Скачать или смотреть NR79 & NR115 Condobolin East NSW. Wed 19th Oct 2022

NR79 & NR115 are gathering speed after stopping at Condobolin NSW railway station for a crew change just over three kilometres back. The train is 3YN2, the steel train from Whyalla SA to Newcastle NSW and it's running just over an hour late due to various speed restrictions owing to floodwater between Condobolin West and Ivanhoe NSW.

Consist is the usual array of five pack RKKY flat tops used for the solid steel bar lengths followed by an assortment of RKEX, RKAY, RKBY, RKWY, RKOX, and ROOX semi enclosed wagons, a solo RKLX with two containers at the rear completes the train. All of the consist are former National Rail wagons. Usually a string of ore wagons are attached at Broken Hill NSW, but not today.

The NR class were specifically designed and built for high speed point to point long distance intermodal express trains. Goninan's at Newcastle NSW built NR1 to NR 60 whilst their Western Australian factory at Bassendean built NR61 to NR120. The loco's were originally built for the National Rail Corporation, an Australian federal government initiative involving state government shareholders.

The first National Rail crewed train ran between Melbourne VIC and Adelaide SA on the 06th of November 1993 using "borrowed" locomotives from Victoria and South Australia, the first NR class were still three years away with the first running at Bassendean WA on the 18th of September 1996 with NR61 conducting pre delivery road trials.

National Rail lasted until February 2002 when it was privatised and purchased by Pacific National, along with the SRA of NSW freight network, then called FreightCorp, as part of the purchase deal. Pacific National are the largest freight rail operators in Australia, followed by Aurizon.

The NR class are designated GE model Cv40-9i series using imported American technology from General Electric USA with the locomotives built by Goninan & Co under license from GE. Powered by a four stroke V16 turbo charged GE 7FDL-16 prime mover delivering just over 4,000hp and a published track speed of 115KMh.

Nearing 25 years of age the NR class have been a success story and have proved to be a most reliable locomotive, however, in recent years some reliability issues have surfaced as the locomotives age. Pacific National started a fleet overhaul programme in June 2006 which will probably give them an extended life of another 10 to 15 years.

High speed express freight locomotives have came along way technology wise since the introduction of the NR class. GE's latest product is the C44aci series, although based on the Cv40-9i series concept, vast improvements in technology and fuel efficiencies have been made.

All of the 120 NR class remain in service, except for NR33 which was written off and scrapped due to the level crossing accident damage incurred at Lismore VIC on the 25th of May 2006. NR3 was rebuilt as NR121 and NR80 also rebuilt as NR122 after reconstruction after severe accident damage.

To conserve fuel the NR class have a three stage horsepower setting activated in the driver cab, this is to provide only the power needed to the tonnage hauled at the time. Settings are: 2,850hp, 3,560hp and 4,020hp.

The locomotives weigh 132 tonnes and have a 13,500 litre capacity for long distance non stop running between NSW and Western Australia across the famous Nullarbor Plain on the Trans Australia railway. Pacific National do not utilise "in-line" refuelling unlike SCT and Aurizon.

NR79 was handed over new on the 14th of February 1997 and NR115 on the 18th of October 1997 by Goninan's at their Bassendean WA factory.

Have you noticed? Many of the NR class no longer have the builders plate on the cab sides, removed during overhaul they have not been remounted. Also the "star" pattern livery configuration on the side of the locomotives vary through out the fleet. Some have one star only, others two or three and some have none at all. Those with three stars are varied in how they are configured too.

1220hrs on Wednesday 19th of October 2022