Queensland Railways 1400 class
| Industry | Locomotive manufacturing |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Granville , Australia |
| Products | Diesel-electric locomotives |
The 1400 class represents a series of diesel-electric locomotives manufactured by Clyde Engineering at Granville for Queensland Railways during the period from 1955 to 1957.
History
In 1955, Clyde Engineering presented an Electro-Motive Diesel G12 locomotive model to Queensland Railways. Following this demonstration, the railway acquired that unit along with two additional demonstrators still under construction, and subsequently placed an order for ten more locomotives. Initially, the first three units were assigned numbers 1230 to 1232 before being reclassified under the 1400 class designation. These locomotives were originally equipped with Bo-Bo bogies intended for standard gauge trials but were fitted with A1A-A1A bogies upon their deployment in Queensland. The demonstrator models can be distinguished from the production series by differences in the locations of their number boxes and marker lights.
The 1400 class bears a close resemblance in appearance to the NZR DA class, the initial batch of the Victorian Railways T class, and the Kowloon-Canton Railway Class 51 (which later became the CFCLA TL class). Their primary area of operation was South East Queensland. The earliest withdrawal of a unit from service occurred in December 1986.
Preservation efforts have secured two locomotives:
- Unit 1400 (formerly numbered 1230) is housed at the Mackay Heritage Railway.
- Unit 1407 is maintained by the Queensland Rail Heritage Division and is stored at the Workshops Rail Museum located in North Ipswich.
The closely related 1450 class is a variant of the G12 design featuring a Co-Co wheel arrangement and an extended frame to accommodate its bogies.