Berlangganan untuk mengunduh
Queensland Rail 1400 class

(After making daily uploads for a full two months (in other words, at least one upload every day since December 1st, 2020) I've decided to take a break from making re-skins. As for how long that break will be, I have no idea).

(You can still submit requests, but don't expect me to make them any time soon).

General Motors’ G12 locomotive wasn’t exclusive to New Zealand. Several other variants were built for different countries, and two of them were built for Australia; the Queensland Railways 1400 and 1450 classes. This re-skin specifically represents the 1400 class, although I did use some pictures of 1450 engines as references.

QR was starting up their dieselisation in 1955 when Clyde Engineering, an Australian-based licensee demonstrated a narrow-gauge version of the G12 locomotive (very, very similar to the NZR DA class). Queensland Rail’s management were so impressed with the demonstrator engine that they purchased her and two other demonstrators. Then QR ordered 10 production locomotives, and all thirteen became the 1400 class (numbered from 1400 to 1412).

The 1400 class had a similar body shape to the Victorian Railways T class (specifically the ‘flat top’ variant), but the QR engines were actually very different. Despite running on 3ft 6inch gauge instead of 5ft 3inch (the gauge used by the T class), the 1400’s were more powerful, as they had 12-cylinder engines instead of just eight. The wheel arrangement was different too; 1400’s were A1A-A1A engines while the T was a Bo-Bo. As stated previously, the 1400’s were almost identical to New Zealand’s DA.

Although the three demonstrator engines were in the same class as the production engines, the demo’s had a few differences, most notably the headlights and number boards. These were mounted much higher on the ends of the locomotive than the production engines. Frankly I think the demonstrators - 1400, 1401 and 1402 - looked hideous with the high-mounted lights.

The 1400 class was the first General Motors design bought by Queensland Rail, but it certainly wasn’t the last. QR went on to order the 1450, 1460 and 1502 classes as well, and these were all based on the G12 design. Incidentally the 1460 and 1502 classes have a historical connection to New Zealand, but this ‘article’ isn’t about them so I won’t go into detail on it.

The thirteen 1400 locomotives would go on to have successful working lives in the south east of Queensland. They lasted a long time in service, as withdrawals didn’t start until December 1986. By the early 1990’s, the entire class was gone.

Thankfully two 1400 class engines have survived into preservation. These are 1400 and 1407, although neither of them are in operational condition.