Queensland Railways 2350 class

Queensland Railways 2350 class

2356 in Gympie yard with 1621 in 1987

Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder English Electric, Rocklea Serial number A.253 to A.258 A.263 to A.268 Model ML255C Build date 1973/74 Total produced 12

Specifications UIC class Co-Co Gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Length 17.12 m (56 ft 2 in) Loco weight 91.4 t (90.0 long tons; 100.8 short tons) Fuel type Diesel Prime mover English Electric 12CSVT Generator TY WD10314A Traction motors English Electric 548

Performance figures Maximum speed 80 km/h (50 mph) Power output 1,752 kW (2,349 hp)

Career Operators Queensland Railways Number in class 12 Numbers 2350-2361 First run April 1973 Current owner Greentrains, TasRail Disposition 7 stored, 5 scrapped

The 2350 class were a class of diesel locomotive built by English Electric, Rocklea for Queensland Railways in 1973/74. All were later sold to AN Tasrail.

History

2356 hauls a special train up the grade north of Eumundi on the North Coast line in 1987

The 2350 class was built for use on the Blackwater and Moura coal lines and based at Gladstone.^[1][2][3] The class became surplus following electrification of the coal lines and in 1987 were all sold to AN Tasrail where they all entered service as the ZB class.^[4][5][6] They were very similar to the Tasrail Za class.

In 1995, one was rebuilt by Australian National's Port Augusta workshop with a raked cab similar to the EL class and renumbered ZR1, while in 1997 a second was rebuilt at AN Tasrail's Launceston workshops with a more conventional cab as ZR2.^[7][8][9]

In 2003, three were sold to South Spur Rail Services, with two shipped to Western Australia to operate infrastructure trains with the fourth stripped for parts in Launceston, they are now owned by Greentrains.^[6]

As at October 2014, the remaining seven examples were in store, four at TasRail's East Tamar worshops and three at Gemco Rail's facility in Bellevue.^[10]

References

1. Oberg, Leon (1984). Locomotives of Australia 1850s-1980s. Frenchs Forest: Reed Books. pp. 285–286. ISBN 0 730100 05 7.
2. English Electric 2350 Class Queensland's Railway Interest Group
3. 2350/2370 Class Railpage
4. 2350 Class Queensland's Great Trains
5. ZB Class Railpage
6. ZB Class Rail Tasmania
7. ZR Class Railpage
8. ZR Class Rail Tasmania
9. "Rebuilt Loco Arrives at Tasrail" Railway Digest July 1996 page 16
10. "Australia Wide Fleet List 2014" Motive Power issue 96 November 2014 pages 67, 73