Great Northern Rail Services
Encyclopedia
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Great Northern Rail Services was incorporated in July 1993 and provided locomotives and train crews to other rail operators, ran general train operations (freight and passenger) and operated rail vehicle maintenance services in Victoria. By 1998 it has purchased 25 locomotives, and refurbished 12 of them to incorporate many updated features. The company was the first fully accredited and operational private rail operator in Victoria. The company ceased operations in November 2002 due to the increased public liability insurance costs.
History
Great Northern Rail Services had its start in the leasing of locomotives, in particular to the National Rail CorporationNational Rail Corporation
The National Rail Corporation was a rail operator in Australia. The Australian Government, New South Wales and Victoria established the National Rail Corporation in 1992...
, but later expanded into other rail and rail related areas. The main areas of operation were:
- Infrastructure maintenance (ballast spreading, rail recovery, sleeper distribution etc.)
- Maintenance of locomotives and Wagons – In-Field and Depot.
- Locomotive leasing (with own crew, or pure leasing)
- General train operations (provision of locomotives, crews and crew hire)
- Hook & pull operations
- Terminal shunt and transfer
- Intermodal terminal operation
In November 1997, the company was the first private company to sign an Enterprise Agreement with the Public Transport Union - Locomotives Division and became the first private company to operate locomotives with its own crews on the Victorian rail network
Rail transport in Victoria
Rail transport in Victoria, Australia, is provided by a number of railway operators who operate over the government-owned railway lines. Victorian lines use broad gauge, with the exception of a number of standard gauge freight and interstate lines, a few experimental narrow gauge lines, and...
.
Timeline
A timeline of the company:- July 1993
- Great Northern Rail Services incorporated
- July 1994
- First locomotives hired to National Rail CorporationNational Rail CorporationThe National Rail Corporation was a rail operator in Australia. The Australian Government, New South Wales and Victoria established the National Rail Corporation in 1992...
- First locomotives hired to National Rail Corporation
- November 1994
- First privately owned and operated locomotives on Public Transport CorporationPublic Transport CorporationThe Public Transport Corporation was a State Government of Victoria owned corporate body formed under the Transport Act 1983 which operated passenger and freight trains, trams and bus services in Victoria, Australia....
network - Operation of the first private commercial diesel hauled train in Victoria
- T373 converted to standard gauge by GNRS for operation on the One NationOne Nation (Infrastructure)One Nation was an Australian Government program of infrastructure development carried out under the Keating Government from 1991 to 1996. Much of the program was implemented as a means of stimulating the economy in the aftermath of the Early 1990s recession....
project - T381 based "in-field" on the One Nation project
- Great Northern undertake in-field maintenance of the Victorian One Nation ballast wagon fleet
- First privately owned and operated locomotives on Public Transport Corporation
- June 1995
- Contract with Australian NationalAustralian National Railways CommissionThe Australian National Railways Commission was a government owned railway operator in Australia. ANRC was also known as Australian National Railways in its early years and was later rebranded as Australian National .-History:...
commences for the shunt, cleaning, train examination and full servicing of The Overland in MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater... - Four WestrailWestrailWestrail was the name of Western Australia’s public rail service between 1975 and 2000.It had its origins in 1877 as the Department of Works and Railways. This became Western Australian Government Railways in 1890 — a name that persisted for almost a century...
J classWAGR J class (diesel)The J-class is a Bo-Bo diesel-electric locomotive, built by Clyde Engineering in Granville, NSW, for the Western Australian Government Railways. Adapted from the EMD G6B design and based on the VR Y-class, they were first introduced in July of 1966, and were used for shunting on the new standard...
locomotives acquired, and extensive modifications undertaken for Driver Only (DOO) shunt duties
- Contract with Australian National
- December 1997
- The first ever track access agreement signed with VicTrackVicTrackVicTrack is the Victorian Government agency which owns all railway and tram lines, associated rail lands and other related rail-related infrastructure in the state of Victoria, Australia....
for access to the Victorian Network
- The first ever track access agreement signed with VicTrack
- January 1998
- First private locomotive and crew operated
- August 1998
- Purchase of 1800 hp locomotives for rebuilding
- September 1998
- Leasing of intermodal Terminal at Dynon, MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
( ex TNT Contrans )
- Leasing of intermodal Terminal at Dynon, Melbourne
- August 1999
- Company leases the Bendigo WorkshopsBendigo WorkshopsBendigo Workshops is a railway workshop located in the provincial city of Bendigo, Victoria, Australia. They are located in the north of the city and occupies 10.3 hectare of land beside the junction of the Swan Hill and Echuca railway lines.-History:...
.
- Company leases the Bendigo Workshops
- November 2002
- Public liability insurance costs force the operator to cease operations.
Fleet
The GNRS fleet was obtained second hand from other operators, some being overhauled and returned to service, while others were acquired for spare parts. The corporate livery consisted of burgundy with a broad red stripe along the side of the unit, dropping into a 'V' at the front of the locomotive, and a yellow pinstripe separating the colours.- T373Victorian Railways T class (diesel)The Victorian Railways T class diesel electric locomotive are a small branch line and shunting unit built by Clyde Engineering . They were the most numerous class of diesel locomotives in the state....
, T376 T377 and T381 were bought from V/LineV/LineV/Line is a not for profit regional passenger train and coach service in Victoria, Australia. It was created after the split-up of VicRail in 1983. V/Line is owned by the V/Line Corporation which is a Victorian State Government statutory authority...
. - J102WAGR J class (diesel)The J-class is a Bo-Bo diesel-electric locomotive, built by Clyde Engineering in Granville, NSW, for the Western Australian Government Railways. Adapted from the EMD G6B design and based on the VR Y-class, they were first introduced in July of 1966, and were used for shunting on the new standard...
, J103, J105 were bought from WestrailWestrailWestrail was the name of Western Australia’s public rail service between 1975 and 2000.It had its origins in 1877 as the Department of Works and Railways. This became Western Australian Government Railways in 1890 — a name that persisted for almost a century...
. - GM10, 12, 14, 18, 19, 22, 25, 26, 27, 33, 35 and 41 were bought from Australian National.
- S317Victorian Railways S class (diesel)The Victorian Railways S class mainline diesel electric locomotive were built from 1957 by Clyde Engineering for the Victorian Railways of Australia...
was bought from the Seymour Railway Heritage CentreSeymour Railway Heritage CentreThe Seymour Railway Heritage Centre is a railway preservation group based in Seymour, Victoria, Australia. The volunteer non-profit incorporated association was established in 1983 to restore and preserve locomotives and rolling stock as used on the railways of Victoria.The group is an accredited...
. - T345 was bought from a preservation group.
- 4468New South Wales 44 class locomotiveThe New South Wales 44 class locomotives were one of the first locomotives built by A. E. Goodwin in the Alco tradition. One-hundred of these DL500B units were built. Introduced in 1957, these locomotives have served every part of NSW, from services in the North and South, to the Indian Pacific...
, 4471, 4477, 4483, 4501New South Wales 45 class locomotiveThe New South Wales 45 class are a class of diesel-electric locomotives built for and operated by the New South Wales Government Railways from 1962...
, 4502, 4528 and 3532 were bought from Rail Services Australia in mid 2000. - Y145Victorian Railways Y class (diesel)The Victorian Railways Y class diesel electric locomotive is a small branch line and shunting unit built by Clyde Engineering . Three separate orders were delivered...
, T372 and T386 were acquired from V/Line but scrapped.
Of these locomotives, only T345, T373, T376, T377, T381, S317, GM10, GM22, GM27, the J class, 4468, 4471 and 4477 were actually operational.
Demise
GNRS ceased operating trains under their own accreditation from 20 November 2002 but continued under the control of Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia until 2 December 2003 when a management buyout was made. The locomotives and operator accreditation of the company were acquired by Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia, who retains the locomotives today, and sold the operator accreditation to Southern Shorthaul RailroadSouthern Shorthaul Railroad
Southern Shorthaul Railroad was established in December 2003, when the remains of Great Northern Rail Services were purchased from CFCL Australia Pty Ltd. Jason Ferguson was then the Fleet Manager for CFCL Australia, and this company was facing a $1.3M write-off of a bad-debt from the previous...
. Chief executive Geoff Tighe later became business manager for El Zorro
El Zorro (railway)
El Zorro is a railway operator based in Victoria, Australia. It is a private company that was founded in 1999, based in Spotswood, and named by director Ray Evans who has a taste for things Spanish. . The company has three shareholders: director Ray Evans, business manager Geoff Tighe, and Lisa...
, another small rail freight operator.