Happy 50th Birthday to the 4 5 0 1.

Like its Goodwin Alco sister unit the 4 8 3 3 the  4 5 0 1  has now reached the milestone of being 50 years old.

Developed for serious haulage duties as the “working mans” version of the pretty boy 44 class, the NSWGR DL541 locos class leader rolled to a stop at Delec in 1962 and soon became a reliable and consistent hauler of tonnage across most of the NSW mainline network.

While mainly employed on freight duties, express passenger train duties were not unknown on their allocated duties and even some branch lines including the tightly curved and steeply graded Oberon line felt the weight of their axles.

Above: The 4501 photographed at Delec by Bob Winch having just been delivered from AE Goodwin in 1962.

Displaced by the modern “Ready power” locos of the early 1990’s most 45 class locos unfortunately succumbed to the scrappers torch with only 2 now serving in heritage service and another 5(and a bit) surviving in various states of condition.

After a  period of storage and changing strategy Goodwin Alco purchased the 4 5 0 1 from CFCLA in 2002 and transferred it to the Eveleigh large erecting shop  (thanks to a man named (young) Goggo) for restoration.

Goodwin Alco’s transformation  of the 4 5 0 1 (the grey one) back to a reliable workhorse was due to the long hours and combined efforts of many oldmates. In 2007 the fruits of their labour were rewarded with the 4 5 0 1‘s successful trial on a Goods road heritage outing followed by a memorable day hauling the “Whoosch to the West – Noodles Express” to Kandos and return.

After a brief period of service the Red 4 5 0 1 then re-entered service and continues to this day to support the NSW rail industry earning its keep as well as providing enjoyment for enginemen and rail fans alike.

Above: May 2012 at Moss Vale saw the triple celebration of significant birthdays with Alan “Ziggy Snr” Smith reaching 60 years, the 4 5 0 1 in its 50th year and the “Boy” of the group ex fitter Jamie McIntyre celebrating 40 years out of the sack.

Happy Birthday, all the very best.

Santa’s on track for a great Christmas….

With 2011 almost over its time to reflect on another year of activities and the results of planning and hard work thanks to the  contributions of many oldmates.

Goodwin Alco wishes all our suppliers, supporters and friends all the very best for a Happy Christmas and thanks you for making 2011 another great year.

We hope the festive season is an enjoyable time and look forward to continuing our activities with you in 2012.

50 not out – Happy Birthday 4833.

Like several other surviving Mark 1 models The 4 8 3 3 has now notched up 50 years since its construction by AE Goodwin Pty Ltd.

Built to replace steam locomotives on all manner of services, 4833 is one of 165 original class members which became the backbone of the NSW government railway loco fleet.

48’s could be once found on any type of service, on any line in the state and to this day they are still popular with crews and maintainers due to their performance and dependability.

Based on a universal design developed for wordwide operations, the DL531 was embraced by many railways and whilst there are many variations NSW 48’s have undergone few significant modifications from the original configuration.

With changing regimes comes varied image and NSW 48’s have appeared in many different colour schemes. 4833 being an early recipient of the “Candy” colours was one of 2 units painted with the originally proposed “Belbin” white roof prior to the more serviceable red roof colour being adopted as standard.

Following its sale at the Cardiff auction, 4833 was returned to service and original livery by Goodwin Alco and has since operated with 3801 Limited hauling services including the Cockatoo Run, performing shunting duties as well as some “deep sea” operations.

4833 can today can be seen regularly hauling new built OSCAR suburban sets to Broadmeadow yard for testing, a task which it is ideally suited for.

Recent engine overhaul and body repair works should ensure that 4833 continues to operate for many years to come.

Happy birthday old girl.

Thanks to The 4 8 3 3’s oldmates JC Scrapmonger and Jamie McIntyre for artistic contributions to this news post.

Garratt works deliver results.

Following  months of rust cutting, fabrication, rebuilding and riveting,  6029’s cab has now left Eveleigh and has been reunited in Canberra with the rest of the locomotive.

With the loco undergoing a comprehensive restoration by the Canberra ARHS ACT division, 6029’s cab was brought to the Eveleigh LES for overhaul in 2010, its repairs being sponsored by Goodwin Alco. 

The choice of the  Eveleigh worksite was particularly significant given that the new 60 class locomotives were assembled there after arriving by ship from their English manufacturer Beyer Peacock. Some service life overhauls and repairs were also performed at Eveleigh.

With new steel work supplied by R&L Wall a mixture of volunteers from ARHS, Goodwin Alco, Blueridge and Maywald Engineering (international) completed the final assembly and riveting works in August & September.

Finally back together in one piece the cab was lifted out into the sunshine by franner and transferred south by road on September 15.

With the cab refitted, the final placement of cab floor, backhead fittings, gauges and pipework is now underway and the locos return to steam is getting tantalisingly close.

To keep up to date with the 6 0 2 9 restoration works go to:

http://project6029.blogspot.com/

The last Sputnik leaves the depot.

Nearly 4 years after the last regular Newcastle suburban service was operated by a 620/720 set lifelong “Newcastle” pair 626/726 has finally left its Broadmeadow home and commenced its final journey to preservation.

Suffering from various problems, 626/726 was the first of the refurbished “Cityrail” sets to be withdrawn from regular operations as the era of the “Hunter” railcars dawned. During recent years 626/726 has sat neglected on the wheel lathe spur road, surrendering some components to keep in service sister units running.

For reasons known only to the RailCorp heritage managers, 626/726’s internal ownership allocation and value changed several times after withdrawal and the unit was offered and withdrawn from multiple sale processes until finally being awarded for purchase by Goodwin Alco .

Although 626/726 will never run on NSW metals again its acquisition will provide continued support to keep its sister heritage  units running and the car bodies will ultimately be preserved in a static private railmotor display.

Due to time, accreditation and logistical restrictions 626 & 726 were removed by Australian Train Movers from Broadmeadow by road on the 4th & 5th of April being craned off their bogies and then hauled out along the “Fitton Highway” before a final high speed fling down the F3 for storage and stripping.

Already 626 & 726’s sacrifice has yielded many valuable spares including engines, transmissions, bogies and air system equipment as well as multiple body and internal fittings.

Its always sad to see a unit condemned to a static existence but in this case the benefits will be long term, far reaching and 626 & 726 will enjoy a long rest with care after so many years of service.

4464 back on track at Kandos.

After an extensive overhaul and recommissioning project the third Lachlan Alco 44 class –4464 has re entered service under the operations of 3801 Limited.

Purchased in 1994 at the infamous “Cardiff” auction 4464’s restoration was the subject of several stages of efforts by various project teams using both volunteer and paid labour.

Although considered to be the “best” of the 3 LA locos purchased 4464’s works included extensive body repairs as well as works on engine, traction motor and electrical control systems.

4464’s relaunch was facilitated by the operation of a special passenger train to Kandos on February 19 with a stop at Brogans creek during which the project workers, Alco fans and general passengers were able to witness the Alco operation first hand. On this day 4464 and sister units 4473 & 4486 operated “holding hands” for the first time in preservation.

Thanks to the project teams efforts 4464 will enjoy many successful years of Heritage operation during its second service career.

Bells are ringing and Santa is on his way…..

Well another successful year of operation, restoration, sponsorships, projects, road trips and good times has rushed past and again we find ourselves running through the last section to Christmas.

Goodwin Alco wishes all our suppliers, supporters, and friends all the very best for a Happy Christmas and thanks you for making 2010 another great year.

2011 is already shaping up to be a busy year and we again look forward to sharing the rewards of our Heritage activities with our oldmates.