Western Australia

• During early April 2022, Australia’s original streamliner, Commonwealth Railways GM1, was transferred to its new home in the Rail Heritage Western Australia (RHWA) museum at Bassendean, Perth. Here it will commemorate and represent the western end of the Trans Australia Railway where GM1 and its sisters ruled for so many years. RHWA have kicked off a fund raising appeal to go towards restoring the locomotive and shifting into the museum where it will sit side-by-side with former Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) classleader X1001. The X/XA Class, which were the first WAGR mainline diesels when commissioned during the mid-1950s, were not quite the overnight success as was GM1 and its progeny, but after a number of modifications and quite a lot of perseverance, these unusual 2-Do-2, twin-cabbed locomotives served the system for three decades. RHWA also has XA1402 and XA1405 in its collection, these being a later refinement of the original X Class.

• Another locomotive worth looking for is XA1415 on display at Narrogin. During early 2024, the old diesel was cleaned up and repainted in WAGR green and red.

• Mount Newman Mining 5450 is part of the valuable collection of Pilbara region locomotives stored within the Pilbara Railway Historical Society’s Six Mile compound at Six Mile, near Rio Tinto’s Seven Mile Yard, Karratha. The collection is away from public access but you could try contacting the Society to see if a visit can be arranged.

• Far more accessible is sister locomotive 5451 which is one of several locomotives on display within the Don Rhodes Mining & Transport Museum near Port Hedland.

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Last updated 13 May 2024