| Western Australian Government Railways H Class | |
|---|---|
| Power type | Diesel Electric |
| Builder | English Electric - Rocklea |
| Serial number | 037-054 |
| UIC classification | Bo-Bo |
| Gauge | 1435mm |
| Length | 51 ft (15.54 m) |
| Axle load | 12.9t |
| Locomotive weight | 92.38 tonnes (90.92 long tons; 101.83 short tons) |
| Engine type | English Electric 6CSRKT |
| Generator | English Electric 819/8F - 755/3B |
| Traction motors | English Electric 538 |
| Top speed | 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph) |
| Power output | 970 kilowatts (1,300 hp) |
| Number in class | 5 |
| Number | H1 - H5 |
| First run | 1965 |
The H-class is a class of diesel locomotives of the Western Australian Government Railways first introduced in 1965 for use on the new standard gauge lines. Their wheel arrangement was Bo-Bo.
Contents |
There were 5 locomotives in the class, numbered H1 to H5. The locomotives produced 760hp. [1]
The 5 H Class were built by English Electric at their Rocklea plant in Queensland from local and imported components and delivered between Jan/1965 and Mar/1965.
The H class was a hood configuration, which could be driven short end leading or long end leading.
They were built for use on construction trains on the standard gauge (SG) link between Kalgoorlie and Kwinana and were placed in service about 1 year before the standard gauge was completed.
Design was based on most other English Electric locomotives being built at the time except for the long hood dropped down behind the cab giving them a strange appearance.
Powered by an inline English Electric 6CSRKT turbocharged diesel engine with a Napier 210 turbocharger they produced 950hp/708kW with 860hp/641kW for traction.
Numbered H1 to H5, they were the lowest numbered Western Australian standard gauge loco.
All were delivered in the two-tone light blue scheme which lasted until 1975/6 when WAGR became a corporation or at least run along corporate lines; known as Westrail in September 1975 and all H Class locos eventually received the official Westrail Orange scheme after 1975. In Westrail service, it is believed that they were never painted anything other than Westrail Orange/Blue.
As stated before they were used on construction trains to build the standard gauge at least once running a triple header ballast train. During construction they ranged the whole system but once completed they were demoted to shunting and transfer duties. They most often pottered about the suburban SG network as single locomotives, occasionally venturing further to Leighton and Kwinana with double-headed grain trains for the large CBH grain elevators. They were known to work the larger yards as well as West Merredin and Kalgoorlie.
Most trains on the WAGR/Westrail system were and still are only single locomotive and although the H Class could multle-unit (MU) with other H Class they very rarely did. In theory they could also MU with the K Class but it is also unlikely they ever did...
The handrails changed over the years, with the ends being painted white for safety, and later had extensions added.
The step treads were modified - squared off - in later years.
Anecdotally they were not a popular locomotive.
Model No. ST95B
OAL: 13.818 metres
OAW: 2.895 metres
OAH: 4.172 metres
Turbocharged: Yes - Napier 210
Dynamic Brakes: No
Gear Ratio: 75:17
H4 was withdrawn from service and scrapped circa 1992.[2]
The four remaining H class were withdrawn by 1997 and eventually purchased by Specialised Container Transport and are used at Dry Creek in South Australia and Kewdale in Western Australia for shunting/transfer purposes
There is also a H-class steam locomotive of the 1890s which was a small 0-6-0 locomotive.
WAGR outline diagrams