The 90 class are a class of heavy mainline diesel locomotive operated by Pacific National that entered service from 1994. They are the heaviest locomotives on the network and are only used on Hunter Valley coal workings.
Design[]
Purchased under a Ready Power contract like the 82 class, the first batch of 90 class were built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division (EMD), London, Ontario, Canada (9001–9031) in 1994, while new locomotives were obtained in 2006, built by EDI Rail Cardiff, New South Wales (9032–9035).
Despite two manufacturers of the 90 class, the specifications remain the same. They have EMD 16-710G3A sixteen cylinder, two-stroke engines, rated at 3,030 kW (4,060 hp), have a mass of 165 t, have Co-Co wheel arrangement and have a maximum speed of 115 km/h. The EMD 710 series was the last major development of large two-stroke engines by the former Electro-Motive Division of the General Motors Corporation. More recent engine development has focused on a new four stroke design.
90 Class locomotives are of a single ended cab design, with an almost identical cab layout to the 82 Class.
A large number of the class are named after Olympic sportsman from past Games. 9001–9031 are in the Freightcorp Livery, with Pacific National decals over the Freightcorp logo, while the 4 which were built by EDI have the Pacific National livery.
Operations[]
The 90 class are restricted to coal haulage in the Hunter Valley due to their size and weight. They can be found on the Main North as far as Muswellbrook and the Ulan line as far as Ulan. They are usually found to be working in threes, but are also found working with 81 class, 82 class, 92 Class and G Class locomotives (Mostly by them selves of with a TT, LDP, 92, 93 as of November 2024) which now frequent the Hunter Valley on Pacific National coal workings. The class can often be seen with batwing style hoppers being the NHRH, PHCH, PHCM, PHWH, RHFH, RHHH and the NHYH series coal wagons
Very rarely, in times of rollingstock shortage, the 90 class have been known to operate on other trains. Members of the class have visited the Wheel lathe at DELEC and one was on display at Central Station for the 100th Anniversary of Clyde Engineering in 1998.
Since 2022, units have gradually been entering storage as newer and more versatile locomotives arrive. Their future is unknown.
As of November 2024, around half the of the class is stored at Port waratah and Kooragang, with most being withdrawn in 2023, in 2024, 9022, 9023, and 9005 were all operating during January and February 2024 before being withdrawn from service, it is unknown what the others will face in the coming year (2025).
Fleet Status table[]
| Locomotive No. | Status | Location (Only applies to Stored Units) | Livery |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9001 | Stored | Port Waratah | Freight Corp |
| 9002 | Stored | Kooragang | Freight Corp |
| 9003 | Stored | Unknown | Freight Corp |
| 9004 | Stored | Port Waratah | Freight Corp |
| 9005 | Stored | Port Waratah | Freight Corp |
| 9006 | Stored | Unknown | Freight Corp |
| 9007 | Stored | Port Waratah | Freight Corp |
| 9008 | Operational | Not applicable | Freight Corp |
| 9009 | Stored | Unknown | Freight Corp |
| 9010 | Stored | Port Waratah | Freight Corp |
| 9011 | Stored | Port Waratah | Freight Corp |
| 9012 | Stored | Port Waratah | Pacific national Yellow and blue |
| 9013 | Stored | Port Kooragang | Freight Corp |
| 9014 | Stored | Unkown | Freight Corp |
| 9015 | Operational | Not Applicable | Freight Corp |
| 9016 | Stored | Port waratah | Freight Corp |
| 9017 | Stored | Unknown | Freight Corp |
| 9018 | Stored | Port Waratah | Freight Corp |
| 9019 | Operational | Not applicable | Freight Corp |
| 9020 | Operational | Not applicable | Freight Corp |
| 9021 | Stored | Cardiff | Freight Corp |
| 9022 | Stored | Port waratah | Freight Corp |
| 9023 | Stored | Port waratah | Freight Corp |
| 9024 | Operational | Not applicable | Freight Corp |
| 9025 | Operational | Not applicable | Freight Corp |
| 9026 | Operational | Not applicable | Freight Corp |
| 9027 | Operational | Not applicable | Freight Corp |
| 9028 | Operational | Not applicable | Freight Corp |
| 9029 | Operational | Not applicable | Freight Corp |
| 9030 | Operational | Not applicable | Freight Corp |
| 9031 | Operational | Not applicable | Pacific national yellow and blue |
| 9032 | Operational | Not applicable | Pacific national yellow and blue |
| 9033 | Operational | Not applicable | Pacific national yellow and blue |
| 9034 | Operational | Not applicable | Pacific national yellow and blue |
| 9035 | Operational | Not applicable | Pacific national yellow and blue |