South Australian Railways

900 Class

• 900-909 (10 units) built 1951-1953
• 1,600mm-gauge, A1A-A1A diesel-electric, 1,590hp

Built at the same time as, but only just beaten into service by GM1 and its sisters, the 900 Class were bought by the South Australian Railways for use on the South Line over Adelaide Hills. Unlike the Clyde streamliners which were adapted from the EMD F Series in the US, the ten SAR-built, but English Electric equipped 900 Class, were clearly inspired by the arguably more grand ALCo PA model locomotives in design and style. They endured long enough to see service with Australian National Railways following the amalgamation of the SAR and Commonwealth Railways, but ended their days soon after having spent their twilight years on then still broad gauge lines to the north Adelaide.

• 900 – National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide (display)
• 907, 909 – Australian Locomotive and Railway Carriage Company (stored Tailem Bend)
• 901-906, 908 – Scrapped

930 Class

• 930-966 (37 units) built 1955-1967
• Model DL-500A/DL-500B, 1,435/1,600mm-gauge, Co-Co diesel-electric, 1,750hp

Although the 900 Class may have ‘looked’ like ALCos, the subsequent 930 Class – part of the South Australian Railways first serious moves to dieselise its entire network – were the real thing. Based on the successful ‘World Series’ export line marketed by ALCo, the 930s were closer in form and function to the American freight FA model rather than passenger PA type, albeit with an obviously shorter cab/nose. The first six delivered were single-ended locomotives, but from locomotive 937 onwards the 930 Class came equipped with a cab at each end, even if the No.2 end was functional if not stylish as the streamlined No.1 end. The 930s continued well into the Australian National (AN) era, enjoying service on both broad and standard gauge lines. The last in AN service was 961, which had been allocated to a failed corporate passenger charter initiative during the early 1990s. It was still in service when AN was sold in November 1997, and it was thus the only member of the class to operate into the privatisation era. Aside from four other survivors, the remainder of the class has been scrapped.

• 930 – National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide (display)
• 958 – SteamRanger, Mount Barker (preserved operational)
• 961 – 961 Preservation Group (undergoing restoration Goulburn)
• 963 – SteamRanger, Mount Barker (stored)
• 931-957, 959, 960, 962, 964-966 – Scrapped

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Last updated 19 May 2023