Commonwealth Railways NJ class
Class leader 1601 (formerly NJ1) leading aOne Rail Australia gypsum train nearCeduna, 2020.
Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder Clyde Engineering,Granville Serial number 70-728, 71-729 to 71-733 Model EMD JL22C Build date 1971 Total produced 6
Specifications Configuration: ​  • UIC Co-Co Gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Loco weight 67 t (66 long tons; 74 short tons) Fuel type Diesel Prime mover EMD 12-645E Engine type V12 Cylinders 12
Performance figures Power output 1,119 kW (1,501 hp)
Career Operators Aurizon Number in class 6 Numbers NJ1–NJ6 Delivered 1971 First run 1971 Last run 1971 Current owner Aurizon Disposition 2 in service, 1 stored, 2 exported to South Africa, 1 scrapped as of 2023[update]

TheNJ class are a class of diesel locomotive built in 1971 byClyde Engineering,Granville for theCommonwealth Railways for use on theCentral Australia Railway.

In 1969,Commonwealth Railways ordered six single-cab NJ class locomotives fromClyde Engineering for use on the narrow gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)Central Australia Railway betweenMarree andAlice Springs. They hauled freight trains andThe Ghan. Built at Clyde Engineering'sGranville factory, they featured many components from the company's newKelso factory. Their cab was similar to that of theNew South Wales 422 class locomotives that had recently been built.^[1]

In July 1975, all were included in the transfer of Commonwealth Railways toAustralian National. Following the closure of the Central Australian Railway in December 1980 and their unsuitability for conversion to standard gauge, Australian National transferred them to its formerPort Lincoln Division onEyre Peninsula,South Australia. After a few teething problems, the class settled down and were employed hauling grain and gypsum services.^[1]

All six were sold with Australian National's South Australian operations toAustralian Southern Railroad in August 1997 and renumbered as the 1600 class. Some were transferred toAustralian Railroad Group to operate services inWestern Australia.^[2][3] With the splitting up of Australian Railroad Group, two passed toAurizon in February 2006 and four toGenesee & Wyoming Australia in June 2006.^[4]

In January 2015, the two Aurizon units were exported toDurban, South Africa.^[5]

In early 2019, 1604 (formerly NJ 4) was scrapped following a shunting accident atCummins, South Australia in 2013. 1603 led the last GWA grain train to Cummins on 31 May 2019.^[6]

The owner of the remaining three NJs, GWA was rebranded to One Rail Australia in February 2020 when G&W sold their share of the company. ORA sent 1603 to Port Augusta for overhaul in June 2022, but this overhaul was stopped following Aurizon's takeover of ORA the following month. As of 2023, 1601 and 1606 are working at Thevenard on gypsum trains.

• NJ1 was named after prime ministerBen Chifley, a former locomotive driver fromBathurst, nearKelso where many of the locomotives' components were manufactured. As of 2020, the locomotive unofficially carried the name "Thevenard" on the side of the locomotive cab, possibly reflecting the change to gypsum-only traffic for the motive power of the former South Australian Railways Port Lincoln Division.

Media related toCommonwealth Railways NJ class at Wikimedia Commons

• Aurizon diesel locomotives
• Clyde Engineering locomotives
• Co-Co locomotives
• Commonwealth Railways diesel locomotives
• Diesel locomotives of Western Australia
• Railway locomotives introduced in 1971
• 3 ft 6 in gauge locomotives of Australia
• Diesel–electric locomotives of Australia

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from March 2023
• Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2023
• All articles containing potentially dated statements
• Commons category link is on Wikidata