New South Wales 86 class locomotive

New South Wales 86 class

8644 outside Eveleigh Railway Workshops
in July 2008
Type and origin
Power type Electric
Builder Comeng, Granville
Build date 1983-85
Total produced 50
Specifications
UIC class 8601-8649: Co-Co
8650: Bo-Bo-Bo
Gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Wheel diameter 1,250 mm (49.21 in)
Wheelbase 15.40 m (50 ft 6 in)
Length Over headstocks:
18.73 m (61 ft 5 in)
Over coupler pulling faces:
20.08 m (65 ft 11 in)
Width 2.950 m (9 ft 8 in)
Height Over stowed pantograph:
4.400 m (14 ft 5 in)
Axle load 19.80 tonnes (19.5 long tons; 21.8 short tons)
Loco weight 119.0 tonnes (117.1 long tons; 131.2 short tons)
Electric system(s) 1,500 V DC Overhead
Current collection Two pantographs
Traction motors Mitsubishi MB-485-BVR, 6 of
Performance figures
Maximum speed 130 km/h (81 mph)
Power output Continuous:
2,700 kW (3,620 hp),
One hour:
2,880 kW (3,860 hp)
Tractive effort Continuous:
222.00 kN (49,908 lbf)
at 45 km/h (28 mph)
Career
Operators State Rail Authority
FreightCorp
Number in class 50
Numbers 8601-8650
First run 15 March 1983
Withdrawn June 2002
Preserved 8601, 8606, 8607, 8646, 8650
Disposition 5 preserved, 4 stored, 41 scrapped

The 86 class was a class of electric locomotives built by Comeng, Granville for the State Rail Authority.[1]

History

The 86 class initially hauled passenger and freight services to Lithgow on the Main Western line and Wyong on the Main Northern line. Their sphere of operation extended to Newcastle on the latter line in June 1984 and to Port Kembla in January 1986 when the Illawarra line was electrified.

With a one-hour rating of 4,400 horsepower (hp), the 86 class was the most powerful locomotive in Australia at the time. Although no longer in regular use, the class remains among the most powerful in the country. Despite their higher power rating, they were generally regarded as inferior to the Metropolitan-Vickers built 46 class, which dated from the late 1950s.

The last unit was delivered as a Bo-Bo-Bo as a trial unit.[2] It spent long periods out of traffic undergoing repair.

In 1994/95 all were repainted by A Goninan & Co, Taree into FreightCorp blue.[3] By October 1997 18 had been withdrawn from service with cracked frames.[4] By this stage the amount of work requiring electrics was reducing. National Rail decided it would through haul its services and from March 1998 FreightCorp ceased operating them on Main Northern line services.[5] The need for electrics continued to decline with their remaining duties mainly being hauling coal trains from Lithgow to Port Kembla. The last examples were withdrawn in June 2002.

In 2002, most were sold to Silverton Rail and taken to Broken Hill then sold again in February 2006 to Allco Finance Group with some on sold, but most scrapped.[6][7] Four were leased back to RailCorp in 2004 for use on infrastructure trains during construction of the Bondi Junction turnback.

Survivors

References

  1. ↑ Walters, Chris (May 2007). "When They were Young – The 85 and 86 class Electric Locomotives". Australian Railway History. pp. 198–208.
  2. ↑ "8650" Railway Digest November 1985 page 320
  3. ↑ "86 Class Repaints" Railway Digest April 1995 page 35
  4. ↑ "Out of Service" Railway Digest October 1997 page 31
  5. ↑ "Electric Locos" Railway Digest June 1998 page 35
  6. ↑ 86 Class Railpage
  7. ↑ 86 Class Vicsig
  8. ↑ NSW 86 Class Electric Locomotive 8606 Sydney Electric Train Society
  9. ↑ Movement of electric locomotive 8607 between Junee and Goulburn Australian Rail Track Corporation 7 March 2016

Further reading

Media related to New South Wales 86 class locomotives at Wikimedia Commons

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