Green Diesels of the New South Wales Government Railways: The 40 and 41 Classes (ASCR-GD)
Product No.: ASCR-GD
Title: Green Diesels of the New South Wales Government Railways: The 40 and 41 Classes
Author(s): Preston, R.G.
Illustrator(s): N/A
Publisher: Eveleigh Press
ISBN: 095867244X
Condition: New
Binding: Laminated Pictorial Boards
Dust Jacket: No Jacket
Edition: 1st Edition
Publication Year: 1997
Features: 184 Pages with Colour & Black/White Photos.
The New South Wales 40 class were one of the first mainline diesel electric locomotives to be built for New South Wales. Built by the Montreal Locomotive Works of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, they were based on the ALCO RSC-3 design.There were subtle deviations from the standard RSC-3 built by the American Locomotive Company.
These included a cab that angled inwards below the cab windows to reduce the width of the locomotive at the eaves of the cab roof, and placement of the handrails on the car body rather than the standard walkway arrangement. The last unit in service was 4015, it being withdrawn on 12 December, 1971. Some locomotives of this class had parts recycled in to the new build 442 class locomotives. - The 41 class is a class of diesel locomotive ordered by the New South Wales Government Railways in Australia. An order was placed for ten 1,000 horsepower (750 kW) locomotives with Australian General Electric Pty. Ltd. in 1950. The contract was then sent to British Thomson-Houston in the UK. Locomotive 4101 was delivered later than 4102 (4102 was delivered 13 October 1953).
The last member of the class, 4110 was delivered in February 1955. The Paxman 12-RPHL engine proved unsuccessful due to low cooling water capacity-similar problems existed on the British Rail (BR) locomotive classes 15 and 16 . The excitation system was not allowing the two motors to share the same load-also the cooling system layout did not allow multiple locomotives to work due to the radiator heat passing from the leading 41 class loco to the trailing locos. Modifications were carried out in 1955 - 1956 to make the radiators extend forward, blank off the side off exit panels and duct the hot air out through the headlight, and mufflers were modified on 4102 and 4104 in 1958.
This included relocating the mufflers to over the normal roofline-this was successful, but 4101, 4103, 4105-4110 was not modified. 4110 was the last loco to wear the green colour scheme on a diesel loco, before been repainted Tuscan Red in August 1970. The railways administration had run out of patience with the class by around the 1960s and some of the locos were put aside. 4102 was the last loco in service, been withdrawn in June 1975 after seizing a piston in the 'A' engine, and had travelled 492,650 km-the most used out of the class. Then 4102 was donated from the then New South Wales Public Transport Commission (PTC) to the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum on the 31st December 1976.
The lead unit of the class, the 4001 has been preserved in the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum, Thirlmere, New South Wales. 4001 returned to Service in September 2010. It is the only operating RSC-3 in the world. Two locomotives, 4002 and 4006 were sold to Robe River Mining, and modified to a Bo-Bo configuration by removing the centre idler axle from each truck. Both have been preserved, with one being converted back to an A1A-A1A.