Australia's Popular Alco DL500 |
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During December of 1993 photographer Nick Chase captured NSW 4499 heading a freight through Wilotree. | |
Alco's DL-500 "World Locomotive" enjoyed considerable sales success beyond the shores of North
American railroading. And, no where was the export model more popular than with Australia's
major railways; cumulative purchases between 1955 and 1965 reached nearly 100 units.
The dual-role locomotive was un-mistakenly an Alco design given its low silhouette FA appearance (sans the headlight grille), tri-mount type trucks, and tell-tale ca-thunk, ca-thunk engine sound. Five-feet longer than the full-size FA, production units were powered by the same V12-251B engine that drove the highly successful MLW FPA4 in Canada for three decades. Built by A.E. Goodwin (Sydney) under license to Alco, the standard DL500 was offerred with an optional rear control station to eliminate the need to turn locomotives at engine terminals and passenger stations. Tipping the scale at 105 tons, the Goodwin units were equipped with dynamic braking and multi-unit capability, and they were available in standard or broad gauge. On the downside, the DL500's low profile came at a cost; maintenance staffs found the locos sometimes hard to maintain and repair due to limited clearance between power plant and roofline. At last report a few 500s are privately owned and stored, along with a couple that are still used by museums on occasional excursions. | |
South Astralian Railway (SAR)
The country's first DL500s went to new owner SAR during December 1955; they were part of an
order for 37 units. The first six arrivals were standard configuration and with only a single
control station. Subsequent units which began arriving in 1958 were shipped to SAR with a
second control module at the opposite end. Although they were designed as dual purpose, the
SAR Alcos were primarily used in passenger service. Interestingly, the 930s series were run
almost entirely with the cab end on the point, in-spite of having dual control stations.
SAR #964 in May, 1973 at Mile End. (RJ Marsh photo) |
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New South Wales Government Railway
The governmental railway's purchase of 60 A.E. Goodwin-built Alco cab units (between 1957 and
1960) made it the single largest DL500 operator in the world. Known as the 44 Class, the initial
ten units were placed in service during July of 1957. By that time, a second control station was
standard on the "World Model". Delivery of another 50 units was made during the next three. A
relatively low-axle rating (32,000 pounds) facilitated the operation of DL500s in all types of
mainline and secondary service.
By the mid-1990s, most of the DL500s had been sidelined. During that tenure, the fleet wore five different liveries, several of which are present on this page. |
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Australian National Railway
The broad-gauge Southern Australian Railway ceased to exist after March 1982;
they had been merged into the Australian National. The expanded AN network which had absorbed the
entire SAR fleet operated 4900 miles of track, both broad and standard gauge. The marron and
silver of SAR slowly gave way to the green and yellow of the new owner. Only the #961
remained in service beyond the mid-1990s. |
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ANR #961 in standard green livery was caught rolling through Lyton in January 1969; four
years later the same locomotive was spotted at Dry Creek wearing the railroad's "Explorer"
excursion train colors. (Both photos above by Nick Chase.) |
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| Open-Access Freight Operators | |
Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia (CFCL)
is one of a number major private operators (past and present) that traverse Australia's
nationwide open-access netwrok. The company was formed shortly after the government elected
to privatized freight railroads in the early 1990s. Today, the freight operator is more commonly
referred to as Rail First. |
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 CFCL #4488 (ex-NSW 4488) wears an early version of the freight line's corporate
attire at Rothbury, Australia in August 2002 (Brad Coulter photo) |
 Chicago Freight Car Leasing #4471 (ex-NSW 4471) was standing idle in Melbourne in November
of 2005. (Marcus Wong photo, Credative Commons) |
Independent Rail
when founded during 1990 was originally known as the Lachlan Valley Railway;
it was primarily a hauler of wheat rather than general goods. The operation was sold in 2006
and rebranded as Independent Rail; it leased locomotive power from various sources. |
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 Independent Rail's #4488 was spotted at the Goulburn storage yard just beyond the Rail Heritage
Center. (Phil Melling photo) |
 Retired Independent Rail #4458 wears an unusal green and white attire at Sandgate, Queensland
on 18 October 2001. (Brad Coulter photo) |
New Central Rail Road
Very little is known about this privately owned carrier which leased its
motive power from Qube Logistics, as did several other Australian rail operators. DL500 #4488
pictured at right was the only early Alco cab unit to wear this distinctive garb. (Brad Peadon
photo) |
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Southern Shorthaul Railroad
Founded in 1997, SSR is a private Australian railroad that primarily handles
bulk and regional loads. The western Australia railroad leased DL500 #4483 shown at right and
a few other Alco cab units from Qube Logistics. This particular locomotive was the only one
to be rebranded as SSR. (Brad Peadon photo) |
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Silverton Tramway
The Silverton was a 36-mile ore-hauling rail line that joined South Australia
and New south Wales. DL500s #44s1, 44s2 and 44s3 were the only Alco cab units on the roster;
they had been built originally for the South Australian Railway in 1965. In 2022, the 251B-engine
powered #44s1 was being restored as SAR 961. (Nick Chase photo in 1972) |
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For a more detailed roster, photos and history of Australia's DL500s vist
Brad Peadon's blog
This article would not have been possible without the help of the following contributors:
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| New: 1 August 2026 by R. Craig | |