42204 (Michael Donahoo)

42206 (Chris Stratton)

42202 (Marc Hunt)

FL220 (Rodney Smith)

2201 (Mark Grace)

Locomotive numbers: 42201-42220

Model Number: J26C (42220 later J26C-2SS)
 

Type	Diesel-Electric
Introduced	1969
Number in class	20
Manufacturer	Clyde Engineering, Granville
Gauge	Standard
Axles	Co-Co
Length	18.44 m
Mass	110 t
Engine	EMD 16-645E
Generator Alternator	EMD D32B-D14  EMD AR16-D14 (42220, following rebuild)
Traction motors	EMD D77
Power	1640 kW / 2200 HP
Tractive effort	323 / 271 kN
Speed	124 / 12 km/h

The 422 class were the first of the "Flying Bricks", a boxy design which seems a bit "dull" to some railfans. They have spent most of their time on the "Main South" to Albury, as well as on to Melbourne, including work on the Melbourne-Sydney passenger services. Following the introduction of the NR class, their future became uncertain, and all were then withdrawn. Countrylink owned 42203 and 42220 prior to their withdrawl, and they were used for their Griffith/Broken Hill passenger services.
In 1980, 42220 was rebuilt, to trial the new "Super Series" wheelslip-correction equipment, thus becoming a prototype for the 81 class.

Two of the class have been sold to Northern Rivers Railroad, 16 have been sold to Australia Southern Railroad, and the last two have been sold to CFCLA.

Northern Rivers Railroad:
These locos were the latest addition to the Northern Rivers Railroad fleet. One of the two has been returned to service.
They were later sold to QR Interail to become their 422 class.

QR - Interail:
These locos became the most powerful locos in the Interail fleet at their time of pruchase. Both are now in service in NSW. They were later joined by those ex-ARG 422's joining the QRN fleet (see below).

CFCLA - FL/HL:
These locos were the first of the locos bought from Freightcorp to enter service with CFCLA. Both are now back in service.
HL203 is in a maroon livery.

Australia Railroad Group (ASR):
These locos were initially used as bankers in the Adelaide Hills and other traffic, and were later used for construction work on the Alice Springs - Darwin line.
42207, 42209-42211, and 42218 have even returned to NSW for a time, on loan to ATN and Lachlan Valley Railfreight, while 2203 and 42219 went on lease to South Spur Rail in WA (among their travels). As a result, the 422 class are now become one of the more travelled classes on the Australian railway network.
It is also possible that some upgrading work may be done on them.
All are now back in SA, or on the Alice-Darwin line.

2201-2204 were used on construction work for the Alice-Darwin line, and a Manildra Group contract for ARG saw the 422's returning to NSW.

With the sale and breakup of ARG in 2006, the class was split between QRN-ARG and GWA, with most going to QRN.

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