New South Wales 85 class locomotive
| Industry | Railway transport |
|---|---|
| Founded | May 1979 |
| Founder | Comeng |
| Headquarters | Granville , Australia |
| Products | Electric locomotives |
The New South Wales 85 class consisted of a fleet of 10 electric locomotives constructed by Comeng at Granville between May 1979 and July 1980 for the Public Transport Commission. Upon their debut, these units were recognized as Australia's most powerful locomotives, delivering a power output of 2,880 kW. Assigned to the depot at Lithgow, their primary role was to transport coal trains across the Blue Mountains line. Additionally, they serviced various other freight operations and occasionally hauled passenger trains, including the Indian Pacific.
Following the electrification of the Illawarra line in 1986, the 85 class expanded their coal transport duties from Lithgow through to Port Kembla. They also intermittently operated coal trains from Glenlee Colliery on the Main South line to both Port Kembla and Rozelle. Even though these locomotives did not run on the Main North line, all units were moved to Taree in 1993 for repainting at Landsdowne Engineering.
The introduction of diesel locomotives by National Rail on electrified routes, combined with New South Wales adopting an open access system, led to decreased reliance on electric traction. As a result, this class was retired in April 1998 and placed into storage at Lithgow.
In July 2000, FreightCorp transferred three locomotives to Werris Creek. Two of these were preserved: unit 8501 was acquired by the Sydney Electric Train Society, while 8507 went to the Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum. The remaining units were sold in 2003 to Silverton Rail and subsequently dismantled at Broken Hill.
| Number | Owner | Location | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8501 | Sydney Electric Train Society | Werris Creek | Stored |
| 8507 | Dorrigo Steam Railway and Museum | West Tamworth | Stored |