New South Wales 442 class locomotive

AE Goodwin / Comeng

Industry	Locomotive manufacturing
Founded	1970 (1970)
Headquarters	Auburn , Australia
Products	Diesel-electric locomotives (442 class)

The 442 class diesel-electric locomotives were manufactured by AE Goodwin and later Comeng at Auburn, New South Wales, specifically for the New South Wales Department of Railways between 1970 and 1973.

History

Commissioned and operated by the New South Wales Government Railways, the 442 class represented the second series of Alco-designed locomotives intended for both freight and passenger mainline duties within New South Wales. Following the privatization of rail services, these locomotives have been utilized across various regions in Australia. Sharing identical design characteristics with the South Australian Railways 700 class, they acquired the nickname Jumbos in reference to their 1971 introduction coinciding with the arrival of Qantas' inaugural Boeing 747 aircraft.

Construction

Produced between 1971 and 1973 as replacements for the outdated and economically unviable-to-rebuild 40 class, an initial batch of twenty units was commissioned from AE Goodwin. This order included a trade-in agreement where components from the retired 40 class locomotives were repurposed in constructing the new models. Subsequently, an additional twenty units were added to the order.

The first unit was completed in October 1970 but was initially rejected due to unstable riding qualities; this issue was resolved through bogie redesigns. After AE Goodwin entered administration, responsibility for completing the remaining six locomotives transferred to Comeng. These final units featured a shift from a traditional generator to a Mitsubishi alternator system.

In service

Throughout their operational life, the 442 class locomotives serviced principal routes throughout New South Wales. In 1985, select units (numbers 23-27, 29, and 30) were fitted with V/Line radio systems to enable operations extending to Melbourne; however, this functionality was discontinued by 1987.

By the time of their phase-out, all remaining locomotives were stationed at Broadmeadow Locomotive Depot, predominantly running on the North Coast and Main North corridors.

Disposal

Following the introduction of newer models such as the 82 and 90 classes, most of the 442 class were retired in 1994. In December of that year, nineteen units were auctioned off:

• Four sold to Silverton Rail, all of which returned to active service,
• Two acquired by Austrac Ready Power and leased to BHP, based at Port Kembla,
• One purchased by Australian National intended as spare parts for fire-damaged unit 702; this plan was abandoned and both locomotives were scrapped,
• Twelve bought by Morrison Knudsen Australia for conversion projects aimed at hauling roadrailer services. The rebuild involved replacing the Alco prime mover with refurbished EMD 645F engines paired with AR10 alternators, extending the frame length, and deactivating the number two cab for single-ended operation. Although initial modifications commenced, the project was halted mid-1995; ten units were dismantled at Morrison Knudsen's facility in Whyalla, with salvaged components later utilized in developing the RL class. Two units were sold to Silverton Rail and recommissioned into service by 1998/99.

A shortage of locomotives led to six units being recommissioned by FreightCorp in late 1995. After serving as shunters in Sydney, these last examples were withdrawn from service by March 1998. One locomotive, number 44211, has been preserved by the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum.

Transformation into JL and GL Series

Prior to the divestment of FreightCorp, the remaining locomotives were acquired by Great Northern Rail Services in Victoria during 2001. Out of these, five underwent refurbishment and re-entered service as the JL class. Subsequently, all units were transferred to Railfirst Asset Management, which engaged UGL Rail at Broadmeadow to rebuild 12 locomotives. This process utilized overhauled General Electric C30-7A parts salvaged from retired Conrail engines, resulting in their reclassification as the GL class between June 2003 and October 2004.

The rebuilds entailed comprehensive reconstruction, preserving only the bogies, main frames, and fuel tanks from the original machines. The initial Alco 12-251C prime movers and AEI generators were replaced with refurbished GE 7FDL-12 engines and alternators. New dual-cab bodies were installed featuring desk-top control consoles and enhanced collision protection. The JL locomotives retained their original numbering; two units were later sold to Southern Shorthaul Railroad.

The GL series has been extensively leased to various operators such as Bowmans Rail, Southern Shorthaul Railroad, Watco Australia, SCT Logistics, Crawford's Freightlines, GrainCorp, Pacific National, Aurizon, and Qube Logistics. All these locomotives display the RFAM silver and blue color scheme.

Current Fleet Overview

Legend:	Active Service	In Storage	Museum Preserved	Modified	Undergoing Overhaul	Decommissioned

Several locomotives received names inspired by racehorses, as listed in the Name column.

  || 44219 ||||G-6045-19 ||Jun 72 ||Morrison Knudsen Australia ||SRA Candy ||Decommissioned

Original Number	Renumbered	Name	Serial Number	Date Completed	Present / Last Owner	Livery	Status
44201	GL105	Let’s Elope	G-6045-01	Dec 70	Rail First Asset Management	RFAM silver & blue	Active
44202	442s4 -> 44202		G-6045-02	Apr 71	Qube Logistics	Qube silver & yellow	Active
44203	442s3		G-6045-03	Apr 71	Qube Logistics	Silverton yellow & blue	Decommissioned
44204	JL401 -> 44204	Paul Fitzgerald	G-6045-04	May 71	Southern Shorthaul Railroad	SSR yellow & black	Active
44205			G-6045-05	May 71	Morrison Knudsen Australia	SRA Candy	Decommissioned
44206	JL402 -> 44206	Col Parry	G-6045-06	Jul 71	Southern Shorthaul Railroad	SSR yellow & black	Active
44207	GL101	Think Big	G-6045-07	Jul 71	Rail First Asset Management	RFAM silver & blue	In Storage
44208	JL403 -> 44208	'Mark's Baby.'	G-6045-08	Aug 71	Manildra Group	Silver & Blue	Active
44209	JL404 -> 44209	'Jim's Baby.'	G-6045-09	Aug 71	Manildra Group Bomaderry	Silver & Blue	Active
44210			G-6045-10	Sep 71	Morrison Knudsen Australia	SRA Candy	Decommissioned
44211			G-6045-11	Sep 71	Trainworks Railway Museum	Reverse Tuscan	Preserved Active
44212	GL112	Jeune	G-6045-12	Oct 71	Rail First Asset Management	RFAM silver & blue	Active
44213			G-6045-13	Oct 71	Morrison Knudsen Australia	SRA Candy	Decommissioned
44214			G-6045-14	Nov 71	Morrison Knudsen Australia	SRA Candy	Decommissioned
44215	GL110	Tawriffic	G-6045-15	Dec 71	Rail First Asset Management	RFAM silver & blue	Active
44216	GL102	Sunline	G-6045-16	May 72	Rail First Asset Management	RFAM silver & blue	Active
44217		G-6045-17	May 72	Southern Shorthaul Railroad	Greentrains green & yellow	Active
44218	GL106	Subzero	G-6045-18	Jun 72	Rail First Asset Management	RFAM silver & blue	Active