New South Wales 45 class locomotive
The 45 class are a class of diesel-electric locomotives built by AE Goodwin, Auburn for the New South Wales Government Railways between 1962 and 1964.
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4520 at St Peters in 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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History
The 45 class were built by Alco's Australian licensee AE Goodwin, and are based on the Alco DL-541 model.[1] 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.
From June 1984 the Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Enginemen placed a ban on the class as leading locomotives, meaning they could only be used as second locomotives, although they were able to be used on Sydney metropolitan trip and Liverpool Range banking duties.[2]
Six were fitted with upgraded cabs and modified bogies at Cardiff Workshops in 1989 and reclassified as class 451s and later class 35s, allowing them again to be used as lead locomotives, although they spent most of their time being used as Liverpool Range bankers and Yeerongpilly, Brisbane shunters.[3][4] Following a poor wheat crop, the Class 45s were placed in store at Junee Locomotive Depot in December 1991.[5] A locomotive shortage saw most return to service from March 1993.[6] They remained in service until replaced by FreightCorp by Class 82s in 1994/95.
Thirty-two were auctioned in December 1994 with most being sold for scrap.[7] 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.[8][9] One remains in service with Greentrains.
Survivors
- 4501 sold to Great Northern Rail Services 2000 (unused), then to Silverton Rail (unused), then to Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia (unused), then to Goodwin Alco Pty Ltd who restored it to main line condition at Eveleigh Railway Workshops in 2007, leasing it to 3801 Limited.[10][11]
- 4502 sold to Great Northern Rail Services 2000 (unused), then to Silverton Rail (unused), then to Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia (unused), then Lachlan Valley Railway in 2012, stored at Broken Hill
- 3505 sold to Junee Railway Workshop. Was meant to be rebuilt with a Pilbara cab, but the project fell through and it eventually was forgotten about. Its engine cladding has since been removed and it is being used as a mobile loco service stand, while the Pilbara cab was painted blue and yellow and is used as a picnic stand.
- 4520 is part of the Transport Heritage NSW collection operating in the custody of the NSW Rail Museum[12][13]
- 4521 is preserved by the Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum
- 4528 sold to Great Northern Rail Services 2000 (unused), then to Silverton Rail (unused), then to Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia (unused), then Lachlan Valley Railway in 2012, stored at Broken Hill, Silverton Rail had started a rebuilt it as 45s2, but the project was not completed
- 3532 sold to Great Northern Rail Services 2000 (unused), then to Silverton Rail entering service in June 2002 as 45s1, sold to Greentrains, remained in service in December 2013.[14][15] Sold to Southern Shorthaul Railroad April 2016[16][17] Renumbered 4532 as of August 2019
- 4537 sold to Junee Railway Workshops rebuilt with a lowered and shortened No.1 end, leased in June 1995 to BHP for use on their Port Kembla network as 103,[18] later sold to Patrick Portlink
Fleet Status
4501 - Preserved [Operational] Stored Eveleigh
4502 - Preserved Stored
4503 - scrapped
4504 - Scrapped
4505 ▶ 3505 - Stored
4506 - Scrapped
4507 ▶ 3507 - Scrapped
4508 - Scrapped
4509 - Scrapped
4510 - Scrapped
4511 - Scrapped
4512 - Scrapped
4513 ▶ 3513 - Scrapped
4514 - Scrapped
4515 - Scrapped
4516 - Scrapped
4517 - Scrapped
4518 ▶ 3518 - Scrapped
4519 - Scrapped
4520 - Preserved [Under repairs]
4521 - Preserved
4522 - Scrapped
4523 - Scrapped
4524 - Scrapped
4525 - Scrapped
4526 - Scrapped
4527 ▶ 3527 - Scrapped
4528 - Preserved Stored ( rebuild was stopped by silverton, was going to be 45s2)
4529 - Scrapped
4530 - Scrapped
4531 - ???
4532 ▶ 3532 ▶ 4532 Operational
4533 - Scrapped
4534 - Scrapped
4535 - Scrapped
4536 - Scrapped
4537 ▶ 103 - Operational
4538 - Scrapped
4539 - Scrapped
4540 - Scrapped
References
- Oberg, Leon (1980). Diesel Locomotives of Australia. Sydney: AH & AW Reed. p. 10. ISBN 0 589 50211 5.
- "Locomotives and Traffic" Railway Digest August 1984 page 254
- "Locomotives and Traffic 451/35 Class" Railway Digest August 1989 page 276
- 35 Class Vicsig
- "Locomotives and Traffic 45 Class" Railway Digest January 1992 page 22
- "45 class locos to return to service" Railway Digest March 1993 page 108
- "State Rail's Locomotive Auction Results" Railway Digest January 1995 page 36
- 45 Class Railpage
- 45 Class Vicsig
- Rollingstock Goodwin Alco
- Happy 50th Birthday to the 4501 Goodwin Alco
- RailCorp S170 Heritage & Conservation Register RailCorp
- Locomotive, Diesel 4520 NSW Office of Environment & Heritage
- 45s Class Railpage
- 45s Class Vicsig
- Disposal of Greentrains rollingstock Engenco 28 April 2016
- "Greentrans rollingstock sold to Holdco Holdings" Railway Digest June 2016 page 6
- "First Austrac Locomotives Enter Service After Official Handover" Railway Digest August 1995 page 9
Further reading
- New South Wales Rail System Locomotives. Sydney: Archives Section, State Rail Authority of New South Wales. 1984.