New South Wales
Locomotives
New South Wales has an extensive network of railways, which were integral to the growth and development of the state. The vast majority of railway lines were government built and operated, but there were also several private railways, some of which operate to this day. The New South Wales railway was the first government-owned railway in the British Empire. It began, however, as a private enterprise that collapsed and was absorbed by the government, as did so many early Australian railways. New South Wales' railways date from 10 December 1831 when the Australian Agricultural Company officially opened Australia's first railway, located at the intersection of Brown and Church Streets, Newcastle.
In 1849, the Sydney Railway Company started building the first railway track in New South Wales. It ran between Sydney and Parramatta, a distance of 22 km. The project ran into financial difficulty and was taken over by the New South Wales colonial government. The line finally opened on 26 September 1855 - the first in New South Wales. It was the same year that the British government granted NSW responsible government. In the first 36 years of its existence, the NSW Railways introduced 42 separate classes of locomotives. The appointment by the Premier of New South Wales, Henry Parkes of Mr E.M.G Eddy as Chief Commissioner in 1888 created an independent railway department and saw the following 36 years with only sixteen new classes produced.
What Locomotive Is That?
Steam - NSW
Locomotive No. 1
Locomotive No. 1 hauled the first passenger train in New South Wales, Australia. It was built by Robert Stephenson and Company, the pioneering locomotive manufacturing company of Newcastle Upon Tyne in England.. In 1846, the Sydney Railway Company was formed with the objective of building a railway line between Sydney and Parramatta. No. 1 was one of four locomotives that arrived by sea from the manufacturer in January 1855.
The first passenger train hauled by No. 1 was a special service from Sydney Station to Long Cove viaduct (near the present site of Lewisham) on 24 May 1855, Queen Victoria's birthday. Its identical sister locomotive No. 3 worked the first passenger train from Sydney at 9:00 am and this was followed by the official train at 12:00 noon hauled by No. 2. Following an extensive restoration program, the locomotive featured in the Powerhouse Museum building opened in 1988, where it is still on display today.
M36 Class
Built for the New South Wales Government Railways, the 0-4-2 M36 class (X10 class post 1924) was typical of the locomotives used by the NSWGR in the late 19th century. The first four were manufactured by Morts Dock Sydney in 1870-71, the second four at Eveleigh Workshops in Redfern six years later using re-built tenders from locomotive No. 1 - 4.
Two of the class later had cab shelters fitted to the tenders for suburban running. They were withdrawn in 1891-1904 except for No.78 (reclassified X10) which was retained for use on construction work until 1925. No. 78 is on display at the NSW Railway Museum, Thirlmere.
F351 Class
The F351 class (X10 post 1924) class of steam locomotives were built by Beyer, Peacock & Company. 18 were built and went into service on the Sydney suburban network in 1885-86, being numbered 351 to 362. In 1887 six more locomotives of this design (numbered 363 to 368) were delivered by Henry Vale of Sydney. No. 366 featured in the Redfern collision of 1894. The design was extremely similar to a number of 2-4-0T locomotives supplied to the Isle of Wight Central Railway from 1864 and the South Australian Railways' P class. Their running life came to an end in 1901.
C30 Class
The C30 class tank engine (formerly S.636 tank engine) is an old class of steam locomotives built by Beyer, Peacock and Company and Eveleigh Railway Workshops for the New South Wales Government Railways between 1903 and 1917. These 4-6-4 tank engine wheel arrangement locomotives were specifically designed to haul Sydney's ever increasing suburban traffic, particularly over the heavy grades on the Northern, North Shore and Illawarra lines. A total of 145 were produced.
The electrification of the inner suburban lines resulted in a surplus of the class of engines too valuable to scrap. Accordingly, between August 1928 and July 1933, 77 of these locomotives were converted to C30T tender 4-6-0 type locomotives by Clyde Engineering and Eveleigh Railway Workshops to replace older locomotives on country branch lines. The remaining tank locomotives were mostly employed on Sydney suburban services to Cowan, Penrith and Campbelltown as well as branches to Carlingford, Richmond and Camden. They were also used on suburban services in Newcastle and Wollongong. The first engine was withdrawn in February 1957, by July 1965 the fleet of engines was down to 33 engines and by mid-1971 down to three engines. The last engine No., 3085, was withdrawn on 22 February 1973. It was the second last steam locomotive in service on the NSWGR. Five tank engines of the class survive into preservation.
C35 Class
The C35 class steam locomotives were built by Eveleigh Railway Workshops between 1914 and 1923 for the New South Wales Government Railways. Despite their elegant, somewhat English looking appearance, these two-cylinder, simple, non-condensing, coal-fired superheated, 4-6-0 locomotives suffered a long period of teething troubles and were poor performers, especially on long climbs.
From December 1937, the class was rebuilt with heavier frames, rebalanced driving wheels, new boilers and new cabs with more shelter. After being replaced by 36 class locomotives on Southern and Western services, they were transferred to operate North Coast and Northern Tablelands express and mail trains until replaced by diesels in the 1950s. The first was withdrawn in February 1959. During the last years of service, they were confined to working both passenger and freight trains north of Gosford on the Main North line. The last was withdrawn in August 1968.
3526 is the only C35 class left in existence. On 4 March 2018, the overhaul of 3526 was completed and the locomotive was unveiled at the Thirlmere Festival of Steam 2018 in green livery. 3526 returned to mainline operations at the annual Transport Heritage Expo in 2018, replacing 3642 that was in need of repair. 3526 hauls trains operated by the NSW Railway Museum, Thirlmere.
C36 Class
The New South Wales C36 class was a class of two-cylinder, simple, non-condensing, coal-fired superheated, 4-6-0 express passenger steam locomotives built by Eveleigh Railway Workshops and Clyde Engineering for the New South Wales Government Railways in Australia. Introduced in 1925, the 75 locomotives of the class became the principal motive power for all major expresses, and accelerated long-distance passenger timetables leading to new levels of service in the pre World War II period. They were the mainstay of passenger expresses for over 20 years before the advent of the 38 class. The class was used extensively for performance testing, and thus the development and trial of a number of technical improvements.
The C36 class were nicknamed ‘Pigs’ by railwaymen, perhaps due to the appearance of the large diameter boiler and smokebox. Late in the steam era the class were being increasingly used for fast freight, banking and pick-up good services. Many 36 class locomotives appeared in black with red lining at some stage. Built by Eveleigh Workshops, Sydney, 3642 is now painted green and was formerly the only operational 36 class locomotive until its retirement in 2018. 3642 is preserved in operational condition and can be seen hauling trains operated by New South Wales Rail Transport Museum. 3609 is on permenant display at the Junee Roundhouse Museum.
D59 Class
Twenty D59 class 2-8-2 steam locomotives were ordered from Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton (the former Baldwin Locomotive Works) in the early 1950s to relieve motive power shortages. The class was the first 'new build' (as opposed to conversions) of oil-fired engines to be introduced by the New South Wales Government Railways and were the first locomotives to be built for NSW by Baldwin since 1905. They were initially used on the Short North from Enfield to Broadmeadow. They were soon placed in service on both the Main Western and Main South lines and, although their light axle load made them available to a large proportion of the state, their sphere of operation was limited by the location of oil fueling facilities. Accordingly, they saw most of their service, many as oil burners, working on the Main North and North Coast lines, as well as in the Sydney metropolitan area.
Withdrawals began in June 1969 with the last withdrawn in December 1972. Five engines of the class are preserved. 5908 and 5916, both oil burners, are at Goulburn Roundhouse; 5910 is a static dissplay at Thirlmere (photo above); 5917, based at Sydney Rail Services, Branxton, is operational; 5920 (the last steam loco imported from the USA) is in storage at Dorrigo.
AD60 class
The AD60 class were Beyer-Garratt patent articulated four-cylinder, simple, non-condensing, coal-fired superheated, 4-8-4+4-8-4 heavy goods steam locomotives built by Beyer, Peacock and Company for the New South Wales Government Railways. The AD60 was the only type of Garratt locomotive to operate on the New South Wales Government Railways.
Designed to a light axle load of only 16 long tons (16.3 t; 17.9 short tons), they were intended for hauling feeder branch-line services to the main lines where heavier main-line locomotives could continue with the load. In 1949, twenty-five were initially ordered from Beyer, Peacock and Company, followed by a further twenty-five. Following a change of policy in favour of diesel traction, negotiations were entered into, and a total of 42 complete locomotives were delivered, together with spare parts equating to approximately five further locomotives.
Locomotive 6002 was the first to enter service in July 1952 with the last, 6040 delivered on 2 January 1957. The class initially entered service on the Main North and Main South and later Main Western line as far as Dubbo and Parkes. Because of their light axle load they were cleared to operate on the Crookwell, Captains Flat, Temora, Narrandera and Bourke lines. 6012 was the first of the class to be withdrawn in 1955.
C38 class
The C38 class (occasionally known as the 38 class and nicknamed "Pacifics") were built for the New South Wales Government Railways in Australia. Constructed between January 1943 and November 1949, the 30 locomotives in the class were designed to haul express passenger services throughout New South Wales. They were the only New South Wales locomotives to use the popular Pacific 4-6-2 wheel arrangement and were the last steam locomotives in the state to be built for passenger train operation, all subsequent deliveries being specifically for freight haulage.
The design was influenced by the fashion for streamlining at the time, including elements of the class J locomotives of the Norfolk and Western Railway and of some of the streamlined versions of the PRR K4 locomotives in the United States. The first five locomotives, built by Clyde Engineering, had a semi-streamlined boiler casing. The locomotives built by Clyde Engineering were delivered in wartime grey. After the war, all were repainted green, as the 25 unstreamlined locomotives had been from new. In the 1950s, all except 3813 were painted black. 3801 and 3830 had their green livery restored due to pressure from heritage groups in the 1960s.
3830
Among the services they initially hauled were the Central West Express, Newcastle Flyer, Melbourne Limited Express, Riverina Express and South Coast Daylight Express as well as the overnight mail trains. Following the arrival of the 42, 43 and 44 class diesel locomotives in the 1950s, these began to take over some express services, but the 38 class continued to haul many passenger and freight trains. Even after the electrification of the Main Western line to Lithgow in 1957 and the Main North line to Gosford in January 1960, using 46 class electric locomotives, the 38s still operated the Central West Express between Lithgow and Orange into the 1960s and the Newcastle Flyer between Gosford and Newcastle until December 1970.
Four of the C38 class locomotives survive - 3801, 3813, 3820 and 3830. 3813 is in pieces at Dorrigo after an overhaul in 1972 by the former NSW Rail Transport Museum was forced to be stopped by the then commissioner of the Public Transport Commission, Philip Shirley who ordered that the locomotive's parts be transferred to the scrapyard.
3801, the only surviving C38 class to be fully restored and operational, has taken on a life of its own since being back on the rails. Adored by young and old, it is for many a nostalgic representation of what the glory days of steam were all about.
Diesel/Electric - NSW
NSW 40 Class
The 40 class were the first mainline diesel electric locomotives to be built for the New South Wales Department of Railways. Built by the Montreal Locomotive Works in 1951/52 in 1951/52, they were based on the ALCO RSC-3 design. They were originally used on heavy freight services from Sydney to Broadmeadow and later on North Coast services to Brisbane and Main South line services to Albury. All were delivered in grey undercoat and painted in verdant green at Eveleigh Carriage Workshops.
For the 1954 Royal Tour of Queen Elizabeth II 4001 and 4002 were repainted blue. In the 1960s all were repainted Indian red. With major electrical work required and their lack of power compared to other diesels, the 40 class were withdrawn from May 1968 with the last being taken out of service in December 1971. Some had parts recycled in to the new build 442 class locomotives. The NSW Rail Museum has preserved 4001. It was returned to traffic in October 2010 painted in the blue livery it received in 1954 to haul the Royal Train.
NSW 46 Class Electric
The 46 class was a class of mainline electric locomotive built by Metropolitan-Vickers and its partner Beyer, Peacock and Company in England for the New South Wales railways. The 40 members of the 46 class were the most powerful locomotives in Australia for many years, with a one-hour rating of 3,780 horsepower (2,820 kW) and ability to deliver more for short periods. They proved to be very reliable and were generally considered superior to the newer and more powerful Comeng 85 class and 86 class locomotives.
Built in 1956-58, the locomotives were purchased as part of the electrification of the Main Western line over the Blue Mountains from Penrith to Bowenfels. They hauled passenger services from Sydney Central including from 1970 the Indian Pacific and freight services from Rozelle and Enfield yards. From January 1960 they also began to operate to Gosford following the electrification of the Main Northern line. This was later extended to Broadmeadow and Newcastle in June 1984. From 1968 they hauled coal services from Glenlee Colliery on the Main South line and from January 1986 began to operate to Port Kembla following the Illawarra line being electrified. Their build quality and durability was such that 38 remained on the books in 1990. The last locomotives were withdrawn by January 1996. Five locomotives (and one cab) were saved for preservation. 4601 is on static display at the Valley Heights Locomotive Depot Heritage Museum, the rest are in storage.
NSW 42 Class
The New South Wales 42 class was a class of diesel locomotives built by Clyde Engineering, Granville for the New South Wales Department of Railways in 1955/56. The design was based on the Electro-Motive Diesel EMD F9 locomotive, and was very similar to the GM 12 class then being built by Clyde Engineering for the Commonwealth Railways. The locos initially worked express passenger services including the Brisbane Limited, Intercapital Daylight and Melbourne Limited and later the Southern Aurora and Spirit of Progress. As newer locomotives arrived they were concentrated on the Main South line operating freight services.
All were withdrawn in 1983.
4201 was acquired by the NSW Rail Museum. It has been used extensively on charters across the state and ventured interstate to Melbourne. It retains the green and yellow livery it received for the 125th anniversary of NSW railways in 1980. 4204 was acquired by the Lachlan Valley Railway, After being restored by apprentices at Clyde Engineering, Kelso in 1986, it has been used extensively on charters across the state and on freight services by Lachlan Valley Rail Freight.
4206 was purchased by Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum and is currently in storage. 4203 was acquired by a Caravan City Cowra, Cowra and placed on display alongside the Mid-Western Highway at the entrance to the War, Rail, Rural Museum. It was later sold and scrapped, the cab and rearmost section of the body being welded together for use as playground equipment for O'Donohughes Pub in Emu Plains.
NSW 44 Class
The 44 class diesel-electric locomotives was built by AE Goodwin, Auburn for the New South Wales Department of Railways between 1957 and 1967. They were built in two batches, the first 60 between July 1957 and April 1961 and the second 40 between October 1965 and December 1967. With driving cabs within both ends, the front (No.1 end) of the locomotive had a rounded nose (although not as round as the Clyde/GM "Bulldog nose" type) and a flat nose at the No.2 end. During their career, the locomotives served every part of New South Wales and operated every type of train.
While most were scrapped, a number of preserved examples are main-line registered and, as well as operating heritage trains, are used periodically by other operators. Three are on Transport Heritage NSW's Heritage and Conservation Register list. 4401 was in the custody of 3801 Limited, and 4403 was with the Australian Railway Historical Society, Canberra until 2017. 4401 is now in the custody of the Junee Roundhouse Railway Museum, and 4403 and 4490 are with the NSW Rail Museum, Thirlmere.
NSW 45 Class
The 45 class are a class of diesel-electric locomotives built by AE Goodwin, Auburn for the New South Wales Department of Railways between 1962 and 1964. The 45 class were built by Alco's Australian licensee AE Goodwin, and are based on the Alco DL-541 model. They initially entered service on the Main Southern line but later operated on all main lines.
One was destroyed in a collision in May 1972. Of the forty produced, 32 were auctioned in December 1994 with most being sold for scrap. One was retained by the State Rail Authority as a designated heritage locomotive while four were transferred to Rail Services Australia before being sold to Great Northern Rail Services in 2000. One remains in service with Greentrains.
NSW 422 Class
The 422 class are a class of diesel locomotives built by Clyde Engineering, Granville for the Department of Railways New South Wales in 1969/70. The twenty produced were the first Australian locomotives built with non-streamlined dual cab bodies. Manufactured by Clyde Engineering, Granville, they were introduced into service on the Main South and Illawarra lines where they would spend most of their New South Wales careers hauling passenger and freight services. Among the services they hauled were the Canberra Express, Intercapital Daylight, South Coast Daylight Express, Southern Aurora, Spirit of Progress, Griffith Express'and 'Sydney/Melbourne Express.
From 1982, they began to operate through to Melbourne. This ceased in February 1990 when non air-conditioned locomotives would no longer be accepted by Victorian drivers. With the formation of National Rail, the 422s were all allocated to the new interstate carrier in July 1995 pending delivery of its NR class locomotives. This saw them again frequently operating to Melbourne, albeit usually as second units and over new territory to Parkes via Forbes and from August 1996 via the North Coast line to Brisbane. When they were returned to FreightCorp in September 1997, their Southern duties were now being handled by Class 81s so most were stored.
NSW 442 Class
The 442 class diesel locomotives were built by AE Goodwin and Comeng, Auburn for the New South Wales Department of Railways between 1970 and 1973. The 442 class were ordered and operated by the New South Wales Government Railways. They were the second generation of Alco units to be built, and were used on both main freight and passenger service in New South Wales. Since entering private ownership they have operated across Australia. They are identical to the South Australian Railways 700 class. They were nicknamed Jumbos, due to their 1971 delivery coinciding with that of Qantas' first Boeing 747s.
The 442 class operated mainline services across the state. In 1985, some (including 23-27, 29 & 30) were fitted with V/Line radios to allow them to operate services through to Melbourne. This ceased in 1987 with those fitted being sent to Melbourne to have the equipment removed. By the end of their careers, all forty 442 class diesels produced were based at Broadmeadow Locomotive Depot and mainly operated on the North Coast and Main North lines. Following the delivery of new 82 and 90 class locomotives most were withdrawn in 1994. In December 1994, nineteen were sold at auction.
NSW 82 Class
The 82 class diesel locomotives were built by Clyde Engineering, Braemar for FreightCorp in 1994–1995. The design was based on the prototype locomotive GML10 built by Clyde Engineering, Kelso in 1990. They have two cabs, built in a hood style. They were originally to be built at Kelso, but a lack of capacity saw Clyde Engineering lease Australian National Industries' Braemar plant. In October 1997, three were destroyed in the Beresfield rail accident (8219, 8246, 8247).
The remaining 55 were included in the sale of FreightCorp to Pacific National in February 2002. The 82 class were progressively repainted to Pacific National livery, commencing with 8202 in August 2016. The balance of the fleet are in FreightCorp livery, with Pacific National decals. 82 class locomotives are mostly allocated to Pacific National's grain services throughout NSW, with only a few remaining allocated to coal.
NSW 90 Class
The 90 class are a class of heavy haul diesel-electric locomotives built by Electro-Motive Division, Canada for FreightCorp and EDi Rail, Cardiff for Pacific National for use on high tonnage Hunter Valley coal workings. Ordered in July 1992 under the Clyde ReadyPower contract along with the 82 class, the first batch of 31 locomotives were built by Electro-Motive Division in London, Ontario, Canada in 1994.
The second batch of four locomotives were delivered in November 2005, assembled by EDi Rail at Cardiff Workshops to the same specification from components imported from Canada and frames built in Port Augusta South Australia. The 90 class were designed specifically for heavy coal haulage in the Lower Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, making them the heaviest locomotives in use in Australia outside the Pilbara region until delivery of the QR National 5020 class in 2010.
NSW 85 Class Electric
The 85 class were a class of 10 electric locomotives built by Comeng, Granville in 1979/80 for the New South Wales Public Transport Commission. Based at Lithgow depot they were purchased principally to haul coal trains over the Blue Mountains line. They also hauled other freight trains and on occasions passenger services including the Indian Pacific. Following the Illawarra line being electrified in 1986, 85s began to operate coal trains from Lithgow through to Port Kembla. They also occasionally hauled coal services from Glenlee Colliery on the Main South line to Port Kembla and Rozelle.
85 class electrics did not operate on the Main North line. Changes in rail operations and electricity charging saw the class placed into storage in 1998. In July 2000, FreightCorp moved three of the class to Werris Creek. Two were sold for preservation, 8501 to the Sydney Electric Train Society and 8507 to the Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum. The remainder were sold in 2003 to Silverton Rail and scrapped at Broken Hill.