WAGR K class (diesel)

Western Australian Government Railways K Class

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K201 at South Dynon Locomotive Depot, June 2006
Type and origin
Power type Diesel-Electric
Builder English Electric, Rocklea
Serial number A.109-A.111, A.133-A.137, A.142, A.186
Model M195C
Build date 1966-69
Total produced 10
Specifications
AAR wheel arr. C-C
UIC class Co-Co, Co′Co′
Gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Length 16.76 m (55 ft 0 in)
Loco weight 122 t (120 long tons; 134 short tons)
Fuel type Diesel
Prime mover EE 12CSVT
Generator EE 822
Traction motors EE 548
Performance figures
Power output 1,454 kW (1,950 hp)
Career
Operators Western Australian Government Railways, Westrail, Goldsworthy Mining Ltd, BlueScope Steel, South Spur Rail Services, SCT Logistics, Greentrains
Number in class 10
Numbers K201-K210
First run January 1966
Current owner Greentrains
SCT Logistics
Disposition 1 in service, 2 stored, 7 scrapped

The K class are a class of diesel locomotives built by English Electric, Rocklea for the Western Australian Government Railways between 1966 and 1969.

History

K205 in February 2006 painted in Spirit of the West livery

Nine K class were delivered in 1966/67 to operate services on the 657-kilometre (408 mi) Eastern Goldfields Railway from Perth to Kalgoorlie that was being converted to standard gauge. After initially working construction trains, in November 1966 they began working wheat trains from Merredin to Fremantle and once the full line was opened began working services to Kalgoorlie and Esperance.[1]

In January 1966, K201 became the first locomotive to travel across Australia. It hauled freight trains from Brisbane to Melbourne, before being hauled for the rest of the journey. It passed through five states, travelled on six railway systems and required a change of bogies at Melbourne, Port Pirie and Kalgoorlie.[2]

Goldsworthy Mining Ltd had purchased six similar locomotives, and after having one destroyed in an accident, purchased K202 with K210 ordered as a replacement. In July 1986 Goldsworth Mining purchased K203.[1]

The Western Australian Government Railways also purchased 16 similar R class locomotives mounted on narrow gauge bogies. In 1974 three were fitted with standard gauge bogies and reclassified as the Ka class.[3]

Four have been sold to SCT Logistics and three had gone to South Spur Rail Services by August 2000.[4][5][6] The latter three are now owned by Greentrains and have been used as Broken Hill shunters as well as in Western Australia.[7][8]

The two sold to Goldsworthy Mining were transferred to BHP's Port Kembla operation in November 1992.[9]

Class List (K)

Key: In Service Withdrawn Preserved Converted Scrapped
Serial number Date delivered Original Road number Renumbered As Name Current/Last Owner Status
A.109 February 7th, 1966 K201 - - SCT Logistics Stored, Dynon.
A.110 March 8th, 1966 K202 8, D50 - Greentrains Scrapped, Port Kembla (May 2002).
A.111 March 21st, 1966 K203 9, D51 - Greentrains Scrapped, Bellevue (June 20th, 2014)
A.134 October 13th, 1966 K204 - - Westrail Scrapped, Midland Railway Workshops (October 24th, 1998)
A.135 October 25th, 1966 K205 - - Greentrains Scrapped, Bellevue (June 20th, 2014)
A.133 December 8th, 1966 K206 - - Greentrains Scrapped, Bellevue (June 27th, 2014)
A.136 December 19th, 1966 K207 - - SCT Logistics Scrapped, Laverton, Victoria (August 2011)
A.137 December 31st, 1966 K208 - Thomas Smith SCT Logistics In Service
A.142 February 23rd, 1967 K209 - - SCT Logistics Stored, Dynon
A.186 March 27th, 1969 K210 - - Greentrains Scrapped, Bellevue (3rd July 2014)

References

  1. 1 2 Oberg, Leon (2010). Locomotives of Australia 1850s-2010s. Kenthurst: Rosenberg Publishing. pp. 340–342. ISBN 9781921719011.
  2. ↑ "20 Years Ago" Railway Digest January 1986 page 30
  3. ↑ KA Class (WA, diesel) Railpage
  4. ↑ "Western Australian Roundup" Railway Digest January 2001 page 40
  5. ↑ K Class (diesel, WA) Railpage
  6. ↑ K Class Vicsig
  7. ↑ K205 Western Australian Railscene e-Mag issue 1 5 January 2009 page 4
  8. ↑ K205 Western Australian Railscene e-Mag issue 178 27 February 2012 page 8
  9. ↑ Port Kembla - Diesel Locomotive Fleetlisting Light Rail Research Society of Australia
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