New South Wales 48 class locomotive


The 48 Class is a class of diesel locomotives built by AE Goodwin, Auburn for the New South Wales Government Railways between 1959 and 1970. Once the most ubiquitous locomotive in New South Wales, Australia, It is based on Alco frames and prime movers, using General Electric electrical equipment. The South Australian Railways 830 and Silverton Rail 48s classes are of a very similar design.

History

The 48 Class were ordered to commence the conversion of branch lines to diesel traction with the first entering service in September 1959. Further orders saw 165 in service by October 1970. There were four versions:
The Mark 1s and Mark 2s can be distinguished from the others by their fuel tank, which incorporates the brake reservoir tanks on either side.
As well as branch lines they operated both main line and metropolitan services on every line in the state. Aside from a couple written off after accidents in the mid-1980s, withdrawals didn't commence in earnest until August 1994. In December 1994 the first Mark 1s were sold. By June 1997 FreightCorp's fleet was down to 120 units.
Others have been withdrawn since and as at January 2014, 66 remained in service primarily with Pacific National. GrainCorp, Greentrains, Junee Railway Workshop and Sydney Trains also operate some.

By operator

Railway Services Authority/RailCorp

Two were transferred by the State Rail Authority to the Railway Service Authority, these have since passed to RailCorp

Silverton Rail/Greentrains

In December 1994 Silverton Rail purchased six from FreightCorp. All were placed in service as their Silverton Rail 48s class. Some of these remain in service in January 2014 in the ownership of Greentrains.

Australian National/Genesee & Wyoming Australia

In December 1994 Australian National purchased two from FreightCorp with 4813 rebuilt as DA7 for the narrow gauge Eyre Peninsula Railway and 4826 scrapped some years later at Port Augusta. As at August 2019, the locomotive remains in service on the far western portion of the Eyre Peninsula Railway narrow gauge network with Genesee & Wyoming Australia working the Thevenard gypsum traffic, renumbered 906.

Austrac Ready Power/Junee Railway Workshop

Austrac Ready Power purchased four from a scrap dealer and placed three in service on their various services. Following Austrac ceasing all passed to Junee Railway Workshop.

Cargill Australia

In February 1997 4812 was rebuilt and repainted by FreightCorp at Delec Locomotive Depot for Cargill Australia for use as a shunter at their Kooragang Island plant numbered CAR1. It was sold to Junee Railway Workshop. It was scrapped in 2016.

GrainCorp

GrainCorp have purchased 18 Mark 3s and are having them overhauled by Junee Railway Workshop at which point they are renumbered into the 482xx series.

PL class

Seven Mark 2 locomotives were rebuilt by FreightCorp between 1999 and 2001 as the PL class. Changes included the short end cab nose being lowered, the cab altered, and the installation of air-conditioning. They were designed to operate in push-pull formation on intermodal container trains between Port Botany and Clyde/Yennora.
PL1 and PL2 were transferred to South Australia after the sale of FreightCorp to Pacific National for use at Keswick Terminal shunting for Great Southern Rail which was prior a National Rail contract. PL2 was transferred back to NSW with PL1 remaining in South Australia. In NSW the class saw use on the former South Maitland Railway hauling coal along with 48 class locos. After a long period of storage at Kooragang Island, PL2, PL3, PL5, PL6 and PL7 were scrapped in 2013. PL4 was finally scrapped at Narrabri in late 2016 after being stored there for years. PL1 remains in service as a shunter at the Progress Rail workshops in Port Augusta.
The PL class were the evolutionary link between the 48 class and the GT46C ACe locomotives, with the later sharing many similarities with their smaller ancestors.

Preserved

Currently there are eight preserved locomotives, four of them operational:
As of 11 August 2015 :
Mark I
4801 - Preserved
4802 - Scrapped
4803 - Preserved
4804 - Scrapped
4805 - Preserved
4806 - stored - Delec
4807 - Preserved
4808 - Scrapped
4809 - Scrapped
4810 - Scrapped
4811 ▶ 48s36 - Operational
4812 ▶ CAR1 - Scrapped Mar 2016
4813 ▶ DA7 ▶ 906 - Operational
4814 - Operational
4815 ▶ 48s34 - Operational
4816 - Stored 2016
4817 - Scrapped
4818 - Scrapped
4819 - Operational
4820 - Under Overhaul
4821 - Preserved
4822 - Preserved
4823 - Scrapped
4824 - Scrapped
4825 ▶ 48s32 - Scrapped
4826 - Scrapped
4827 - Operational
4828 - Scrapped
4829 ▶ 48s33 - Operational
4830 - Scrapped
4831 - Scrapped
4832 - Scrapped
4833 - Preserved Stored Eveleigh
4834 - Scrapped
4835 - Scrapped
4836 - Operational
4837 - Scrapped
4838 ▶ 48s37 - Stored
4839 - Scrapped
4840 - Scrapped
4841 - Scrapped
4842 - Scrapped
4843 ▶ 48s35 - Operational
4844 - Scrapped
4845 - Scrapped
Mark II
4846 - Scrapped
4847 - Scrapped
4848 ▶ PL1 - Operational
4849 - Scrapped
4850 - Scrapped
4851 - Scrapped
4852 - Scrapped
4853 - Scrapped
4854 - scrapped
4855 - Scrapped
4856 ▶ PL7 - Scrapped
4857 - Scrapped
4858 - Scrapped
4859 - stored - Junee
4860 - Scrapped
4861 - Scrapped
4862 - Scrapped
4863 - Scrapped
4864 ▶ GPU2 - stored - Junee
4865 - Scrapped
4866 - Scrapped
4867 ▶ PL6 - Scrapped
4868 ▶ PL4 - Scrapped - Narrabri
4869 - Scrapped
4870 ▶ PL3 - Scrapped
4871 ▶ PL2 - Scrapped
4872 - Preserved
4873 - Scrapped
4874 - Scrapped
4875 - Scrapped
4876 - Scrapped
4877 - scrapped
4878 ▶ GPU1 - Stored Junee
4879 - Scrapped
4880 - Scrapped
4881 ▶ PL5 - Scrapped
4882 - Scrapped
4883 - Scrapped
4884 - scrapped
4885 - Scrapped
Mark III
4886 ▶ 48201 - stored
4887 - Scrapped
4888 - scrapped
4889 - Scrapped
4890 - Scrapped
4891 - Scrapped
4892 - Scrapped
4893 - Scrapped
4894 - Operational
4895 - Scrapped
4896 - Scrapped
4897 ▶ 48202 - stored
4898 - Scrapped
4899 ▶ 48203 - stored
48100 ▶ 48204 - stored
48101 - Operational
48102 - Scrapped
48103 - Operational
48104 - Scrapped
48105 - Scrapped
48106 - Scrapped
48107 - Scrapped
48108 - Scrapped
48109 - Scrapped
48110 ▶ 48205 - stored
48111 ▶ 48206 - stored
48112 - Scrapped
48113 ▶ 48207 - stored
48114 - Scrapped
48115 ▶ 48208 - stored
48116 ▶ 48209 - stored
48117 - Scrapped
48118 - Scrapped
48119 - stored - Delec
48120 - Stored - Werris creek
48121 - Scrapped
48122 - Scrapped
48123 - Operational
48124 ▶ 48210 - stored
48125 ▶ 48211 - stored
Mark IV
48126 - Scrapped
48127 - Operational
48128 - Scrapped
48129 - Scrapped
48130 - Operational
48131 - Scrapped
48132 - Scrapped
48133 - Scrapped
48134 - Scrapped
48135 - Scrapped
48136 - Scrapped
48137 - Scrapped
48138 - Operational
48139 - Scrapped
48140 - Operational
48141 - Scrapped
48142 ▶ 48212 - stored
48143 - stored - Werris creek
48144 - Operational
48145 ▶ 48213 - stored
48146 - Scrapped
48147 - Scrapped
48148 ▶ 48214 - stored
48149 ▶ 48215 - stored
48150 ▶ 48216 - stored
48151 - Scrapped
48152 - Operational
48153 - Operational
48154 ▶ 48217 - stored
48155 - Scrapped
48156 - Operational
48157 ▶ 48218 - stored
48158 - Scrapped
48159 - Operational
48160 - Operational
48161 - Operational
48162 - Operational
48163 - stored
48164 - Operational
48165 - stored