Commonwealth Railways GM class

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The GM class are a class of diesel locomotives built by Clyde Engineering, Granville for the Commonwealth Railways in several batches between 1951 and 1967. As of January 2014, some remain in service with Aurizon and Southern Shorthaul Railroad.

History

File:GM2 National Railway Museum Port Adelaide.jpg
Preserved GM2 at the National Railway Museum in July 2010
File:GM29 Rawlinna, 1986.JPG
Two GM class on the Trans-Australian at Rawlinna in May 1986
File:GM class loco-Australian National.jpg
GM43 at Mount Gambier while on broad gauge in April 1995
File:GM43 train.JPG
Aurizon GM43 locomotives
File:GM22 42103 AK cars.jpg
GM22 and 42103 lead the AK cars from Ouyen to Yelta through Mildura.
File:GM22, 48s35, 48s34, and G514 lead a grain train from Maldon NSW to Birchip at Jacana..jpg
GM22, 48s35, 48s34, and G514 lead a grain train from Maldon NSW to Birchip at Jacana.

The design was based on the Electro-Motive Diesel EMD F7 locomotive.[1] The first 11 were delivered with EMD 16-567B, Script error: No such module "convert". engines and four powered axles with the remainder having 16-567C, Script error: No such module "convert". engines and six powered axles. The final 11 were fitted with dynamic braking.[2]

Delivered to operate on the standard gauge Trans-Australian Railway, they first entered service in September 1951. Further orders saw 47 in service by December 1967. They operated on all of Commonwealth Railways's standard gauge lines including those to Broken Hill, Alice Springs, Marree and Adelaide when converted to standard gauge in 1970, 1980 and 1982 respectively.

In January 1972, three (31, 32 & 34) were loaned to the Victorian Railways for use on the North East line. The latter two were returned in May 1976, the former in November 1976.[3]

In July 1975, all were included in the transfer of Commonwealth Railways to Australian National. In 1979, a few operated to Lithgow, New South Wales on trials, while in October 1983, three (23, 24 & 28) were hired to V/Line returning in October 1985.[3][4]

The GM class were manufactured for standard gauge use, some of the locomotives were converted to operate on Script error: No such module "Track gauge".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". broad gauge for some of their lives.

Apart from one destroyed in an accident in 1985, withdrawals began in 1988.[2] GM1 was placed on a plinth in Port Augusta, GM2 was donated to the National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide and GM3 to Clyde Engineering, Kelso.[5] By October 1994, only 15 remained in service.[6] A locomotive shortage saw Australian Southern Railroad return GM1 to service in December 1997.[7]

In 1998, Great Northern Rail Services purchased 12 from Australian Southern Railroad.[8] Most were scrapped for parts with only three returning to service seeing use in Melbourne and Sydney. Following Great Northern ceasing operations in 2003, these were sold to Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia before being resold to Southern Shorthaul Railroad.[2]

In May 2005, Australian Railroad Group forwarded GM30 to Forrestfield workshops to be receive a Script error: No such module "convert". engine, as fitted to the CLs. The project was never completed and the shell was scrapped.[2][9]

In November 2010, the federal Department for Infrastructure & Transport placed GM1 in the custody of Rail Heritage WA.[10] In May 2012, Clyde Engineering sold GM3 to Southern Shorthaul Railroad and it was transferred to their Lithgow State Mine Heritage Park & Railway workshop for overhaul.

As of October 2023, all but 1 of the Aurizon units are operational due to more modern power available for freight services in South Australia With 3 Stored Operational while the Southern Shorthaul Railroad units are used on infrastructure and grain trains in New South Wales and Victoria.[11][12][13][14]

GM10 is the oldest locomotive in regular freight service in Australia.

Aurizon ownership

After the ARG split up G&W retained 11 GMs (ARG retaining GM30 for an ambitious project but was then scrapped) They regularly worked grain trains in SA on the pinaroo line; after its closure some of the fleet were stored (GM32 & GM34 being scrapped and GM44 being stored at Port Augusta). Over the years the fleet was stored at Dry Creek until ORA ownership; in 2022 ORA experienced a loco shortage and brought some back into service. Later in the year Aurizon bought ORA and the GMs became shunters. They currently work in these positions:

GM32 - Scrapped

GM34 - Scrapped

GM37 - Operational Dry Creek (Fitted with ICE radio)

GM38 - Stored Dry Creek

GM40 - Stored Dry Creek

GM42 - Stored Dry Creek

GM43 - Port Augusta Shunter (Fitted with ICE radio)

GM44 - Stored Port Augusta

GM45 - Stored Dry Creek

GM46 - Stored Port Augusta (Fitted with ICE radio)

GM47 - Stored Whyalla (Fitted with ICE radio)

Status table

Key: In service Stored Preserved Converted Under Overhaul Scrapped
Locomotive Entered Service Current Owner Livery Status
GM1 September 1951 Rail Heritage WA CR Maroon/Silver Preserved, Bassendean, WA
GM2 November 1951 National Railway Museum CR Maroon/Silver Static Display
GM3 December 1951 Southern Shorthaul Railroad CR Maroon/Silver Stored, Lithgow State Mine Heritage Park & Railway
GM4 January 1952 Australian National AN Green & Gold Scrapped
GM5 January 1952 AN Green & Gold Australian National Scrapped
GM6 February 1952 AN Green & Gold Australian National Scrapped
GM7 March 1952 AN Green & Gold Australian National Scrapped
GM8 March 1952 AN Green & Gold Australian National Scrapped
GM9 April 1952 AN Green & Gold Australian National Scrapped
GM10 June 1952 Southern Shorthaul Railroad SSR Yellow Operational
GM11 July 1952 AN Green & Gold Australian National Scrapped
GM12 October 1955 Southern Shorthaul Railroad Australian National green & yellow Scrapped, June 5th 2025 at North Bendigo
GM13 November 1955 – – Scrapped
GM14 April 1956 – – Scrapped
GM15 April 1956 – – Scrapped
GM16 July 1956 – – Scrapped
GM17 March 1957 – – Scrapped
GM18 April 1957 – – Scrapped
GM19 May 1957 Railpower AN Green & Gold Overhaul, Goulburn Rail Heritage Centre
GM20 June 1957 Australian National AN Green & Gold Scrapped
GM21 July 1957 – – Scrapped
GM22 July 1962 Southern Shorthaul Railroad SSR Yellow Operational
GM23 August 1962 – – Scrapped
GM24 September 1962 – – Scrapped
GM25 October 1962 – – Scrapped
GM26 November 1962 – – Scrapped
GM27 January 1963 Southern Shorthaul Railroad DP World Wrap Operational
GM28 February 1963 Seymour Railway Heritage Centre CR Maroon/Silver Stored
GM29 March 1963 – – Scrapped
GM30 December 1964 – – Scrapped
GM31 January 1965 – – Scrapped
GM32 January 1965 – – Scrapped
GM33 March 1965 – – Scrapped
GM34 April 1965 – – Scrapped
GM35 April 1966 – – Scrapped
GM36 May 1966 Seymour Railway Heritage Centre CR Maroon/Silver Under Overhaul
GM37 June 1966 Aurizon ORA Orange Operational
GM38 June 1966 Aurizon AN Green & Gold Stored
GM39 July 1966 – – Scrapped
GM40 January 1967 Aurizon AN Green & Gold Stored
GM41 February 1967 – – Scrapped, cab preserved
GM42 February 1967 | Aurizon | ORA Orange | Stored
GM43 March 1967 Aurizon ORA Orange Operational
GM44 April 1967 Aurizon ORA Orange Stored
GM45 May 1967 Aurizon ORA Orange Stored
GM46 June 1967 Aurizon AN Green & Gold Operational
GM47 December 1967 Aurizon ORA Orange Stored

References

Notes

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  1. ↑ GM1-class A1A-A1A diesel-electric locomotive No.2 Template:Webarchive National Railway Museum
  2. ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ "Victorian Standard Gauge Report" Railway Digest July 1985 page 201
  5. ↑ "GM3" Railway Digest November 1990 page 395
  6. ↑ "South Australian Motive Power Update" Railway Digest October 1994 page 14
  7. ↑ "SA Snapshot" Railway Digest February 1998 page 31
  8. ↑ "Great Northern Puts Faith in GM Chant" Railway Digest November 1998 page 16
  9. ↑ Issue 104/10Script error: No such module "Unsubst". West Australian Railscene e-mag 11 October 2010
  10. ↑ GM1 Template:Webarchive Rail Heritage WA 2 November 2010
  11. ↑ Standard Gauge GM Template:Webarchive Chris' Commonwealth Railway Pages
  12. ↑ GM Class (GM1 to GM11) Template:Webarchive Railpage
  13. ↑ GM Class (GM12 to GM47) Template:Webarchive Railpage
  14. ↑ GM Class Template:Webarchive Vicsig

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Bibliography

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