New South Wales 421 class locomotive
| Industry | Railway transport |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | New South Wales , Australia |
| Products | 421 class diesel locomotives |
The 421 class diesel locomotives were manufactured by Clyde Engineering, Granville for the Department of Railways New South Wales during 1965-1966. Created as the successor to the New South Wales 42 class locomotive, these mainline engines featured the iconic bulldog nose design on one end—similar to the Clyde-built Commonwealth Railways GM class and Victorian Railways S class (diesel) models—paired with a distinctive flat cab at the opposite end, setting them apart from other bulldog nose locomotives globally.
History
Initially, the 421 class operated on the Main South line, before relocating in 1970 to Bathurst to serve the Main Western line between Lithgow and Broken Hill, including deployment on the new Indian Pacific service. Due to unsatisfactory ride comfort, they were reassigned back to the Main South line and briefly ran through services to Melbourne in 1982.
By late 1986, all ten units were withdrawn from active duty and stored at Junee Locomotive Depot, despite some having undergone recent overhauls. Two locomotives were transferred to Cardiff Locomotive Workshops in June 1989, with one briefly returned to service from July 1989 until January 1990. The majority were offered for sale in 1990.
Northern Rivers Railroad purchased four of these locomotives. Following refurbishment at Junee in October 1996, they were moved to Casino for final preparations before commencing operations in October 1997. Northern Rivers Railroad deployed them on the Ritz Rail tourist route from Casino to Murwillumbah along the Murwillumbah line, as well as for freight and infrastructure duties on the North Coast line under contract with FreightCorp. Additionally, they acquired unit 42106 from a private collector and transferred it from storage at the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum, Thirlmere to Casino in September 1998.
Four units have been preserved. In December 2009, locomotive 42101 was moved from the Goulburn Rail Heritage Centre to Eveleigh Railway Workshops for restoration overseen by 3801 Limited. After receiving overhauled traction motors at Chullora Railway Workshops in October 2011, it returned to Eveleigh for further operational refurbishment in March 2012. The locomotive successfully completed its initial test runs on Cowan Bank in October 2014 and was repainted into its original Indian red scheme by UGL Rail, Auburn in January 2015.
Locomotive 42102 was relocated from storage on Kooragang Island to the Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum in January 2011.
In late 2017, privately owned units 42103 and 42105 entered preservation. After being reactivated first, 42103 traveled to the Rothbury facility in December 2017 and operated with the Lachlan Valley Railway's Blue Suede Express to Parkes alongside locomotives 4204 and 4716 in January 2018. It has since hauled various services including the Australia Day Flyer to Kiama, earning it the nickname “Chumster.”
Following a three-year restoration project in Goulburn, locomotive 42105 returned to active service in November 2019 sporting an InterRail-inspired livery featuring ChumRail branding and was named “ChumSayer.” This unit was officially relaunched in November 2023 with an updated Northern Rivers Railroad paint scheme and remains an important heritage piece under private ownership.
Fleet Status
| Legend: | Active Service | In Storage | Heritage Preserved | Modified | Currently Overhauled | Decommissioned |
|---|
| NSW No | Serial No | Service Entry Date | Owner (Current/Last) | Paint Scheme | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42101 | 65-468 | 22 December 1965 | The Heritage Locomotive Company Operated by East Coast Heritage Rail |
PTC Indian Red | Preserved and Operational |
| 42102 | 66-469 | 24 January 1966 | Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum | SRA Candy | Stored |
| 42103 | 66-470 | 15 February 1966 | Chumrail | SRA Candy | Preserved and Operational |
| 42104 | 66-471 | 28 February 1966 | State Rail Authority | PTC Reverse | Decommissioned (Scrapped) |
| 42105 | 66-472 | 15 March 1966 | Chumrail | NRR Rainbow | Preserved and Operational |
| 42106 | 66-473 | 14 April 1966 | CFCLA | Undercoat Finish | Decommissioned (Scrapped) |
| 42107 | 66-474 | 12 May 1966 | Private Owner | Reverse Tuscan Livery | Preserved and Operational |
| 42108 | 66-475 | 3 May 1966 | State Rail Authority | SRA Candy Scheme | Decommissioned (Scrapped) |
| 42109 | 66-476 | 6 July 1966 | CFCLA | NRR Rainbow Paintwork | Decommissioned (Scrapped) |
| 42110 | 66-477 | 25 July 1966 | State Rail Authority | Austerity Red | Decommissioned (Scrapped) |
Further reading
- New South Wales Rail System Locomotives, Archives Section, State Rail Authority of New South Wales, Sydney, 1984