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 4601 at Valley Heights Rail Museum in March 2015 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The New South Wales 46 class was a class of mainline electric locomotive built by Metropolitan-Vickers and its partner Beyer, Peacock & Company in England for the Department of Railways New South Wales. They later operated for the Public Transport Commission, State Rail Authority and FreightCorp with most remaining in service into the 1990s.
The locomotives were built at Bowesfield Works, Stockton-on-Tees, with electrical equipment supplied by Metropolitan-Vickers from its Trafford Park and Sheffield plants. Metropolitan-Vickers drew on experience gained from its earlier British Railways class 76 and 77 electric locomotives, which were used on the Woodhead Line in England and later in the Netherlands.
The locomotives were purchased as part of the electrification of the Main Western line over the Blue Mountains from Penrith to Bowenfels. The first was delivered in June 1956. [1] [2]
They hauled passenger services from Sydney Central and freight services from Rozelle and Enfield yards. [3] [4]
From January 1960 they also began to operate to Gosford following the electrification of the Main Northern line. This was later extended to Broadmeadow and Newcastle in June 1984. [4]
From 1968 they hauled coal services from Glenlee Colliery on the Main South line and from January 1986 began to operate to Port Kembla following the Illawarra line being electrified. [4]
From 1970 they hauled the Indian Pacific from Sydney Central to Lithgow. Because of the Commonwealth Railways stainless steel carriage stock having shorter than normal buffing plates, 4601-4604 had their buffers removed at one end to avoid buffer locking in 1970 with 4605-4608 similarly treated in 1974. [5] [6]
Their build quality and durability was such that 38 remained on the books in 1990. By April 1993, a number had been withdrawn and partially stripped with 31 in service or under repair. [7] Following a decision by National Rail to use diesel locomotives on its services over the electrified network, the need for electric locomotives decreased. [8] In December 1994, ten were sold for scrap. [9] The remaining class members had been withdrawn by January 1996. [10]
 | This section needs additional citations for verification .(December 2023) |
The 46 class locomotives were involved in a number of serious incidents:
Five locomotives (and one cab) were saved for preservation:
| Number | Owner | Location | Status | References/notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4601 | Transport Heritage NSW | Valley Heights | Static Display | [12] |
| 4602 | Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum | Dorrigo | Stored | [4] |
| 4615 | Sydney Electric Train Society | Lithgow | Stored | Moved from Junee in 2015 via Parkes [13] [14] |
| 4617 | Private owner | Junee | Stored | Cab only |
| 4627 | Sydney Electric Train Society | Lithgow | Transferred to Lithgow in July 2023 for static restoration | [15] |
| 4638 | Transport Heritage NSW | Chullora Heritage Hub | Stored | [16] |
The British Rail Class 73 is a British electro-diesel locomotive. This type is unusual in that it can operate on the Southern Region's 650 / 750 V DC third rail power supply, or an onboard diesel engine to allow it to be used on non-electrified routes. This makes it very versatile, although the diesel engine produces less power than is available from the third-rail power supply, so the locomotives are rarely used outside of the former Southern Region of British Rail. It is one of the first bi-mode locomotives ever built. Following the withdrawal and scrapping of the more powerful Class 74 bi-mode locomotives in 1977, the Class 73 was unique on the British railway network until the introduction of the Class 88 bi-mode locomotives in 2017. Ten locomotives have been scrapped.
The Main North Line is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through Strathfield to Armidale. The line is the main line between Sydney and Armidale. As of 1988, the line closed progressively north of Armidale with services gradually withdrawn till 2004, with the main route between Sydney and Brisbane now the North Coast line. The end of these services marked a significant shift in rail transport in the region, leading to an increased reliance on road transport and altering the dynamics of movement and passenger accessibility between these major cities.
The Central Coast & Newcastle Line (CCN) is an intercity rail service that services the Upper North Shore, Central Coast and Newcastle regions. It connects the two largest cities in New South Wales, running from Central in Sydney along the Main North railway line to Broadmeadow, and to Newcastle Interchange in Newcastle on the Newcastle railway line.
The British Rail Class 76, also known as Class EM1, is a class of 1.5 kV DC, Bo+Bo electric locomotive designed for use on the now-closed Woodhead Line in northern England.
The Lachlan Valley Railway Society is an Australian rail preservation society based in the New South Wales Central Western town of Cowra. It was established in 1974 to preserve and operate former New South Wales Government Railways locomotives and rolling stock. It operates regular heritage train tours to a variety of locations across New South Wales.
The National Rail Corporation was an Australian rail operator established by the Federal, New South Wales and Victorian governments in February 1992. In February 2002, National Rail was sold to a Patrick Corporation and Toll Holdings consortium and rebranded Pacific National.
The 81 class are a class of diesel locomotives built by Clyde Engineering, Kelso for the State Rail Authority.
The 422 class are a class of diesel locomotives built by Clyde Engineering, Granville for the Department of Railways New South Wales in 1969/70.
The government railways of New South Wales, Australia, use a large variety of passenger rolling stock. The first railway in Sydney was opened in 1855 between Sydney and Granville, now a suburb of Sydney but then a major agricultural centre. The railway formed the basis of the New South Wales Government Railways. Passenger and freight services were operated from the beginning. By 1880, there was a half hourly service to Homebush.
The 49 class are a class of diesel locomotives built by Clyde Engineering, Granville for the New South Wales Department of Railways between 1960 and 1964.
The 47 class are a class of diesel-electric locomotives built by A Goninan & Co for the Public Transport Commission in 1972–1973.
The 48 Class is a class of diesel locomotives built by AE Goodwin, Auburn for the New South Wales Department of 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.
The New South Wales 85 class were a class of 10 electric locomotives built by Comeng, Granville between May 1979 and July 1980 for the Public Transport Commission.
The 86 class is a class of electric locomotives built by Comeng, Granville for the State Rail Authority of New South Wales.
The C30 class is a class of steam locomotives built by Beyer, Peacock & Company and Eveleigh Railway Workshops for the New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR) of Australia.
The 45 class was a class of mainline electric locomotive built in-house in 1952 by the New South Wales Department of Railways' Chullora Railway Workshops. With only a single locomotive in the class, 4501 was renumbered 7100 in October 1961, which freed up the number range for the 45-class diesel locomotives.
The 73 class is a diesel-hydraulic locomotive built by Walkers Limited, Maryborough for the New South Wales Department of Railways between 1970 and 1973.
The Newcastle Flyer was an Australian passenger express train service connecting New South Wales' two largest cities, Sydney and Newcastle. The name was originally used from November 1929 until April 1988.
The U sets were a class of electric multiple unit (EMU) operated by the New South Wales Government Railways and its successors between September 1958 and November 1996. They were colloquially nicknamed U-boats.
The Queensland Railways 2170 class is an Australian diesel-electric locomotive.
