The GT42CU AC is a model of diesel electric locomotives manufactured by EDi Rail, Maryborough between 1999 and 2005 under licence from

Electro-Motive Diesel Progress Rail Locomotives, doing business as Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD), is an American manufacturer of diesel-electric locomotives, locomotive products and diesel engines for the rail industry. The company is owned by Caterpillar through its sub ...

, for use on narrow gauge railways in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

History

In March 1998,

Queensland Rail Queensland Rail (QR) is a railway operator in Queensland, Australia. Owned by the Queensland Government, it operates local and long-distance passenger services, as well as owning and maintaining approximately 6,600 kilometres of track and relate ...

ordered 38 GT42CU ACs from

Clyde Engineering Clyde Engineering was an Australian manufacturer of locomotives, rolling stock, and other industrial products. It was founded in September 1898 by a syndicate of Sydney businessmen buying the Granville factory of timber merchants Huds ...

. They were the first locomotives ordered from Clyde Engineering after its takeover by Evans Deakin Industries and were built at the latter's Maryborough factory. Designated the 4000 class, the first was delivered in October 1999. After an extensive evaluation process, the first entered service in May 2000 with all in service by May 2001. The dramatic increase in tractive effort and adhesion of the AC traction motors compared to the previous DC traction motors exceeded all expectations and revolutionised diesel operations in Queensland. A further 11 were ordered in March 2003 and entered service in 2004–05. They are primarily used on the Blackwater and Moura coal networks, and on phosphate trains between

Mount Isa Mount Isa ( ) is a city in the Gulf Country region of Queensland, Australia. It came into existence because of the vast mineral deposits found in the area. Mount Isa Mines (MIM) is one of the most productive single mines in world history, bas ...

and

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...

. All were included in the transfer of Queensland Rail's freight business to QR National in July 2010. In February 2004,

Pacific National Pacific National is one of Australia's largest rail freight businesses. History In February 2002, National Rail Corporation, National Rail's freight operations and rollingstock (owned by the Government of Australia, Federal, Government of New ...

ordered 13 GT42CU ACs to commence operations in Queensland. Designated the PN class, they entered service in 2005 and are used on intermodal services on the North Coast line between

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

and

Cairns Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...

.PN Class
Railpage The design evolved into the GT42CU ACe which has different computer system and traction motors.

Fleet

Related Development

UGL Rail C44aci The C44aci is a model of Australian heavy duty diesel electric locomotive designed by UGL Rail and built at the Broadmeadow factory. It is operated by a number of rail freight operators. The design is based on the National Rail NR class but wit ...

, standard gauge competitor *

Downer EDI Rail GT46C The GT46C is a model of diesel-electric locomotive designed and built by Clyde Engineering using Electro-Motive Diesel components. A number of Australian rail freight operators purchased them from 1997: Westrail as the Q class, FreightLink as t ...

, standard gauge variant *

Downer EDI Rail GT46C ACe The GT46C ACe is a model of Australian diesel electric locomotive designed and built by Downer Rail at its Cardiff Locomotive Workshops using Electro-Motive Diesel components from 2007. The first units were built as the SCT class for freight op ...

, standard gauge successor *

Downer EDI Rail GT42CU ACe The GT42CU ACe is a model of diesel electric locomotives manufactured by EDi Rail, Maryborough between 2007 and 2013 under licence from Electro-Motive Diesel, for use on narrow gauge railways in Queensland, South Australia and Western Austral ...

, successor

References

{{QueenslandLocos, state=collapsed Aurizon diesel locomotives Diesel locomotives of Queensland Pacific National diesel locomotives Queensland Rail locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1999 3 ft 6 in gauge locomotives of Australia Diesel-electric locomotives of Australia