Streamliners 2016: Australia

Clyde-GM at Goulburn, New South Wales on 2 October 2016
Streamliners 2016 Australia, held the first weekend in October, attracted more than 2000 railroad enthusiasts from around the globe. The three-day long celebration, which featured 20 vintage cab units from the 1950s and 1960s, was held in Goulburn (120 miles southwest of Sydney). The event was the brain-child of Southern Shorthaul Railroad (SSR) locomotive engineer Bernie Baker who first envisioned the iconic celebration in 2000 and nurtured the idea until it fully materialized sixteen years later.

For many visitors, the star of the multi-day program was GM1, which was the first Clyde Engineering-GM streamlined locomotive on the Australian continent; the bulldog nose-locomotive had been built 65 years prior. To help further commemorate the event, dual-cab loco #B61 was given a custom-designed paint scheme. Other Clyde-GM locomotives from Various Australian railroad operators shared the spotlight, along with a couple of A.E.Goodwin-Alco streamlined DL500s.

It should also be noted that a couple of other streamliners were exhibited in the roundhouse. SSR GM27 and CFCLA-liveried #S311 stood above inspection pits and cabs opened for visitor tours.

The monumental logistics event was a success thanks to Baker, friends, volunteers and railroad sponsors, as well as the Rail Heritage Center which hosted locomotive displays, tours, rail excursions, and shop facilities to ready equipment.

New: 1 April 2021


Photo Gallery
We are grateful to Phil Melling and John Benson for their excellent photography

Bernie Baker (pictured here) was the driving force behind the event.

Stramliners shined during the day and lit-up the night.

Alco & EMD designs gave camera-toting visitors much to photograph.

SSR #B61 and standard attired GM10 drew lots of attention.

Vintage "Gold" (#GM1) rests at the rainbow's end.

Perfect weather for two of the three days made shots like this possible.

EMD's bulldog nose presented well in all types of colors and schemes.

Interestingly, all three locos are preserved operational by private owners

Stormy weather added just the right measure of drama.

SSR's #B61 was often center stage.

Retired CLP11 is reportedly on the road to reactivation.

Aurizon #42107 was one of several units provided by museums.

This day-one photo captures nine of the cab units after a storm passed.

DL500s #4464 and 4486 drew shuttle train duty for three days.


Roster of Participant Locomotives
Road Number (& RR Livery)
  • Model
  • Builder's Serial Number
  • Year built
  • Notes
Road Number (& RR Livery)
  • Model
  • Serial Number
  • Year built
  • Notes
B61 (SSR - Southern Shorthaul RR)
  • ML-2
  • Clyde-GM ML2-2
  • 1952
  • Owner: SSR; named "Bernie Baker" and wore custom attire
B65 (SSR - Southern Shorthaul RR)
  • ML-2
  • Clyde-GM ML2-6
  • 1952
  • Owner: SSR
CLP11 (Aurizon RR)
  • --
  • Serial Number
  • --
  • Reportedly on the road to reactivation
GM1 (Commonwealth RR)
  • ML-1
  • Clyde-GM ML1-1
  • 1951
  • GM1 started the era of streamliners in Australia; named Robert Gordon Menzies; Owner: Western Astralian ARHS
GM10 (SSR - Southern Shorthaul RR)
  • ML-1
  • Clyde-GM ML1-10
  • 1952
  • Owner: SSR
GM19 (Australian National RR)
  • A16C
  • Clyde-GM 57-148
  • 1957
  • Owner: Railpower
S300 (CFCLA - Chicago Freight Car Leasing Company)
  • A7
  • Clyde-GM 57-164
  • 1957
  • Private
S302 (SSR - Southern Shorthaul RR)
  • A7
  • Clyde-GM 57-166
  • 1957
  • Owner: SSR; named "Edward Henty"
S306 (PN - Pacific National)
  • model
  • Clyde-GM 57-170
  • 1957
  • Owner 707 Operations
S317 (SSR - Southern Shorthaul RR)
  • A7
  • Clyde-GM 61-240
  • 1961
  • Owner: SSR
4204 (LVR - Lachlan Valley Railway)
  • A7
  • 56-87
  • 1956
  • Owner: Lachlan Valley Railway & Museum
4461 (Qube)
  • DL500
  • A.E. Goodwin-Alco G3421-01
  • 1965
  • Owner: Qube Logistics
4477 (CFLCLA)
  • DL500
  • A.E. Goodwin-Alco G3421-17
  • 1965
  • Owner: Qube Logistics; named "Dave Jones"
4486 (NSW - New South Wales)
  • DL500
  • A.E. Goodwin-Alco G3421-26
  • 1967
  • Owner: Lachlan Valley Alco Locomotive Group
4490 (Transport RR)
  • DL500
  • G3421-30
  • 7/1967
  • Rail Transport Museum
42101 (New South Wales)
  • AJ16C
  • Clyde-GM 65-468
  • 1965
  • Rail Transport Museum
42105 (QR Interail)
  • AJ16C
  • Clyde-GM 66-472
  • 1965
  • Owner: Private
42107 (Aurizon)
  • AJ16C
  • Clyde-GM 66-474
  • 1966
  • Owner: QR Interail
* * * Roundhouse Exhibits * * *
GM27 (SSR - Southern Shorthaul RR)
  • A16C
  • Clyde-GM 62-267
  • 1963
  • Owner: SSR
S311 (CFCLC - Chicago Freight Car Leasing Company)
  • A7
  • Clyde-GM 60-228
  • 1960
  • Owner: SSR
General Background Information
  • The 421 Class incorporated driving controls at both ends of the locomotive to facilitate dual-direction operation without the need to turn the unit.
  • B Class locos were delivered straight from the factory with a bull-dog nose at each end.
  • The Goulburn storage yard (just beyond the Rail Heritage Center) had a group of stored QR National streamliners. Also present (see accompanying images) were Independent Rail's DL500 #4471 and Commonwealth #CLP10 , which reputedly was the last Streamliner built in the world. Bernie Baker and his team have acquired #CLP10 and are returning the loco to its original #CL17 operating condition.
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Original Upload: 1 April 2021

Reference source: xxxxxxxx

Additional information from: John C. Benson, Philip Melling and Nathan Woo

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