Goonyella rail system celebrates 42nd anniversary



The Goonyella rail system recently celebrated the 42^nd anniversary of the official opening of the Hay Point/Goonyella railway.

When it opened on the 5^th of November 1971, the line had only three Class 2100 locomotives and 74 G wagons to carry coal from various central Queensland mines in the Bowen basin to sea at Hay Point.

The introduction of Locotrol considerably increased the capacity of the line, with three remote Class 2100s and one Locomotive Remote Unit trailing an additional 74 G wagons on the train. When these trains first started running the Guard always rode on the second locomotive behind the lead locomotive at the front.

These 2100 locomotives, built by Clyde Engineering, were equipped with a Rootes blown diesel engine that could deliver 2000 horsepower to the main generator for tractive purposes.

People would have witnessed many empty and loaded coal trains passing through Yukan in the 1970’s and 1980’s – the familiar sight of 2100 Class Clyde Locomotives, G Class wagons and a LRC wagon making up the famous Goonyella coal train.

Forty-two years later the network has expanded across the Bowen Basin, servicing 24 mines through 477 kilometres of electrified narrow-gauge track. Trains on this track will haul 13,000 tonnes of coal at a time, as tonnages continue to increase to meet demand in a growing world market.

The coal terminals at Hay Point are now among the largest in the world. The network will transport an estimated one hundred million tonnes of coal in 2013-14.