Power type Diesel-electric Total produced 4 Gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | Build date 1973 UIC class Co-Co | |
Builder English Electric Rocklea | ||
The Z class are a class of diesel locomotives built by English Electric Rocklea for the Tasmanian Government Railways in 1973.
History
With the construction of a new line from Launceston to Bell Bay, Tasmanian Government Railways placed an order for four 1752 kW locomotives with English Electric. However, with the locomotive still under development, it was decided to purchase four 1380 kW locomotives that were an evolution of the Western Australian R class locomotives with a low nose profile and vacuum brakes. At 104 tonnes, they were considerably heavier than the previous heaviest locomotives on the network at 62 tonnes, requiring significant upgrades to infrastructure.
In March 1978 the Z class were included in the transfer of the Tasmanian Government Railways to Australian National. In 1984/85 all had their vacuum brakes replaced with air brakes.
In June 1998 all were renumbered as the 2110 class.
All remain in service with TasRail, but as of May 2014 they are reserved for emergency use only. New drivers having ceased training on these locos 8 months prior.