The 48 Class are a diesel electric locomotive ordered by the New South Wales Government Railways from 1959. Once the most ubiquitous locomotive in New South Wales, the locomotives were built by A. E. Goodwin, based on Alco frames and prime movers, using General Electric (later AEI) electrical equipment. With 165 examples of the type built over 11 years, the 48 Class was a common sight on lines all over New South Wales. The South Australian Railways 830 class were of a very similar design.

History

The 48 Class have an Alco 6-251B prime mover delivering 1,060 horsepower, and have a maximum speed of 120 km/h. They ride on standard gauge Co-Co bogies, are 14.76 metres long, and weigh 75 t. Delivered in four batches (broken down as follows), there are still 69 48 Class locomotives in operation, primarily with Pacific National. Silverton Tramway and Railcorp also operate a few such locomotives. Most others have been scrapped, stored, or purchased by heritage groups.

The four batches are as follows:

• Mark I: 4801 – 4845
• Mark II: 4846 – 4885
• Mark III: 4886 – 4899, 48100 – 48125
• Mark IV: 48126 – 48165.

Currently there are seven preserved locomotives, three of them in operational status:

• 4801: State Rail Authority Heritage Unit, Eveleigh
• 4803: New South Wales Rail Transport Museum, Thirlmere, NSW. Operational.
• 4805: State Rail Authority Heritage Unit, Eveleigh. Operational.
• 4807: Australian Railway Historical Society - Canberra Railway Museum. Operational.
• 4821: Goulburn Rail Heritage Centre Operational.
• 4822: Dorrigo Steam Railway and Museum.
• 4833: Privately owned. Operational.

Various members of the 48 Class have worn a total of six liveries over their 40 years of service. On delivery they wore the standard NSWGR Tuscan livery (to which some preserved locomotives have been restored), but since then have worn the State Rail Authority’s 'Candy' scheme, along with FreightCorp's plain blue, in which most locomotives remain. Some have gained Pacific National stickering.

PL class

Seven Mark II locomotives were rebuilt between 1999 and 2001 as the PL class. These locomotives were 4848 (became PL1), 4856 (became PL7), 4867 (became PL6), 4868 (became PL4), 4870 (became PL3), and 4871, which became PL2. Changes included the short end cab nose being lowered, the cab altered, and air conditioning provided.

References

• John Cleverdon LocoPage: SRA 48 class. Retrieved on 2008-04-12..