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The UGL Rail C44ACi (also designated as C44aci or C44ACI) is a model of Australian heavy duty diesel electric
locomotive A locomotive is a rail transport, rail vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, Push–pull train, push–pull operation has become common, and in the pursuit for ...
designed by
UGL Rail UGL Rail is an Australian rail company specialising in building, maintaining and refurbishing diesel locomotives, diesel and electric multiple units and freight wagons. It is a subsidiary of UGL (company), UGL and is based in Melbourne, with a s ...
and built at the
Broadmeadow Broadmeadow is a locality in the Hunter region of the Australian state of New South Wales. It is the geographic centre of the Newcastle city and suburban area. Its main commercial hub is located at the "Nineways".
factory. It is operated by a number of rail freight operators. The design is based on the National Rail NR class but with some modifications and upgraded features.


Design

The C44ACi (initially designated as C43ACi) was designed by
UGL Rail UGL Rail is an Australian rail company specialising in building, maintaining and refurbishing diesel locomotives, diesel and electric multiple units and freight wagons. It is a subsidiary of UGL (company), UGL and is based in Melbourne, with a s ...
in response to a tender issued by
Pacific National Pacific National is one of Australia's largest rail freight businesses. History In February 2002, National Rail Corporation, National Rail's freight operations and rollingstock, jointly owned by the Government of Australia, Federal, Governm ...
, who required a locomotive to match the performance of their existing 90 class units when hauling heavy coal traffic, while still having the ability to work high speed intermodal services, with the change between applications to be simple. The existing UGL Rail Cv40-9i (
NR class The NR class are Australian diesel-electric locomotives built by A Goninan & Co for National Rail between 1996 and 1998. They are currently operated by Pacific National. The C44aci model locomotives built by UGL Rail at Broadmeadow adopted t ...
) locomotive design was used as a base, but with alterations including: *Higher horsepower prime mover *Smaller main alternator *Enlarged radiator size now overhangs the walkway at the number 2 end to cope with the more powerful engine *AC traction motor allowing an increase in haulage capacity *Addition of inline refuelling fittings *Isolated cab for reduced noise and vibration *A new design of fabricated bogies *Increased use of modular construction *Revised transition curves in the underframe to reduce the probability of fatigue cracking *Various body and cab modifications *A brand-new
Nathan Nathan or Natan may refer to: People and biblical figures *Nathan (given name), including a list of people and characters with this name * Nathan (surname) *Nathan (prophet), a person in the Hebrew Bible *Nathan (son of David), a biblical figu ...
K5UL-AU-LS horn. The NR class design had also been used as a basis for the AC traction QR National 5000 class introduced in 2005. This design did not meet the requirements for Pacific National due to the heavy axle load, acceptable on the heavily laid coal routes, but not on lines outside of the
Hunter Valley The Hunter Region, also commonly known as the Hunter Valley, Newcastle Region, or simply Hunter, spans the region in northern New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney. It contains the Hunter River and its ...
. To reduce the weight, the level of fuel carried is altered: for intermodal applications the fuel level is 7,300 litres, for coal applications that permit higher axle loads the fuel level is increased to 13,500 litres, with an intermediate fuel level of 10,750 litres also available. These limits are enforced during refuelling by a float switch in the tank, the permitted level being set by a key switch with an indication displayed in the cab if the limits are breached. The provision of inline refuelling permits the topping up of the tanks in transit from a separate tank wagon behind the locomotives. The older
GE Transportation GE Transportation is a division of Wabtec. It was known as GE Rail and owned by General Electric until sold to Wabtec on February 25, 2019. The organization manufactures equipment for the railroad, marine, mining, drilling and energy generatio ...
FDL series engine was chosen instead of the newer
GE Evolution Series The Evolution Series is a line of diesel locomotives built by GE Transportation Systems (now owned by Wabtec), initially designed to meet the United States, U.S. United States Environmental Protection Agency, EPA's United States emission standa ...
engine used in the United States, due to the greater height not fitting in the restricted Australian
loading gauge A loading gauge is a diagram or physical structure that defines the maximum height and width dimensions in railway vehicles and their loads. Their purpose is to ensure that rail vehicles can pass safely through tunnels and under bridges, and k ...
, and there being no legal requirement to meet stringent Tier 2 emissions standards which drove adoption of the GEVO series elsewhere. The C44aci has one
inverter A power inverter, inverter, or invertor is a power electronic device or circuitry that changes direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC). The resulting AC frequency obtained depends on the particular device employed. Inverters do the op ...
per
traction motor A traction motor is an electric motor used for propulsion of a vehicle, such as locomotives, electric vehicle, electric or hydrogen vehicles, or electric multiple unit trains. Traction (engineering), Traction motors are used in electrically powe ...
, this differs from competing Downer EDi Rail locomotives that have only one inverter per bogie. A further difference between the C44aci and the competing GT46C ACe is the lack of steering bogies to improve tracking properties and reduce the rate of wheel wear, instead fixed-frame pedestal-type bogies are used where all three axles are always held parallel. However, QUBE's QL class were built with steering bogies included. Simulation work showed that three C44aci locomotives could equal the performance of 90 class units in heavy mode, while in intermodal mode could outperform the older
NR class The NR class are Australian diesel-electric locomotives built by A Goninan & Co for National Rail between 1996 and 1998. They are currently operated by Pacific National. The C44aci model locomotives built by UGL Rail at Broadmeadow adopted t ...
units by 20% on services, with the same sectional running times and in some areas a slight reduction in fuel consumed due to the increased adhesion resulting from AC traction. However the 4400BHP C44aci was outperformed by the competitors 4500BHP GT46C-ACe locomotive produced by Downer EDi Rail in back-to-back trials performed by
RailCorp Rail Corporation New South Wales (RailCorp) was an agency of the Government of New South Wales, Australia, established in 2004 pursuant to the ''Transport Administration Act 1988''. It was a division under the control of Transport for NSW, foll ...
on the steeply graded Cowan Bank.


By operator


Pacific National

The first of the
Pacific National Pacific National is one of Australia's largest rail freight businesses. History In February 2002, National Rail Corporation, National Rail's freight operations and rollingstock, jointly owned by the Government of Australia, Federal, Governm ...
92 class was officially launched at Port Waratah on 3 October 2008. All 15 entered service on
Hunter Valley The Hunter Region, also commonly known as the Hunter Valley, Newcastle Region, or simply Hunter, spans the region in northern New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney. It contains the Hunter River and its ...
coal trains and were trialed on Brisbane—Melbourne freights and return. In 2012 Pacific National took delivery of six 93 class C44aci locomotives optimised for
intermodal freight transport Intermodal freight transport involves the transportation of freight in an intermodal container or vehicle, using multiple modes of transportation (e.g., rail, ship, aircraft, and truck), without any handling of the freight itself when changing ...
between Melbourne and Brisbane. On 17 January 2013, Pacific National placed an order for another two (later expanded to five) 93 class locomotives. In 2014, Pacific National extended the order of the 93 class to 9324 in which all 24 93 class are in service. Until late 2023, 9301-24 In late 2023 they were transferred to the Hunter Valley, displacing older 90 Class locomotives. All other examples are run almost exclusively in the Hunter Valley on coal services.Listing of additional 93 class locomotives on the ARTC network
Australian Rail Track Corporation 13 December 2016 Sept 5 2019 Australian Rail Pacific National
In October 2021 it was announced that UGL had secured a $297 million (later $330 million) order for 50 C44aci locomotives from Pacific National, these locomotives are to have GE's newer Evolution series of engine. The locomotives are to be designed and delivered over a period of 7 years, with deliveries starting in 2024. They are to be designated the "94 Class". The three class leaders 9401, 9402 and 9403, were either complete or awaiting final livery completion at Broadmeadow in July 2024. The 94 class started testing in late September with the TT class. 9403 was in the final stages of painting and pre-delivery in May 2024 sitting alongside the new CF4428 and ACD6056, with a noticeable difference in cab shape above the windscreen and below the horns.


Aurizon

In July 2008, QR National subsidiary Australian Railroad Group ordered eight locomotives, with options for 16 more units. Intended for use on their
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 ...
n standard gauge lines, they were delivered between August and September 2009. These units feature updated electronic control and engine management systems, and had their entry to service delayed by weight issues, with steel body side doors being replaced with lighter aluminium substitutes. Since entering service they have been used on the Koolyanobbing to Esperance iron ore service, in the full fuel load (139 tonnes) configuration. In January 2009, QR National ordered twelve 6000 class units for use on coal haulage. The first was delivered in October 2009. These units were to be fitted with electronically controlled pneumatic braking equipment, for operation with similarly Hunter Valley Coal wagons. QR National subsequently ordered an additional 12 locomotives to operate intermodal trains. The first nine were delivered in 2012 as the 6020 class with the final three diverted to Australian Railroad Group as the ACC class. Aurizon purchased five new 6040 class units were built in 2017–18.Addition of 2 new 6000 class locomotives
Australian Rail Track Corporation 8 March 2017
Aurizon ordered 10 new C44aci locomotives in 2021, numbered ACD 6046–6055. 6046 entered service on 19 March 2022, 6047 on 24 March 6048 on 23 April 6049 on 24 April. ACD 6050 entered service on 10 October 2022, and 6051 entered service on 12 October 2022. ACD 6052 entered service on 19 December 2022, ACD 6053 entered service on 29 December 2022, 6054 on the 27th, and ACD 6055 entered service on 13 February 2023. 6055's livery features Australian Aboriginal artwork on the long end. In 2021, ORA took delivery of GWU012-GWU015, these are now 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 ...
. In mid 2024, Aurizon saw two new ACD class locomotives enter service, ACD6056 and ACD6057. ACD6058 and ACD6059 are soon to follow, with ACD6060-ACD6075 later. They have been used on Aurizon's intermodal services between Perth and Melbourne, Melbourne and Brisbane and Sydney and Perth. All are expected in service during 2025. The order was later reduced by nine class members.


East Coast Rail

East Coast Rail comprises the former
One Rail Australia One Rail Australia was an Australian Rail freight transport, rail freight operator company. Founded by a United States short line railroad holding company, Genesee & Wyoming, Genesee & Wyoming Inc, in 1997 as Australian Southern Railroad, and s ...
's east coast coal operations in Queensland and NSW. In 2012 and in 2020, Genesee & Wyoming Australia took delivery of 11 locomotives for use on Hunter Valley Coal trains services, numbered GWU001-GWU011. They eventually found themselves back in NSW. All 30 of the former Glencore and One Rail Australia XRN class are now owned by East Coast Rail as well, though still wearing the GWA/ORA livery. All are used on Hunter Valley coal trains.


RailFirst Asset Management

In 2012–13,
RFAM Rfam is a database containing information about non-coding RNA (ncRNA) families and other structured RNA elements. It is an annotated, open access database originally developed at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in collaboration with Janel ...
took delivery of 12 C44aci locomotives as the CF class, numbered CF4401-CF4412. CF4412 was named ''Black Caviar'' and painted in salmon pink, silver and black (which were the racing colours of Black Caviar), as opposed to the standard blue, silver and yellow that CFCLA usually used. 10 locomotives were included in the transfer of assets to
Anchorage Capital Partners Anchorage Capital Partners is an Australian private equity company with headquarters in Sydney. Company name In 2015, the company lost a case in the Federal Court against a similarly named United States company, Anchorage Capital Group, ...
in January 2020, and subsequent rebranding as Rail First Asset Management in early 2021. Four more were ordered in 2021, and a further four in 2023.


Centennial Coal

In 2012, Centennial Coal took delivery of seven locomotives for their coal operations. These are operated by
Southern Shorthaul Railroad Southern Shorthaul Railroad is an Australian rail freight services operator in New South Wales and Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The company also provides workshop services, such as rolling stock manufacturing and wagon and locomotive mainte ...
.


Mineral Resources

UGL Rail had four units on the production line for Consolidated Rail Leasing as the CRL class before the order was cancelled. They were completed and retained by UGL as lease units. They along with two units completed for but not delivered to Genesee & Wyoming Australia were sold to
Mineral Resources Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest, and cultural value. ...
as the MRL class. The first entered service in June 2014 hauling iron ore train from Mount Walton to Kwinana."Mineral Resources buy their own Trains" ''
Railway Digest ''Railway Digest'' is a monthly magazine, published in Sydney, covering contemporary railways in Australia. Overview The magazine is published by the Australian Railway Historical Society (ARHS), NSW Division. The first issue was in March 1 ...
'' May 2014 page 30
There is now no use for the class as the services they ran have been suspended.


Fletcher International Exports

In 2014, three were completed for Fletcher International Exports in attractive red and blue livery to haul the Fletcher's container service from
Dubbo Dubbo (; ) is a city in the Orana (New South Wales), Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021. The city is located at the intersection of the ...
to
Port Botany Port Botany is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Port Botany is located 12 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Randwick. Port ...
. Trains are run by
Southern Shorthaul Railroad Southern Shorthaul Railroad is an Australian rail freight services operator in New South Wales and Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The company also provides workshop services, such as rolling stock manufacturing and wagon and locomotive mainte ...
. A fourth unit (FIE004) was ordered in 2021. In November 2022, it was undergoing outdoor commissioning at UGL Broadmeadow with ACD6052, entering service on 16 November 2022.


Crawfords Freightlines

Two locomotives (known as Spud and Carrot) have become the permanent motive power for the Sandgate to
Port Botany Port Botany is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Port Botany is located 12 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Randwick. Port ...
container train operated by Crawfords Freightlines, replacing the leased C class locomotives as the motive power.Two new UGL Locomotives, Carrot and Spud, for Crawfords Freightlines
UGL Rail 26 February 2016


Qube Holdings

Qube announced the purchase of an unspecified number of locomotives in March 2020, for delivery over 18 months. It was later confirmed that 12 locomotives were to be built. As of 9 November 2021, all 12 locomotives are in service. After initially seeing use on QUBE's various trains throughout NSW they now mainly see use on the BlueScope Steel services out of Port Kembla to
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
(Long Island) and
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 ...
, now that QUBE have taken this contract over from
Pacific National Pacific National is one of Australia's largest rail freight businesses. History In February 2002, National Rail Corporation, National Rail's freight operations and rollingstock, jointly owned by the Government of Australia, Federal, Governm ...
from 1 January 2022. In June 2022 QUBE ordered 8 more locomotives. QL013 entered service on 14 May 2023 and QL014 entered service on 24 May 2023. QL015 entered service on 6 June 2023, QL016 on 27 June 2023, QL017 entered service on 30 June 2023 and QL018 entered service on 15 July 2023. QL019 entered service on 15 August 2023. QL019 and QL020 wear a predominantly blue Aboriginal design with a map of Australia.


Fleet


Related development

* National Rail NR class, ancestor model Cv40-9i * QR National 5000 class, ancestor model C40aci * QR National 5020 class, heavy haul variant model C44acHi * Downer EDI Rail GT46C ACe, principal competitor


References

*


External links


360 panorama of the cabin, as seen from the driver's seatRail Express Article - Up close: UGL Rail's C44ACi locomotiveCF CLASS LOCOMOTIVE
{{GE diesels, state=collapsed Aurizon diesel locomotives Diesel locomotives of New South Wales Diesel locomotives of Western Australia Pacific National diesel locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 2008 Standard-gauge locomotives of Australia Diesel–electric locomotives of Australia General Electric locomotives