New South Wales 49 class locomotive
| Industry | Locomotive manufacturing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 19th century |
| Headquarters | Granville, New South Wales , Australia |
| Products | Diesel-electric locomotives |
The 49 class diesel-electric locomotives were produced by Clyde Engineering at their Granville, New South Wales facility for the New South Wales Department of Railways between 1960 and 1964, with a total of 18 units constructed. These locomotives utilized an EMD 567 V8 two-stroke diesel engine delivering a gross power output of 950 hp (875 hp available for traction). Featuring a Co-Co wheel arrangement, they were equipped with EMD D25 generators and six EMD D29 traction motors. Engineered to reach speeds up to 77 mph, they were deployed across New South Wales for both freight and passenger duties.
History
The 49 class was commissioned in three groups of six locomotives each. Their initial deployment was concentrated in the Western Region of New South Wales, where they operated on branch lines and main lines extending westward from Lithgow, occasionally reaching destinations such as Moree and Cootamundra.
From July to November 1989, the entire fleet was relocated to Delec Locomotive Depot in Sydney. In addition to handling metropolitan trip workings, these locomotives were assigned to haul coal trains destined for Tahmoor along the Main South line. Starting January 1994, they also undertook ballast train operations on the Illawarra line heading towards Bombo.
In June 1994, the Manildra Group leased unit 4907 from FreightCorp for use at its Gunnedah milling facility. Later that year, Manildra acquired both 4907 and 4913, commissioning Clyde Engineering, located in Kelso, to rebuild them with altered lower No.1 ends tailored for mill service. To assist with infrastructure trains during the standard gauge conversion of the Melbourne-Adelaide railway, units 4903, 4912, and 4916 were leased to National Rail in late 1994.
By February 1995, FreightCorp had withdrawn the remaining locomotives; however, most returned to operation later that year before being permanently retired in July 1997. In April 1998, unit 4910 was leased for seven months to Northern Rivers Railroad, where it operated services between Grafton and Murwillumbah.
From 1999 onwards, numerous 49 class units were sold to various operators including 3801 Limited, Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia, Consolidated Rail Leasing, Patrick Portlink, and Southern Shorthaul Railroad. Several locomotives experienced multiple ownership changes following their departure from FreightCorp. Although some were acquired by Northern Rivers Railroad, none entered active service and were instead either resold or dismantled for spare parts. Notably, bogies from certain locomotives were repurposed during the regauging of Queensland Railways' 1502 class into the 423 class.
As of August 2024, Southern Shorthaul Railroad manages units 4904, 4908, 4910, 4911, and 4917; meanwhile, Manildra Group operates MM02 (formerly 4913) on grain transport duties. After a level crossing accident at Rockview in 2023 resulted in derailment and overturning, locomotive 4910 remains out of service and is stored at SSR's North Bendigo Workshops awaiting repairs.
Unit 4916 is under the ownership of Transport Heritage NSW and is regularly used for tourist excursions or kept at the NSW Rail Museum in Thirlmere.
Fleet status
| Legend: | Active Service | Stored | Preserved | Modified | Undergoing Overhaul | Decommissioned |
|---|
| NSW No | Serial No | Service Entry | Current/Previous Owner | Livery | Condition | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4901 | 60-221 | September 1960 | Interail | Green and yellow | Decommissioned | |
| 4902 | 60-222 | October 1960 | Private owner | Green and yellow | Decommissioned | Previously stored at Seymour Railway Heritage Centre prior to scrapping in 2014 |
| 4903 | 60-223 | November 1960 | The Picnic Train | Patrick Portlink red, yellow, and black | Preserved and operational | Formerly Patrick Portlink and Interail |
| 4904 | 60-224 | December 1960 | Southern Shorthaul Railroad | SSR yellow and black | In service | Previously operated by Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia |
| 4905 | 60-225 | February 1961 | Traction Engineering | Traction Engineering orange | Static display, located at Werris Creek | |
| 4906 | 60-226 | March 1961 | Lachlan Valley Railway | Patrick Portlink red, yellow, and black | Preserved and operational | Ex Patrick Portlink, formerly Interail |
| 4907 | 62-257 | June 1962 | Manildra Group | Manildra blue and yellow | In service | Renumbered as MM01 |
| 4908 | 62-258 | July 1962 | Southern Shorthaul Railroad | Greentrains green and yellow | Operational | Previously with Greentrains and 3801 Limited |
| 4909 | 62-259 | July 1962 | Interail | SRA candy livery | Decommissioned | |
| 4910 | 62-260 | August 1962 | Southern Shorthaul Railroad | SSR yellow and black | Currently under overhaul | Undergoing rebuild at Bendigo Workshops; formerly Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia KL81 |
| 4911 | 62-261 | October 1962 | "Consolidated Rail Leasing" | "CRL yellow, red, and black" | "Active service" | "Previously owned by Manildra Group" |
| "4912" | "62-262" | "November 1962" | "Interail" | "SRA candy livery" | "Decommissioned" | "" |
| "4913" | "64-342" | "June 1964" | "Manildra Group" | "Manildra blue and yellow" | "Active service" | "Renumbered as MM02" |
| "4914" | "64-343" | "June 1964" | "Interail" | "SRA candy livery" | "Decommissioned" | "" |