New South Wales 86 class locomotive

New South Wales 86 class
8644 outside Eveleigh Railway Workshops in July 2008
Type and origin Power type Electric Builder Comeng, Granville Build date 1983-1985 Total produced 50
Specifications Configuration: ​  • UIC 8601-8649: Co-Co 8650: Bo-Bo-Bo Gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) Wheel diameter 1,250 mm (49.21 in) Wheelbase 15.40 m (50 ft 6 in) Length Over headstocks: 18.73 m (61 ft 5 in) Over coupler pulling faces: 20.08 m (65 ft 11 in) Width 2.950 m (9 ft 8 in) Height Over stowed pantograph: 4.400 m (14 ft 5 in) Axle load 19.80 tonnes (19.5 long tons; 21.8 short tons) Loco weight 119.0 tonnes (117.1 long tons; 131.2 short tons) Electric system(s) 1,500 V DC Overhead Current source Two pantographs Traction motors Mitsubishi MB-485-BVR, 6 of
Performance figures Maximum speed 130 km/h (81 mph) Power output Continuous: 2,700 kW (3,620 hp), One hour: 2,880 kW (3,860 hp) Tractive effort Continuous: 222.00 kN (49,908 lbf) at 45 km/h (28 mph)
Career Operators State Rail Authority FreightCorp Number in class 50 Numbers 8601-8650 First run 15 March 1983 Withdrawn June 2002 Preserved 8601, 8606, 8607, 8646, 8650 Disposition 5 preserved, 4 stored, 41 scrapped

The 86 class was a class of electric locomotives built by Comeng, Granville for the State Rail Authority.

The 86 class initially hauled passenger and freight services to Lithgow on the Main Western line and Wyong on the Main Northern line. Their sphere of operation extended to Newcastle on the latter line in June 1984 and to Port Kembla in January 1986 when the Illawarra line was electrified.

With a one-hour rating of 4,400 horsepower (hp), the 86 class was the most powerful locomotive in Australia at the time. Although no longer in regular use, the class remains among the most powerful in the country. Despite their higher power rating, they were generally regarded as inferior to the Metropolitan-Vickers built 46 class, which dated from the late 1950s.

The last unit was delivered as a Bo-Bo-Bo as a trial unit. It spent long periods out of traffic undergoing repair.

In 1994/95 all were repainted by A Goninan & Co, Taree into FreightCorp blue. By October 1997 18 had been withdrawn from service with cracked frames. By this stage the amount of work requiring electrics was reducing. National Rail decided it would through haul its services and from March 1998 FreightCorp ceased operating them on Main Northern line services. The need for electrics continued to decline with their remaining duties mainly being hauling coal trains from Lithgow to Port Kembla. The last examples were withdrawn in June 2002.