Commonwealth Railways L class


The Commonwealth Railways L class was a class of freight locomotives built in 1951-1952 by Clyde Engineering, Granville, for the Commonwealth Railways, Australia.

History

In the late 1940s, the Federal Government placed an order with Clyde Engineering, Granville for fifty 2-8-2 locomotives. These were ordered as part of Australia's contribution to the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration rehabilitation of China. With the first locomotives under construction, China fell to the Communists and Australia's obligations ceased.
The government was able to renegotiate the contract, with only twenty built. Ten were taken by the Commonwealth Railways, even though it already had diesel locomotives on order, with the other ten going to the South Australian Railways as the 740 class. Some never entered service being placed on the scrap line at Port Augusta. All were officially withdrawn by May 1959. They were scrapped in the mid 1960s with the boilers sold overseas.
Some the tenders were converted into water carriers for use on the Commonwealth Railways weed killer train, still being in use in the early 1980s.