Independent Rail of Australia
Encyclopedia
Independent Rail of Australia is an accredited railway freight operator in New South Wales
, Australia
.
in Sydney
's southwest.
The Independent Rail owned fleet initially included ex SRA
47 class
diesels, with most being leased from other operators and preservation groups. Leased locomotives included the 44 class
from the Lachlan Valley Railway
.
Since then the company has imported 16 second hand MZ III
class diesels from Danish
operator Danske Statsbaner
, the locomotives originally built by NOHAB
under licence from General Motors
Electro-Motive Diesel. They have been modified for Australian use and repainted in a silver livery. The total fleet now numbers 23 diesel electric locomotives and approximately 200 container flat wagons with automatic twist locks; and has been carrying out gas supplementation trials on its diesel locomotives for the past two years.
Independent Rail provides services to Tamworth
, Narrabri
, Newcastle
, Blayney
, Cootamundra
, Harefield
, Minto
and the Port Botany rail freight terminals
. It also operates a number of RailCorp and Australian Rail Track Corporation
spoil and infrastructure trains.
The company's use of heavily graffiti'd older locomotives has seen them nicknamed 'The Dodgy Brothers'
by local railfan
s.
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, 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...
.
History and Fleet
Originally known as Lachlan Valley Rail Freight (LVRF), the company changed names in 2007 and is based in MintoMinto, New South Wales
Minto is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Minto is located 48 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Campbelltown and is part of the Macarthur region.-History:...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
's southwest.
The Independent Rail owned fleet initially included ex SRA
New South Wales Government Railways
The New South Wales Government Railways was the government department that operated the New South Wales Government's railways until the establishment of the Public Transport Commission in 1972. Although later known officially as the Department of Railways, New South Wales, it was still generally...
47 class
New South Wales 47 class locomotive
The 47 class is a class of diesel-electric locomotive that was operated by the New South Wales Government Railways in Australia. Twenty locomotives were built altogether, intended for use on branchline services. The 47 class have a Caterpillar 16-D399TA engine, generating 840 kW / 1125 hp...
diesels, with most being leased from other operators and preservation groups. Leased locomotives included the 44 class
New South Wales 44 class locomotive
The 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...
from the Lachlan Valley Railway
Lachlan Valley Railway
The Lachlan Valley Railway Society Cooperative Limited is a non-profit rail preservation society based in the NSW Central Western town of Cowra, New South Wales, Australia. The museum's ex-NSWGR fleet ranges from their operational steam and diesel locomotives, to the fleet of heritage passenger...
.
Since then the company has imported 16 second hand MZ III
DSB class MZ
DSB class MZ was a series of 61 diesel-electric locomotives operated by Danske Statsbaner. They were built by NOHAB between 1967 and 1978 on licence from General Motors EMD with subcontractors Thrige-Titan and Frichs ....
class diesels from Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
operator Danske Statsbaner
Danske Statsbaner
DSB, an abbreviation of Danske Statsbaner , is the largest Danish train operating company, and the largest in Scandinavia. While DSB is responsible for passenger train operation on most of the Danish railways, goods transport and railway maintenance are outside its scope...
, the locomotives originally built by NOHAB
NOHAB
NOHAB was a manufacturing company in the city of Trollhättan, Sweden.The company was founded by Antenor Nydqvist, Johan Magnus Lidström and Carl Olof Holm in 1847 as Trollhättans Mekaniska Verkstad as a manufacturer of turbines for hydraulic power plants...
under licence from General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
Electro-Motive Diesel. They have been modified for Australian use and repainted in a silver livery. The total fleet now numbers 23 diesel electric locomotives and approximately 200 container flat wagons with automatic twist locks; and has been carrying out gas supplementation trials on its diesel locomotives for the past two years.
Independent Rail provides services to Tamworth
Tamworth, New South Wales
Tamworth is a city in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Peel River, Tamworth, which contains an estimated population of 47,595 people, is the major regional centre for southern New England and in the local government area of Tamworth Regional Council. The city...
, Narrabri
Narrabri, New South Wales
Narrabri is a town and seat of Narrabri Shire Council Local Government Area in the North West Slopes, New South Wales, Australia. Narrabri is situated on the Namoi River and lies northwest of Sydney. It sits on the junction of the Kamilaroi Highway and the Newell Highway...
, Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
, Blayney
Blayney, New South Wales
Blayney is a farming town and administrative centre with a population of 2,745 in 2006, in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia...
, Cootamundra
Cootamundra, New South Wales
Cootamundra is a town and Local Government Area in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia and within the Riverina. At the 2006 census, Cootamundra had a population of 5,566. It is located on the Olympic Highway at the point where it crosses the Muttama Creek, between Junee and...
, Harefield
Harefield, New South Wales
Harefield is a locality in New South Wales, Australia. It in the central east part of the Riverina and situated about 11 kilometres south from Junee and 35 kilometres north by road from Wagga Wagga....
, Minto
Minto, New South Wales
Minto is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Minto is located 48 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Campbelltown and is part of the Macarthur region.-History:...
and the Port Botany rail freight terminals
Port Botany (seaport)
Port Botany is a deepwater seaport located in Botany Bay in Sydney, Australia. The port is dominated by trade in containerised manufactured products, and to a lesser bulk liquid imports including petroleum and natural gas...
. It also operates a number of RailCorp and Australian Rail Track Corporation
Australian Rail Track Corporation
Australian Rail Track Corporation is a federal government owned corporation established in 1997 that owns, leases, maintains and controls the majority of main line standard gauge railway lines on the mainland of Australia, known as the Defined Interstate Rail Network .-History:The Interstate...
spoil and infrastructure trains.
The company's use of heavily graffiti'd older locomotives has seen them nicknamed 'The Dodgy Brothers'
Australia You're Standing In It
Australia You're Standing In It was an Australian sketch comedy series produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, first screened in 1983 with a second series made in 1984.-Cast:...
by local railfan
Railfan
A railfan or rail buff , railway enthusiast or railway buff , or trainspotter , is a person interested in a recreational capacity in rail transport...
s.