Westrail S class
| Industry | Locomotive manufacturing |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Forrestfield , Australia |
| Products | Diesel locomotives |
The S class diesel locomotives were manufactured by Clyde Engineering at their Forrestfield facility specifically for Westrail in 1998.
History
Westrail introduced the S class as their sole dual-cab locomotive series. The initial procurement, placed in May 1996, consisted of nine units from Clyde Engineering, ordered alongside fifteen Q class locomotives. This purchase was subsequently expanded to eleven locomotives. The design represents an advancement based on the FreightCorp 82 class. Construction occurred at Clyde's workshop located within Westrail's Forrestfield Depot; the frames were fabricated in Somerton, Victoria, while parts were sourced from Kelso, New South Wales.
The S class entered operational use in June 1998, mainly tasked with transporting ore and mineral freight across South West Western Australia. By November 1998, the entire fleet was fully commissioned.
In December 2012, ownership of the complete fleet transferred to Aurizon as part of Westrail's sale. Upon acquisition, these locomotives were reclassified as the 3300 class and continue to be active.
Separately, in 2008, Rio Tinto commissioned two standard gauge JT42C locomotives of a similar design for the Weipa bauxite railway. Delivered in 2009 and numbered R1005 and R1006, R1005 remains in service while R1006 was decommissioned following a collision in 2019.