New south wales

Unlike some of the other states NSW has plenty of streamliners, but they are a little more challenging to track down.

• Southern Shorthaul Railroad’s fleet of streamliners operate in NSW as much as they do in Victoria, but are less frequently and regularly found leading trains here. That said, SSR’s compound just east of Lithgow Station is easily visible from Inch Street on the northern side of the line. Please don’t go inside the fence, however, as this is a live rail site. SSR’s acquisition of four secondhand CLF/CLP Class streamliners are making their presence felt in NSW with CLF3 and CLP12 in regular service. CLF1 was involved in a level crossing collision in March 2023 and is now stored pending an assessment. The fourth, the spectacular Auscision-liveried CLP9, is currently in Cootamundra for the completion of its restoration. RailPower's CLF2 is often in service with SSR, although its sister unit CLF4 is out of service currently due to the same accident that claimed CLF1. SSR also owns and operates a number of B, GM1, GM12 and S Class locomotives and these can be found on both the NSW standard-gauge and Victoria broad-gauge network. SSR also regularly hire privately owned 42103 for a variety of work.

• The NSW Rail Museum at Thirlmere is nominally home to several streamliners. 4201, 4306, 4403, 4464, 4473, 4486 and 4490 all nominally call Thirlmere home, however one or more could be out on a tour (or for repairs) at any given time, and yet streamliners operated by other heritage groups are known to visit Thirlmere for operational and maintenance reasons from time to time. Because the locomotives are operational exhibits they may not be in a part of the museum accessible to the general public. However, this also means that these locomotives can be seen in action out on mainline tours and events.

• NSW heritage groups have quite a few available streamliners to draw on, and in addition to mainline tours and charters operated by the NSW Rail Museum, the Lachlan Valley Railway (LVR) and East Coast Heritage Rail (ECHR) also operate several similar heritage and tourist trains each year. LVR runs a diverse range of services with some being an annual event, while others are aimed at rail fans, day-trippers and families. To operate these trains, LVR has its own streamliner in the form of the pristinely restored 4204 (aka “Grandma”), although it has been sidelined for awhile waiting repairs. ECHR utilises privately owned locomotive 42101 as the primary power for heritage passenger operations, and focuses most of its resources into the operation of the semi-regular (once or twice a month) Sydney – Wollongong – Robertson – Moss Vale ‘Cockatoo Run’, a spectacular day trip along the coast south of Sydney and up the steep Illawarra Escarpment. This service has to be one of the best ways to sit back and listen to a veteran streamliner in action.

• In addition to 42101 mentioned above, 42103, 42105 and 42107 are also in private ownership and commonly used in operation around NSW. 42103 is often employed by Southern Shorthaul Railroad, while 42107 is most regularly used by the operators of The Picnic Train, either as a tour engine, or in support of one of the group's steam locomotives. 42105 is currently employed by East Coast Heritage Rail.

• QUBE operate freight trains to many corners of NSW, but their trains serving the Harefield transport hub near Junee may be of particular interest to Streamliner fans. QUBE operate two shuttle trains most days between Junee and Bomen to connect with longer distance trains that run to Sydney and Melbourne. Until recently these trains were the domain of QUBE’s four remaining 44 Class streamliners, however, only one (4497) is now used on these trains. It usually shares these duties with some of QUBEs 48/830 or MZ Class locomotives.

• The other three QUBE 44s (4458, 4477 and 4488) previously devoted to the Harefield service are now stored nearby at Junee Roundhouse, and while they are generally away from public access, the museum based within the roundhouse is home to the restored class leader 4401. Even without the presence of 4401, the museum is well worth a look.

We also recommend joining the Train Tracker New South Wales Facebook group to help keep tabs on where and when NSW streamliners are likely to operate.

Back to Where can I find a streamliner?

Last updated 24 June 2024