WAGR B class (diesel)

The B class were a class of diesel locomotives built by Commonwealth Engineering for the Western Australian Government Railways between 1962 and 1965.

Western Australian Government Railways B class
B1601 at the Western Australian Rail Transport Museum
Type and origin
Power typeDiesel-hydraulic
BuilderCommonwealth Engineering
Build date1962-1965
Total produced10
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • AAR0-6-0
 • UICC
Gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Loco weight39.2 long tons (39.8 t; 43.9 short tons)
Fuel typeDiesel
Fuel capacity340 imp gal (1,500 L; 410 US gal)
Prime moverCummins VT-12-BI
Engine typeFour-stroke V12 diesel
AspirationTurbocharged
Cylinders12
TransmissionTwin Disc CF11,500 series
MS450 hydraulic torque converter
Wiseman 15 RLGB/H final drive
Performance figures
Maximum speed26 mph (42 km/h)
Power output473 hp (350 kW)
Tractive effort23,000 lbf (100 kN) (starting)
18,000 lbf (80 kN) (continuous)
Career
OperatorsWestern Australian Government Railways
Number in class10
NumbersB1601-B1610
First run21 March 1962
Last run28 September 1984
Disposition4 preserved, 6 scrapped

History

The first five B class units entered service in 1962. Three years later, a second batch of five was delivered.[1]

The second batch differed from the first only in having sloping cab sides, to enable the second batch to pass underneath the limited clearance cranes on the Fremantle wharves.[1]

All members of the class spent the whole of their working lives in the Perth metropolitan area, and were written off as a group in September 1984.[1][2] Some of them have since been preserved.[3][4]

References
  1. Gray, Bill (2010). Guide to the Collection - The Railway Museum - Western Australia. Bassendean, WA: Rail Heritage WA. p. 26. ISBN 9780980392234.
  2. "Western Australia" Railway Digest February 1985 page 55
  3. "Diesel Hydraulic Locomotive". The Comeng Book. Our Australia. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
  4. B Class WAGR Railpage

Further reading
  • Gunzburg, Adrian (1968). WAGR Locomotives 1940–1968. Perth: Australian Railway Historical Society (Western Australian Division). pp. 38, 49. OCLC 219836193.
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