Samiksha Jaiswal (Editor)

South Australian Railways 930 class

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Power type
  
Diesel-electric

Model
  
Alco DL-500B

Total produced
  
37

Builder
  
AE Goodwin, Auburn

Build date
  
1955-67

South Australian Railways 930 class

Serial number
  
Alco 81885-81890 Alco 82798-82806 Alco 82913-82917 Alco 83829-82835 Alco 84120 Alco G-3388-1 to G-3388-5 Alco G-3471-1 to G-3471-4

The SAR 930 class was a class of diesel-electric locomotives built by AE Goodwin, Auburn for the South Australian Railways between 1955 and 1967.

Contents

History

The first six single ended examples were delivered in 1955/56 to operate over the steeply graded Adelaide to Tailem Bend line and onwards to Serviceton. A further 31 double ended examples entered service between July 1957 and June 1967 and operated across the broad gauge network. The double ended locomotives had a bullet at one end, and a flat end at the other.

All were delivered with broad gauge bogies and worked across the South Australian network.

In March 1978, all were included in the transfer of the South Australian Railways to Australian National. From 1982, some were converted to standard gauge using bogies from State Rail Authority 44 class locomotives hauling trains from Adelaide to Whyalla and Broken Hill. On the broad gauge, some began operating through to Melbourne in the mid 1980s.

In 1986, a new computer system required the class leaders of the former South Australian Railways to be renumbered as the last member of the class, with 930 becoming 967.

Withdrawals commenced in 1986 with only two remaining by January 1994. Only 961 was included in the sale of Australian National's freight operations to Australian Southern Railroad in November 1997. In May 2001 it was sold to Silverton Rail as 44s1 and in March 2005 passed to Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia.

Survivors

  • 930 is preserved on static display at the National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide
  • 958 is preserved in operational condition at SteamRanger Heritage Railway, Mount Barker
  • 961 moved to the Canberra Railway Museum in November 2014 and is undergoing restoration by its new owner, the Australian Railway Historical Society
  • 963 is at SteamRanger Heritage Railway in non-operational condition
  • References

    South Australian Railways 930 class Wikipedia