TasRail D class
| Industry | Locomotive manufacturing |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Granville , Australia |
| Products | Diesel locomotives |
The D/DA class diesel locomotives were manufactured by Clyde Engineering at their Granville facility for the Western Australian Government Railways during 1971 and 1972.
History
Western Australian Government Railways initially commissioned five D class locomotives mainly to support bauxite transportation. Subsequently, seven DA class units were introduced; these lacked dynamic brakes and weighed 12 tonnes less than the D class.
In August 1998, locomotives D1564 and D1565 were sold to Tranz Rail, underwent cab reconstruction at Hutt Workshops, and were transferred to TasRail in June 2001, entering service as numbers 2020 and 2021. The redesigned cabs bore a strong resemblance to those on the DXR8007. Meanwhile, in September 1998, D1563 was shipped to Chile for refurbishment and operation by the Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia.
The other nine locomotives became part of the Westrail sale to the Australian Railroad Group in October 2000. After the group's division in June 2006, DA 1577 moved to Genesee & Wyoming Australia along with the South Australian assets, while the remaining eight units transferred to QR National with Western Australian operations. In January 2015, locomotives D1562 and DAZ1902-06 were exported to South Africa, now owned by APEX Industrial.
TasRail D class
Originally acquired by Tranz Rail in 1998, two D class locomotives were rebuilt at Hutt Workshops as a cost-efficient alternative to purchasing new equipment. Upon completion, they were assigned to ATN Tasrail, where Tranz Rail maintained an ownership interest.
The rebuild included a universal cab design characterized by a reduced low hood height and angular styling, akin to the cab on Tranz Rail’s DXR 8007. These units were repainted in Wisconsin Central Maroon livery and renumbered into the 202X series from their previous Western Australian 156X numbers.
Arriving at Bell Bay on 15 June 2001 without traction motors, surplus English Electric EE548 motors were installed at East Tamar Workshops before commencing operations. Following persistent traction motor issues, these were replaced with second-hand GM motors in 2009.
Currently under ownership of Watco Australia, both locomotives remain undergoing overhaul.
Withdrawals and disposal
With the arrival of the new TR class, both units were withdrawn around mid-2014. They were stored at East Tamar Workshops before being sold to Watco Australia in 2017 for use on infrastructure trains. D 2020 departed from Burnie on 5 May 2017 aboard Toll’s Victorian Reliance, followed by 2021 on 13 May via the Tasmanian Achiever. Both underwent rebuilding at Bendigo Workshops, Victoria, and arrived in Perth in January 2018. They continue service under their original WAGR numbers with classification DR.
Class list (D)
| Key: | In Service | Withdrawn | Preserved | Converted | Unknown | Scrapped |
|---|
| Serial Number | Date Built | Original Road Number | Renumbered As | Current/Last Owner | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70-723 | February 1971 | D1561 | - | Aurizon | Scrapped (September 2011) |
| 70-724 | 1971 | D1562 | - | Rovos Rail | Active on Rovos Rail’s Pretoria–Dar es Salaam route. |
| 70-725 | May 1971 | D1563 | 2001 | Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia | Exported to Chile |
| 70-726 | June 1971 | D1564 | 2020 (TasRail), DR1564 (Watco) | Watco Australia | Rebuilt by Tranz Rail prior to TasRail delivery. |
| 70-727 | July 1971 | D1565 | 2021 (TasRail), DR1565 (Watco) | Watco Australia | Rebuilt by Tranz Rail before entering TasRail service. |
Class roster (DA)
| Legend: | Active | Decommissioned | Preserved | Repurposed | Status Unknown | Dismantled |
|---|
| Serial Number | Construction Date | Initial Road Number | Updated Number | Current Owner | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 72-758 | April 1972 | DA1571 | DAZ1901 | Aurizon | 'Stored at Forrestfield' |
| 72-759 | 1972 | DA1572 | DAZ1902 | APEX Industrial | Shipped to South Africa |
| 72-760 | 1972 | DA1573 | DAZ1903 | APEX Industrial | Shipped to South Africa |
| 72-761 | 1972 | DA1574 | DAZ1904 | APEX Industrial | Shipped to South Africa |
| 72-762 | 1972 | DA1575 | DAZ1905 | APEX Industrial | Shipped to South Africa |
| 72-763 | 1972 | DA1576 | DAZ1906 | APEX Industrial | Shipped to South Africa |
| 72-764 | October 1972 | DA1577 | "1907" | "Genesee & Wyoming Australia" | "Operates on the Whyalla-Iron Knob line" |
See also