#3947
WAGR L class (diesel)
🇦🇺 Australia ·built by Clyde Engineering· from 1967· class of 27 Australian diesel locomotives (EMD SD40)
1 photo from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. WAGR diesel locomotive L270 heading the west-east Indian Pacific train in the Avon valley, Feb 1970: Western Australian Government Railways· Public domain
what is it?
The L Class are a class of diesel locomotives built by Clyde Engineering, Granville and Commonwealth Engineering (subcontracted by Clyde), Rocklea for the Western Australian Government Railways between 1967 and 1973.
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 59 years ago, in 1967.
- 2.5 MW is about 29 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- Weighs about as much as 23 African elephants (~6 t each).
- 20.2 m long: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
- Served for 6 years (1967–1973).
diesel locomotive: A diesel engine on board drives the wheels, usually through a generator (diesel-electric).
spec sheet
- built
- 1967–1973
- in service from
- 1967
- retired
- 1973
- status
- in service
- number built
- 27
- kind
- Diesel-electric
- traction
- diesel
- origin
- 🇦🇺 Australia
- builders
- Clyde Engineering, Commonwealth Engineering
- operators
- Aurizon, Southern Shorthaul Railroad, Western Australian Government Railways
- top speed
- 137 km/h
- power
- 2.5 MW
- gauge
- 1,435 mm standard gauge
- wheel arrangement
- Co′Co′
- length
- 20.2 m
- weight
- 137 t
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q7946436, Wikipedia: WAGR L class (diesel) (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.