New South Wales 73 class locomotive
Candy coloured 7318 shunts Grafton yard in January 1986
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| Type and origin | |
|---|---|
| Power type | Diesel-hydraulic |
| Builder | Walkers Limited, Maryborough |
| Build date | 1970-1973 |
| Total produced | 50 |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| AAR wheel arr. | B-B |
| UIC class | B'B' |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Wheel diameter | 40 in (1,016 mm) |
| Wheelbase | 26 ft 6 in (8.08 m) |
| Length |
Over : 36 ft 0 in (10.97 m), Over buffers: 39 ft 4 in (11.99 m) |
| Width | 9 ft 3 in (2.82 m) |
| Height | 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m) |
| Axle load | 12 long tons 5 cwt (27,400 lb or 12.4 t) |
| Loco weight | 49 long tons 0 cwt (109,800 lb or 49.8 t) |
| Fuel type | Diesel |
| Fuel capacity | 500 imp gal (2,300 l; 600 US gal) |
| Lubricant cap |
Engine: 42 imp gal (190 l; 50 US gal), Transmission: 58 imp gal (260 l; 70 US gal), Final drive: 3.25 imp gal (14.8 l; 3.90 US gal) |
| Coolant cap | 80 imp gal (360 l; 96 US gal) |
| Sandbox cap | 10 cu ft (0.28 m3) |
| Prime mover | Caterpillar D379 series B |
| RPM range | 550-1400 |
| Engine type | Four-stroke V8 diesel |
| Aspiration | Turbocharged |
| Cylinders | 8 |
| Cylinder size | 6.25 in × 8 in (159 mm × 203 mm) |
| Transmission | Voith L4r4U2, with Gmeinder Type GM170/EHA/469 and GM170/E/327B drives |
| Performance figures | |
|---|---|
| Maximum speed | 40 mph (64 km/h) |
| Power output |
Gross: 700 hp (522 kW), For traction: 650 hp (485 kW) |
| Tractive effort |
Continuous: 25,000 lbf (111.21 kN) at 5.4 mph (8.69 km/h) |
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Operators | New South Wales Government Railways |
| Number in class | 50 |
| Numbers | 7301-7350 |
| First run | 5 October 1970 |
| Preserved | 7307, 7320, 7321, 7324, 7329, 7335, 7344, 7350 |
| Current owner | Invicta Sucrogen Mackay Sugar Plane Creek Sucrogen Proserpine Mill |
| Disposition | 15 in service, 8 preserved, 16 stored, 11 scrapped |
The 73 class are a diesel-hydraulic locomotive built by Walkers Limited, Maryborough for the New South Wales Government Railways between 1970 and 1973.
In October 1969 the New South Wales Government Railways placed an order in October 1969 with Walkers Limited, Maryborough for 20 Bo-Bo shunting locomotives. These were the only New South Wales locomotives to be built in Queensland.
The first unit was delivered in October 1970. When the whole of the first order had arrived, all steam shunting on the North Coast line and the Sydney Metropolitan area, as well as at Goulburn had been replaced. In July 1971 a further 30 units were ordered. The last of these arrived in March 1973 and this brought to an end all remaining steam shunting operations in New South Wales.
The New South Wales Government Railways purchased the class mainly for shunting and their prohibition from mainline use was 'officially' due to the lack of vigilance controls. However, despite its absence, the class was still seen on many suburban trip workings and when mainline operation was a necessity, there seemed to be no hesitation to use them.
One advantage a diesel-hydraulic locomotive has over a diesel-electric variety is its ability to negotiate up to 300mm of water over the tracks. Big floods in March 1976 gave 7323 an opportunity to show off its swimming ability when water covered the line near Bourke and this locomotive was used on a couple of freight trains and a ballast train from Nyngan to Bourke and return. At least two other occasions when their water resistance was put to use was Menindee in 1976 and Hexham in 1977.
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