Reviews
SAR/ANR/AN 830/NSWGR 48 Class Locomotives, r-t-r in HO scale by Auscision Models, PO Box 1791, Castle Hill 1765.Website: www.auscisionmodels.com.au . Price: $335.00.
Prototype
If Sir Topham Hatt (Thomas the Tank Engine’s Fat Controller) had seen the plucky little 830 and 48 class locomotives operating, I am certain that he would have said that they are “Really useful engines”. This class of little branch line locomotives have demonstrated over and over that they are wonderful, versatile locomotives. These plucky little South Australian Railways (SAR) and New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR) locomotives have operated across Australia.
They have worked on broad gauge, standard gauge and narrow gauge tracks and were equally at home on light branch lines and the main line. They have hauled all types of trains from passenger trains to branch line goods. We’re told that a pair of 830s once pulled The Overland from Adelaide to Tailem Bend after a couple of their bigger brothers failed! A really useful engine indeed!
In 1959, the NSWGR placed an order with A.E. Goodwin for units of the Alco DL531 branch line locomotive design for the NSWGR system which became the 48 class, eventually the most ubiquitous class of diesel locomotives in NSW with 165 members. The first of the class was delivered in September 1959 and the last in October 1970. There were four versions of the loco: Mark 1; Mark 2; Mark 3 and Mark 4. The main visual differences are the air reservoirs each side of the fuel tanks on Mark 1 and 2 locomotives and a larger fuel tank on the latter two versions.
