WAGR A class (diesel)
| Western Australian Government Railways A class | |
|---|---|
|
AA1517 near Kelmscott in December 1986 | |
| Type and origin | |
| Power type | Diesel-electric |
| Builder |
Clyde Engineering Bassendean & Granville |
| Model | Electro Motive Diesel G12 |
| Build date | 1960-70 |
| Total produced | 25 |
| Specifications | |
| UIC classification | Co-Co |
| Gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) |
| Locomotive weight |
A: 90 long tons (91 t) AA class: 93 long tons (94 t) AB: 97 long tons (99 t) |
| Fuel type | Diesel |
| Prime mover |
A: Electro Motive Diesel 12-567C AA/AB: Electro Motive Diesel 12-645E |
| Generator | Electro Motive Diesel D25 |
| Traction motors |
A/AA: Electro Motive Diesel D29 AB: Electro Motive Diesel D32 |
| Cylinders | 12 |
| Performance figures | |
| Power output |
A: 977kw AA/AB: 1120kW |
| Career | |
| Operator(s) | Western Australian Government Railways |
| Number in class | 25 |
| Number(s) |
A1501-A1514 AA1515-AA1519 AB1531-AA1536 |
| First run | July 1960 |
| Preserved | A1501 |
| Current owner |
Aurizon Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia Genesee & Wyoming Australia |
| Disposition | 14 in service, 1 preserved, 3 stored, 7 scrapped |
The A class are a class of diesel locomotives built by Clyde Engineering, Granville for the Western Australian Government Railways between 1960 and 1970.
History
In July 1960 Clyde Engineering delivered the first of 14 A class locomotives. Six were assembled aunder contract by Commonwealth Engineering at Bassendean becoming the first diesel locomotives built in Western Australia. The last two were financed by Western Mining.[1][2]
In 1967 five improved AA class[3] were delivered followed in 1969/70 by six AB class.[4] All were built at Granville and fitted with more powerful Electro Motive Diesel 12-645E engines.[1]
In January 1998 ten (A1502-A1510 & AB1533) were sold to Tranz Rail.[5] All were shipped to New Zealand in February 1998. Five were scrapped for parts, one sold to Tasrail for parts[6] and in November 2005, four were sold as hulks to National Railway Equipment Company and shipped to Mount Vernon, Illinois.[7] Two of the latter were rebuilt and in 2010 sold to Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia. There they were reunited with seven (A1512, AA1515-AA1519 & AB1532) that had been sold to the Chile operator in September 1998.[8][9]
Those remaining with Westrail were included in the sale of the business to Australian Railroad Group in October 2000. When the business was split in June 2006, A1513 and A1514 were transferred to Genesee & Wyoming Australia with the South Australian operations and were reclassified as the 1200 class[10] while A1501 and the remaining four ABs passed to QR National with the Western Australian operations, and were renumbered AB1501-AB1504.[4][8] In January 2008, A1501 was withdrawn and donated to Rail Heritage WA.[11] A1202, AB1501 and AB1502 were exported to South Africa in January 2015.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Oberg, Leon (1984). Locomotives of Australia 1850s-1980s. Frenchs Forest: Reed Books. p. 235. ISBN 0 730100 05 7.
- ↑ A Class (diesel, WA) Railpage
- ↑ AA Class (diesel, WA) Railpage
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 AB Class (diesel, WA) Railpage
- ↑ "Westrail Motive Power" Railway Digest April 1998 page 14
- ↑ A Class Rail Tasmania
- ↑ A1504 Rail Pictures
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Oberg, Leon (2007). Locomotives of Australia: 1850s-2007. Kenthurst: Rosenberg Publishing. p. 312-313. ISBN 1877058548.
- ↑ "Westrail" Railway Digest November 1998 page 37
- ↑ 1200 Class (GWA, diesel) Railpage
- ↑ Members Newsletter February 2008 Rail Heritage WA
- Gunzburg, Adrian (1968). WAGR Locomotives 1940–1968. Perth: Australian Railway Historical Society (Western Australian Division). pp. 30–31, 48. OCLC 219836193.
External links
Media related to WAGR A class (diesel) at Wikimedia Commons
- A class History of Western Australia Railways & Stations gallery
- AB class History of Western Australia Railways & Stations gallery
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
