Australian National BL class
| Industry | Locomotive manufacturing |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Rosewater , Australia |
The BL class diesel-electric locomotives were manufactured by Clyde Engineering at their Rosewater facility for Australian National during the period of 1983 to 1984. Currently, nine units remain active under Pacific National ownership, while one locomotive is held in storage.
History
In 1982, Australian National placed an order for 15 Electro-Motive Diesel JT26C-2SS locomotives from Clyde Engineering, designed as a development of the New South Wales 81 class locomotive. These locomotives were designated to carry numbers BL26 through BL40. Only the first ten were delivered to Australian National; the final five units were supplied to V/Line and classified as the G class. The initial batch of five featured standard gauge bogies, whereas the subsequent five were equipped with broad gauge bogies.
Following the conversion of the Adelaide to Melbourne rail line gauge, the ten Australian National locomotives were transferred in 1995 to National Rail Corporation and modified to operate on standard gauge tracks. By December 1996, their service routes had extended to include Sydney and Newcastle. In September 1998, after undergoing repainting into SteelLink colours at Chullora workshops, four of these locomotives reverted to broad gauge duties hauling steel trains for BlueScope (formerly known as BHP) between Melbourne’s Long Island and Dynon terminals. During the late 1990s, several BL class units were also assigned to haul The Overland passenger service connecting Melbourne and Adelaide.
As of June 2025, Pacific National operates six BL class units on standard gauge lines and three on broad gauge tracks. BL35 suffered fire damage and is presently stored at Werris Creek.