The B class were a class of diesel locomotives built by Commonwealth Engineering for the Western Australian Government Railways between 1962 and 1965.

Western Australian Government Railways B class
B1601 at the Western Australian Rail Transport Museum
Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder Commonwealth Engineering Build date 1962-1965 Total produced 10
Specifications Configuration: ​  • AAR 0-6-0  • UIC C Gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Loco weight 39.2 long tons (39.8 t; 43.9 short tons) Fuel type Diesel Fuel capacity 340 imp gal (1,500 L; 410 US gal) Prime mover Cummins VT-12-BI Engine type Four-stroke V12 diesel Aspiration Turbocharged Cylinders 12 Transmission Twin Disc CF11,500 series MS450 hydraulic torque converter Wiseman 15 RLGB/H final drive
Performance figures Maximum speed 26 mph (42 km/h) Power output 473 hp (350 kW) Tractive effort 23,000 lbf (100 kN) (starting) 18,000 lbf (80 kN) (continuous)
Career Operators Western Australian Government Railways Number in class 10 Numbers B1601-B1610 First run 21 March 1962 Last run 28 September 1984 Disposition 4 preserved, 6 scrapped

History

The first five B class units entered service in 1962. Three years later, a second batch of five was delivered.[1]

The second batch differed from the first only in having sloping cab sides, to enable the second batch to pass underneath the limited clearance cranes on the Fremantle wharves.[1]

All members of the class spent the whole of their working lives in the Perth metropolitan area, and were written off as a group in September 1984.[1][2] Some of them have since been preserved.[3][4]

References

Further reading

• Gunzburg, Adrian (1968). WAGR Locomotives 1940–1968. Perth: Australian Railway Historical Society (Western Australian Division). pp. 38, 49. OCLC 219836193.