Independent Rail of Australia

Independent Rail of Australia is an accredited railway freight operator in New South Wales, Australia.[1]

History and Fleet

Originally known as Lachlan Valley Rail Freight (LVRF), the company changed names in 2007 and is based in Minto in Sydney's southwest.[2]

The Independent Rail owned fleet initially included ex SRA 47 class diesels, with most being leased from other operators and preservation groups.[2] Leased locomotives included the 44 class from the Lachlan Valley Railway.

Since then the company has imported 16 second hand MZ III class diesels from Danish operator Danske Statsbaner, the locomotives originally built by NOHAB under licence from General Motors Electro-Motive Diesel. They have been modified for Australian use and repainted in a silver livery.[2] The total fleet now numbers 23 diesel electric locomotives and approximately 200 container flat wagons with automatic twist locks; and has been carrying out gas supplementation trials on its diesel locomotives for the past two years.[3]

Independent Rail provides services to Tamworth, Narrabri, Newcastle, Blayney, Cootamundra, Harefield, Minto and the Port Botany rail freight terminals.[3] It also operates a number of RailCorp and Australian Rail Track Corporation spoil and infrastructure trains.[4]

The company's use of heavily graffiti'd older locomotives has seen them nicknamed 'The Dodgy Brothers' by local railfans.[4][5][6]

References

  1. ^ "NSW Accredited Operators". Independent Transport Safety and Reliability Regulator. www.transportregulator.nsw.gov.au. Archived from the original on 2008-06-19. http://web.archive.org/web/20080619000615/http://www.transportregulator.nsw.gov.au/operator_list.html. Retrieved 2008-06-30. 
  2. ^ a b c "Other Privately Operated Locomotives". locopage.railpage.org.au. http://locopage.railpage.org.au/private.html#LVRF. Retrieved 2008-06-30. 
  3. ^ a b "Australasian Railway Assoociation Inc". Members. www.ara.net.au. http://www.ara.net.au/member/full.php. Retrieved 2008-06-30. 
  4. ^ a b "Major Players of NSW Railways". The Gunzel Diaries. raichase.livejournal.com. http://raichase.livejournal.com/37317.html. Retrieved 2008-06-30. 
  5. ^ "Re: ARG & Safeworking". aus.rail. www.slawek.com. http://www.slawek.com/news/article/aus.rail/222003. Retrieved 2008-06-30. 
  6. ^ "LVRF NOHABs (was: LVRF New Locos?)". Railpage Australia Forums. www.railpage.com.au. http://www.railpage.com.au/f-p818798.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-30. 

External links