L Class Diesel Loco

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Prototype Information

The Western Australian Government Railways L-Class were designed as an Australian version of the US SD40 model. The emerged from the Clyde Engineering plant at Sydney between 1967 and 1969. Twenty three were initially built, followed by an extra two for Western Mining in 1973. In 1972, two similar locos were built for Comalco’s railway at Weipa on Cape York Peninsula. These were not fitted with dynamic brakes, and weighed 148 tonnes. The WAGR fleet were purchased to operate the new standard gauge railway from Perth to Kalgoorlie, which replaced the narrow gauge route in 1970.

The 25 (including the two Western Mining locos) were used in a variety of roles, with some hired out to AN or Victorian Railways during the 80’s after the suspension of iron ore traffic. When the traffic re-commenced in the mid 90’s, Westrail was able to acquire Comalco’s R1002, joining the fleet as LW276 in late 1994. L269 was scrapped in 1996 after an accident. The acquisition of the new Q-Class in 1998 resulted in many of the class being stored although, soon after, most were reactivated due to traffic improvements.

Seven were able to be sold, being purchased by the Australian Transport Network consortium in 1999, to be reconditioned by NREC at Whyalla. Of these, four were subsequently used from 2000 in the eastern states by ATN Access, with three now part of the Pacific National fleet, following their purchase of ATN in 2004. The other three went to Melbourne based RTS, who reconditioned them and sold one to QR owned Interail, and two to the Australian Railroad Group, which bought the Westrail freight operation on privatisation in 2000.

RTS also acquired one of the ATN L-Class, and sold it to Interail. QR acquired ARG’s WA operation in 2006, reintegrating their two L-CLass into the WA fleet, which had been renumbered into the 3100 series. Aurizon currently owns 22, while PN continues to operate two of its three units. The second Comalco unit was sold in 2010 to Australian Locolease, to operate in the eastern states as L277.

Today, the L-Class operate industrial and general freight traffics in WA, with three operating in NSW for grain traffic. They are prefixed L, LQ (QTRAC traction control) or LZ (ZTR traction control).

– With thanks to Keith McDonald

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