WAGR L class (diesel)

Western Australian Government Railways

Industry	Railway transport
Founded	1967 (1967)
Headquarters	Australia
Products	Diesel locomotives (L Class)

The L Class diesel locomotives were produced for the Western Australian Government Railways from 1967 to 1973 by Clyde Engineering at their facilities in Granville and Eagle Farm, with additional manufacturing subcontracted to Commonwealth Engineering located in Rocklea.

History

Following the conversion of the Eastern Goldfields Railway between Perth and Kalgoorlie to standard gauge, the Western Australian Government Railways began taking delivery of 23 Electro Motive Diesel GT26C locomotives from Clyde Engineering starting in October 1967. This model was derived from the EMD SD40, modified with a reduced height to comply with Australian loading gauge restrictions. Notably, these units introduced Australia's first turbocharged EMD engines and represented the largest diesel locomotives operated by a government agency at that time.

The locomotives were shipped from Sydney via Melbourne and Adelaide, necessitating broad gauge bogies for operation between Dynon and Port Pirie. Initially assigned to haul iron ore trains from Koolyanobbing to Kwinana and deployed on the Indian Pacific, they were soon removed from passenger services due to concerns over track wear at higher speeds.

In January 1972, Comalco procured two similar locomotives for use on its bauxite railway at Weipa. These units were constructed without dynamic brakes but included additional ballast to improve traction. Two further locomotives arrived in 1973 for the Western Australian Government Railways, financed by Western Mining Corporation to support a nickel mining operation at Mount Windarra. Comalco's locomotives were built at Clyde Engineering’s Eagle Farm plant, while Western Mining Corporation’s were subcontracted to Commonwealth Engineering in Rocklea.

By 1983, three units had been leased to V/Line for standard gauge operations along the Melbourne–Albury corridor; one of these extended service through to Sydney in 1984.

After an overhaul of Comalco's R1.001 at Clyde Engineering in 1994, R1.002 was sold to Westrail and reclassified as Lw276. Following the introduction of the Q Class locomotives in 1997, numerous L class units were either retired or reassigned to trailing positions.

In July 1998, seven locomotives sold to Australian Transport Network underwent refurbishment by the National Railway Equipment Company, with four assigned to grain haulage in southern New South Wales and Victoria. Three of these transferred with ATN to Pacific National in 2004; others were sold on to Rail Technical Services before being acquired by QR National subsidiaries for operations within New South Wales.

The remainder of the fleet was included in Westrail's divestment to Australian Railroad Group (ARG) in 2000 and subsequently moved under QR National control in 2006. Units operated by Pacific National were scrapped by 2015.

Under ARG ownership, these locomotives were renumbered as the 3100 class. Those fitted with Q-Tron traction control bore an "LQ" prefix, while those equipped with ZTR systems carried "LZ". Some served grain trains originating from Manildra Group mills across New South Wales between 2003 and 2008.

In 2011, Comalco sold R1.001 to Australian Locolease, which leased it as L277 to El Zorro (railway) for grain transport operations within Victoria. After periods of sporadic use and storage, Southern Shorthaul Railroad purchased L277 in 2020 and restored it to service at Cootamundra.

By 2018, all units owned by Aurizon had been placed into extended storage amid uncertain operational prospects. LZ3111 was used to relocate several locomotives to Avon Yard before returning light engine.

Aurizon recommissioned LZ3119 and LZ3120 in July 2021 for grain hauling duties across New South Wales; LZ3120 was returned to Western Australia in December 2022. Earlier that year, LZ3109 and LZ3114 were transported to Progress Rail’s Port Augusta workshops for rebuilding efforts.

On 19 July 2023, LZ3111 was brought back into service specifically for shunting tasks at Avon Yard and was later moved within the same year to Aurizon’s Forrestfield intermodal terminal.

As of November 2024, LZ3119 (previously designated L253) is leased out to Manildra Group at Nowra, where it functions as a shunting locomotive at their manufacturing facility located in Bomaderry.

Status Table

Legend:	Active Service	In Storage	Preserved	Repurposed	Under Maintenance	Decommissioned

bgcolor:#FF6699 "|68-549

Serial Number	Service Entry Date	Initial Road Number	Updated Number	Designation	Current or Last Proprietor	Paint Scheme	Condition
67-541	30 October 1967	L251	-	Thunderbird 1	Pacific National	PN Blue & Yellow	Decommissioned, 5 May 2015 (Werris Creek railway station)
67-542	20 November 1967	L252	LZ3101	Kurra Kurraka	Aurizon	QR National Pineapple	Accidentally dismantled June 2016 (Casino, New South Wales)
67-543	14 December 1967	L253	LZ3119	-	Aurizon	ARG Orange featuring Aurizon Logo Patches	Returned to service July 2021; leased to SSR for Manildra Group grain contract 10/24.
67-544	5 January 1968	L254	-	Enterprise NCC 1701	Pacific National	Australian Transport Network Burgundy & Yellow scheme	Scrapped following engine fire, 4 November 2016 (Cardiff Locomotive Workshops)
67-545	8 February 1968	L255	LZ3105	-	Aurizon	G&W Orange & Black with ARG Logos	Stored since October 2014 (Avon Yard)
67-546	8 March 1968	L256	LZ3106	-	Aurizon	QR National Pineapple livery	In storage from January 2018 (Avon Yard)
68-547	14 March 1968	L257	3102	Wagiman	J&P Metals	G&W Orange & Black with ARG Logos	Decommissioned, 30 October 2021
68-548	28 March 1968	L258	LZ3107	-	Aurizon	G&W Orange & Black with ARG Logos	"Stored since January 2018 (Forrestfield)"
19 April 1968	L259	LZ3103	Aboriginal Stockman	Aurizon	Aurizon Pineapple	Currently in storage (Avon Yard)
Additional entries follow the same format emphasizing ownership, paint scheme, and operational condition.

References

• Australia Wide Fleet List, Motive Power, issue 96, November 2014, pages 65 and 69