The 2800 class are a class of diesel locomotive built by A Goninan & Co,

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 ...

for

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 ...

between 1995 and 1998. They are currently owned by

Aurizon Aurizon ( ) is a freight rail transport company in Australia, formerly named QR National. it was the world’s largest rail transporter of coal from mine to port. Formerly a Queensland Government-owned company, it was privatised and floated o ...

, with the exception of one owned by Watco Australia, and operate on the

North Coast North Coast or Northcoast may refer to : Antigua and Barbuda * Major Division of North Coast, a census division in Saint John Parish Australia *New South Wales North Coast, a region Canada *The British Columbia Coast, primarily the communiti ...

and

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 ...

lines.

History

The 2800 class were ordered to haul passenger and freight services on the North Coast line between

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of the ...

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 ...

and on the Great Northern line between Townsville and

. The initial order for 40 was later increased to 50. However, a miscommunication resulted in the builder's plates incorrectly being stamped as 202 to 211 which had been used by other A Goninan & Co locomotives, rather than the correct 323 to 332. They now operate trains as far south as

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 ...

. They are the only double ended diesel electric locomotives to have been built for

. In February 2006, one locomotive was fitted with standard gauge

bogie A bogie ( ) (in some senses called a truck in North American English) is a chassis or framework that carries a wheelset, attached to a vehicle—a modular subassembly of wheels and axles. Bogies take various forms in various modes of transp ...

s for use by QR National in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, but the NSW Environment Protection Authority refused permission for it to be used in that state due to excessive noise emissions. In August 2009, it was converted back to narrow gauge for use in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. In 2013, three were reclassified as the 3200 class for use in

NSW ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, following the installation of standard gauge bogies and a modified exhaust system that reduced low frequency noise emissions. In 2015, 2814 derailed on the Mount Isa Line at Julia Creek, spilling sulphuric acid. 2814 flipped on its side and was deemed too damaged to repair, and as such was scrapped in 2017. In the early hours of Wednesday 23 February 2022, 2811 along with 2338 derailed hauling a container train near Traveston after severe rain washed out the tracks. Both locomotives were turned onto their sides. 2811 is currently at UGL Rail's facility in Stuart, Queensland.

Status Table

References

{{QueenslandLocos, state=collapsed Aurizon diesel locomotives Co-Co locomotives Diesel locomotives of Queensland Queensland Rail locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1995 Diesel-electric locomotives of Australia General Electric locomotives 3 ft 6 in gauge locomotives of Australia Standard gauge locomotives of Australia