The Hunter Valley in NSW hosts some of the longest and heaviest ‘front-end powered’ coal train operations in Australia.
In the late 1980s/early 1990s. The State Rail Authority (and its successors Freight Rail and then Freight Corp) relied heavily on its fleet of Clyde-GM 81 Class (2240Kw) and Goodwin-Alco 48 Class (710Kw) locomotives to handle all coal operations in the Hunter Valley. Quad, triple and twin locomotive trains of up to 84 wagons and some 8400 tonnes were operated.
Since the mid 1990s, Freight Corp has moved to triple and twin EMD 90 Class (2864Kw) and/or Clyde-GM 82 Class (2259Kw) hauling trains of up to 91 wagons, approaching 1.4km in length and 11,000 tonnes gross weight, the aging 48 Class being retained for only limited lightweight lines such as the operation to Pelton. Some quad and single 90 Class operations were also seen in the early 1995.
In the late 1990s, National Rail commenced hauling coal for Macquarie Power utilising twin/triple NR Class (2990Kw) locomotives powering typically 48 wagon push-pull coal trains, with a gross weight of some 5500 toned. However in the 2000s, as a result of the merger of National Rail and Freight Corp to form Pacific National, all coal operations have again reverted to the Freight Corp arm.
This video follows the above train operations on the Main North Line by moving from the coal terminals at Newcastle (Port Waratah and Kooragang Island) through Maitland, Singleton and on as far as Muswellbrook, along the way viewing train action at and in between Mt Thornley, Saxonvale, Mt Owen, Drayton, Camberwell/Rix Creek and the Hunter Valley/Liddel/Newdell/Nadell balloon loops. We also visit the ‘ready-power’ facility at Kooragang Island and have a cab ride in a National Rail ‘push-pull’ coal train. Locomotive classes seen include 48, 81, 82, 90, NR and DL.
Approximate run time: 83 minutes.