The 2800 class are a class of diesel locomotive built by A Goninan & Co,

Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...

for

Queensland Rail Queensland Rail (QR) is a railway operator in Queensland, Australia. Queensland Rail is owned by the Queensland Government, and operates both Commuter rail, suburban and Regional rail, interurban rail services in South East Queensland, as well ...

between 1995 and 1998. They are currently owned by

Aurizon Aurizon Holdings Limited ( ) is a freight rail transport company in Australia, formerly named QR National Limited and branded QR National. In 2015, it was the world's largest rail transporter of coal from mine to port. Formerly a Queensland G ...

, and operate on the

North Coast North Coast or Northcoast may refer to : Antigua and Barbuda * Major Division of North Coast, an urban area and major division in the parish of Saint John * North Coast, Barbuda, an administrative district of Barbuda Australia * New South Wa ...

and

Mount Isa Mount Isa ( ) is a city in the Gulf Country region of Queensland, Australia. It came into existence because of the vast mineral deposits found in the area. Mount Isa Mines (MIM) is one of the most productive mines in world history, based on co ...

lines.

History

The 2800 class were ordered to haul passenger and freight services on the North Coast line between

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. In the , the population of Rockhampton was 79,293. A common nickname for Rockhampton is "Rocky", and the demonym of Rockhampton is Rockhamptonite. The Scottish- ...

and

Cairns Cairns (; ) is a city in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. In the , Cairns had a population of 153,181 people. The city was founded in 1876 and named after William Cairns, Sir W ...

and on the Great Northern line between Townsville and

. The initial order for 40 was later increased to 50. However, a miscommunication resulted in the builder's plates incorrectly being stamped as 202 to 211 which had been used by other A Goninan & Co locomotives, rather than the correct 323 to 332. They now operate trains as far south as

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

. They are the only double ended diesel electric locomotives to have been built for

. In February 2006, one locomotive was

fitted Fitted (stylized as FITTED) is an alternative rock band featuring Mike Watt ( The Minutemen, Firehose), Graham Lewis (Wire), Matthew Simms (Wire), and Bob Lee (The Black Gang). Graham Lewis' Wire was one of the influences for Mike Watt's Minute ...

with standard gauge

bogie A bogie ( ) (or truck in North American English) comprises two or more Wheelset (rail transport), wheelsets (two Railroad wheel, wheels on an axle), in a frame, attached under a vehicle by a pivot. Bogies take various forms in various modes ...

s for use by QR National in

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

and

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

, but the NSW Environment Protection Authority refused permission for it to be used in that state due to excessive noise emissions. In August 2009, it was converted back to narrow gauge for use in

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

. In 2013, three were reclassified as the 3200 class for use in

NSW New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a state on the east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria to the south, and South Australia to the west. Its coast borders the Coral and Tasman Seas to the east. T ...

, following the installation of standard gauge bogies and a modified exhaust system that reduced low frequency noise emissions. In 2015, 2814 derailed on the Mount Isa Line at Julia Creek, spilling sulphuric acid. 2814 flipped on its side and was deemed too damaged to repair, and as such was scrapped in 2017. In the early hours of Wednesday 23 February 2022, 2811 along with 2338 derailed hauling a container train near Traveston after severe rain washed out the tracks. Both locomotives were turned onto their sides. 2811 is currently at UGL Rail's facility in Stuart, Queensland.

Status Table

References

{{QueenslandLocos, state=collapsed Aurizon diesel locomotives Co-Co locomotives Diesel locomotives of Queensland Queensland Rail locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1995 Diesel–electric locomotives of Australia General Electric locomotives 3 ft 6 in gauge locomotives of Australia Standard-gauge locomotives of Australia