MRWA F class

Midland Railway of Western Australia F class

F45 at Picton Yard in March 1986

Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder English Electric, Rocklea Build date 1958 Total produced 7

Specifications AAR wheel arr A1A-A1A UIC class (A1A)(A1A) Gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Loco weight 63.9 long tons (64.9 t; 71.6 short tons) Fuel type Diesel Prime mover English Electric 6SRKT Engine type Four-stroke diesel Aspiration Turbocharged Generator English Electric 827 Traction motors English Electric 525 Cylinders 6 Loco brake Air Train brakes Vacuum

Performance figures Power output 660 hp (490 kW) Tractive effort 36,800 lbf (164 kN) (continuous)

Career Operators Midland Railway of Western Australia Number in class 7 Numbers F40-F46 Delivered May 1958 Preserved F40, F43, F44 Disposition 3 preserved, 4 scrapped

The F class were a class of diesel locomotives built by English Electric, Rocklea for the Midland Railway of Western Australia in 1958. They were later sold to the Western Australian Government Railways.

History

The F class was based upon the South Australian Railways 800 class. The seven members of the class entered service with the Midland Railway of Western Australia in 1958, and, together with the rest of the company's assets and operations, were taken over by the Western Australian Government Railways in 1964.^[1][2][3][4]

The first (F42) was withdrawn in November 1984.^[5] The Hotham Valley Railway have preserved F40 and F44^[6][7] while Rail Heritage WA have F43.

References

1. Diesels replace steam power on Midland Railway, reproduced from Railway Transportation August 1959 Commissioners Notebook, volume 3 no 2, 8 January 2006)
2. Oberg, Leon (2010). Locomotives of Australia 1850s-2010s. Kenthurst: Rosenberg Publishing. p. 306. ISBN 9781921719011.
3. F (MRWA diesel) Railpage
4. Part 3 - Dieselization Perth Republika
5. "Western Australia" Railway Digest March 1985 page 97
6. F40 West Australian Railscene e-Mag issue 103 4 October 2010 pages 4-5
7. F44 West Australian Railscene e-Mag issue 129 28 March 2011 page 8

• Gunzburg, Adrian (1968). WAGR Locomotives 1940–1968. Perth: Australian Railway Historical Society (Western Australian Division). pp. 33, 48. OCLC 219836193.
• Gunzburg, Adrian (1989). The Midland Railway Company Locomotives of Western Australia. Melbourne: Light Railway Research Society of Australia. pp. 40–44, 49. ISBN 0909340277.
• Milne, Rod (1998). Westrail's English Electric Experience (The English Electric locomotives of the WAGR). Elizabeth, SA: Railmac Publications. ISBN 0958650098.

External links

Media related to MRWA F class at Wikimedia Commons