BHP Port Kembla D1 class

BHP Port Kembla D1 class

Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder Commonwealth Engineering, Granville Build date 1950/51 Total produced 8

Specifications UIC class Bo-Bo Gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in) standard gauge Length 12.5 m (41 ft) Loco weight 86.3 t (84.9 long tons; 95.1 short tons) Fuel type Diesel Prime mover English Electric 8SRKT Generator English Electric 819

Performance figures Maximum speed 34 km/h (21 mph) Power output 544 kW (730 hp)

Career Operators Australian Iron & Steel Number in class 8 Numbers D1-D8 First run 4 May 1950 Preserved D1, D6, D7 Disposition 2 preserved, 1 stored, 5 scrapped

The D1 class were a class of diesel locomotives built by Commonwealth Engineering, Granville for Australian Iron & Steel's, Port Kembla steelworks in 1950/51.

History

In May 1950 D1 became the first diesel to operate on an Australian main line. The eight D class locomotives hauled trains on Australian Iron & Steel's, Port Kembla until a downturn in the early 1980s saw most of the class withdrawn.^[1][2][3] D6 and D7 were reactivated with the former remaining in service until 2004.^[4]

Three have been preserved:^[5]

• D1 by the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum, Thirlmere
• D6 by the Lithgow State Mine Heritage Park & Railway, Lithgow. This unit is still stored in Port Kembla
• D7 in Canberra

References

1. Oberg, Leon (1984). Locomotives of Australia 1850s-1980s. Frenchs Forest: Reed Books. pp. 186–187. ISBN 0 730100 05 7.
2. "Australian Iron & Steel" Railway Digest October 1986 pages 299-303
3. 750 Class (Port Kembla) Railpage
4. Dunn, John (2006). Comeng: A History of Commonwealth Engineering Volume 1: 1921-1955. Kenthurst: Rosenberg Publishing. p. 166. ISBN 1877058424.
5. Port Kembla - Diesel Locomotive Fleetlisting Light Rail Research Society of Australia