MRWA E class

The MRWA E class was a single member class of diesel-hydraulic shunting (switching) locomotive built by Commonwealth Engineering, Bassendean, Western Australia, for the Midland Railway of Western Australia (MRWA) in 1957. The locomotive was later owned and operated by the MRWA's successor, the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR).

MRWA E class
E30 at the Railway Museum, Bassendean, 2014
Type and origin Power type Diesel-hydraulic Builder Commonwealth Engineering, Bassendean Total produced 1
Specifications Configuration: ​  • AAR C  • UIC Co' Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Wheelbase 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) Length 18 ft 4 in (5.59 m) (over headstocks) Width 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) Height 10 ft 7 in (3.23 m) Axle load 10 long tons (10 t; 11 short tons) Loco weight 26 long tons (26 t; 29 short tons) Fuel type Diesel Fuel capacity 96 imp gal (440 L; 115 US gal) Lubricant cap. 7.5 imp gal (34 L; 9.0 US gal) Prime mover Rolls-Royce C6SFL Engine type Four-stroke diesel Aspiration Supercharged Cylinders 6 Cylinder size 5.125 in × 6 in (130.2 mm × 152.4 mm) (bore x stroke) Transmission Twin disc type DF 11,500 Hydraulic converter
Performance figures Maximum speed 25 mph (40 km/h) Power output 250 hp (190 kW) Tractive effort 18,000 lbf (80 kN) (starting) Factor of adh. 3.24
Career Operators Midland Railway of Western Australia Number in class 1 Numbers E30 First run February 1957 Retired 18 February 1983 Disposition Preserved

Service history

The single member of the class, E30, entered service with the MRWA in February 1957 as its first diesel powered locomotive.[1] E30 also ended up being the company's only Western Australian made locomotive.[2]

Together with the rest of the MRWA's assets and operations, E30 was taken over by the WAGR in 1964.[2]

The locomotive was withdrawn from WAGR service on 18 February 1983 (1983-02-18), and has since been preserved at the Rail Heritage WA Railway Museum at Bassendean, Western Australia.[2]

See also

• List of Western Australian locomotive classes
• Locomotives of the Western Australian Government Railways

References

Notes

1. Part 3 - Dieselization Perth Republika
2. Gunzburg 1989, pp. 40–44, 49. sfn error: no target: GuMRWALo (help)

Bibliography

• Dunn, John (2008). Comeng: A History of Commonwealth Engineering. 2: 1955-1966. Kenthurst: Rosenberg Publishing. ISBN 9781877058738.
• Gunzburg, Adrian (1968). WAGR Locomotives 1940–1968. Perth: Australian Railway Historical Society (Western Australian Division). pp. 39, 49. OCLC 219836193.
• Gunzburg, Adrian (1989). The Midland Railway Company Locomotives of Western Australia. Melbourne: Light Railway Research Society of Australia. ISBN 0909340277.
• "New Diesel Shunter for Midland". Railway Transportation. Surry Hills, NSW: Shennen Publishing & Publicity Co. July 1957. ISSN 0033-9024. OCLC 220305870.

External links

Media related to MRWA E class at Wikimedia Commons

• Commissioners Notebook, Vol. 3 No. 2 (8 January 2006) – includes article "Diesels replace steam power on Midland Railway", reproduced from Railway Transportation, August 1959.