47 Class (NSWGR)
Contributions by Raichase
Description
The final bastion of steam in NSW would be the Hunter Valley coalfields. With increasing tonnages of coal to be transported, the NSWGR required a class of branchline locomotives capable of treading lightly on some of the more unfriendly colliery branch lines in the region. While modern coal trains are hauled by the heaviest power in the state (locomotives like the 90 Class spring to mind), this was not always the case.
Supplied by A. Goninan and Co Pty Ltd, the twenty members of the 47 Class were initially put to use hauling coal trains on the lightly laid branch lines of the Hunter Valley. Despite being plagued with initial problems, the NSWGR persisted and the locomotives proved to be popular with crews until the class was withdrawn in 1990. Although only one class member survives in private ownership, a few more continue to soldier on in lease service as part of the Lachlan Valley Railway fleet, working on metropolitan trip and infrastructure trains.
Datasheet
| Title | Value |
|---|---|
| Introduced | 1972 |
| Wheel arrangement | Co-Co |
| Manufactured by | A. Goninan & Co - Broadmeadow, New South Wales |
| Traction type | Diesel-Electric |
| Number in database | 20 |
| Length | 14.00 metres |
| Weight | 85.3 tonnes |
| Tractive effort | 1,000hp |
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View edits of this class
Fleet status
| Number in database | 20 | |
|---|---|---|
| Operational | 4 | 4701 4702 4708 4716 |
| Preserved - Operational | 1 | 4703 |
| Preserved - Static | 1 | 4705 |
| Rebuilt | 1 | 4719 |
| Scrapped | 10 | 4704 4709 4710 4711 4712 4713 4714 4715 4718 4720 |
| Stored | 2 | 4706 4717 |
| Under restoration | 1 | 4707 |
Fleet overview
Please note - in the case of scrapped, renumbered or rebuilt locomotives, the last operator or owner is listed.
