DR Class | Railways and Tramways of Australia

DR Class

Anchor 1

Road numbers:

DR1564–5

Operator:

Watco Australia

Gauge:

1067 mm

Year of entry into service:

1971

Number built:

Model:

GT26C

Manufacturer:

Clyde Engineering

Manufacturing location:

Granville, NSW

Engine:

EMD645E

Traction power:

1491 kW

Wheel arrangement:

Co-Co

Weight:

109.5 t

Length:

17.1 m

Five D Class locomotives entered service with Western Australian Government Railways in 1971. Their primary duties were hauling bauxite trains on the Jarrahdale line. Two members of the class were substantially rebuilt in New Zealand before entering service in Tasmania in 2001. Renumbered as the 2020 Class, they became the heaviest diesel locomotives to ever operate in the state. After some time in storage these two units were purchased by Watco Australia in 2017, with plans for them to return to service in Western Australia, where they had originally operated. They were again renumbered, this time as their original numbers, but classified as the DR Class instead of the D Class.