stored in various locations around the state.

XP Class (1981). A redesigned British Class 125 (better known as the British HST, or High Speed Train), built to replace locomotive-hauled rolling stock in NSW. These units haul lightweight stainless steel cars at speed from Sydney to locations such as  Melbourne, Brisbane and Dubbo.

81 Class (1982).

Freightcorp:

82 Class (1994). Built by Clyde Engineering, and introducedfrom 1994, the 82 Class originally entered service on Hunter Valley coal operations, although later ran on any number of trains from interstate freights to export wheat trains.

90 Class (1994). Designed and built exclusively for export coal traffic in The Hunter Valley, these units were once the heaviest and most powerful diesels operating for any government railway in Australia. Originally thirty one units were delivered, although Pacific National later had another four units built in 2006.

Victorian Railways (VR)/V/Line/Freight Australia:

B Class (1952).

T Class (1955).

S Class (1957).

X Class (1966).

C Class (1977).

G Class (1984).

South Australian Railways (SAR)/Commonwealth Railways (CR)/Australian National (AN):

GM Class (1951).

830 Class (1959).

600 Class (1965).

CLF/CLP Class (1970).

BL Class (1983).

DL Class (1988).

EL Class (1990).

AN Class (1992).

Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR)/Westrail:

L Class (1967).

National Rail Corporation (NRC):

NR Class (1996). The NR Class are one of the most commonly seen diesel locomotives around NSW. Built in 1996 for National Rail, the entire fleet of 120 locomotives was absorbed by Pacific National and form the backbone of their Intermodal and SteelLink services all around the Australian standard gauge network.

Pacific National (PN):

92 Class (2008).

QRNational/Interail (QRN):

423 Class (2002).

5000 Class (2005).

Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia (CFCLA):

GL Class (2003).

RL Class (2005).

VL Class.

Specialised Container Transport (SCT):

SCT Class (2008).

Independent Railways of Australia (IRA):

MZ/14 Class (2007).

Locomotive Demand Power/EDI Rail (LDP):

LDP Class (2009).