ROAD 1 Turrella Tramway's X Class X 17

The TGR X class was the first mainline, diesel-electric locomotive purchased by an Australian government railway system. These 32 locomotives replaced steam locomotives on most mainline trains, but steam locomotives still saw occasional use on passenger, goods and shunting services up to 1975, 25 years after the introduction of the X class! Five locomotives were modified to the XA class. Some other modifications included the fitting of automatic couplers and sliding windows. Delivered in plain, dark green, all were progressively painted red from about 1954. From 1971 the locomotives were repainted yellow with black stripes. Four were painted AN green from 1981.

Photo: Locomotive X1, now located at the Tasmanian Transport Museum, in Glenorchy. 3 December 1995. Photo: Michael Dix

All X locos were out of Tasrail service by the end of 1988, but several are still operational in preservation and one, X17, is operational on the privately operated line of the Turrella Tramway in NSW. Here it is employed primarily on banking work on some of the steeper grades on the branch. Occasionally it assists in timber and ore haulage for the TT parent company, LGB (Luddenham Gravel & Ballast ), and is the main motive power for the “Turrella Limited” passenger excursion service on weekends and public holidays. Of the preserved locos, X1, X3 and X20 have been returned to TGR red colours and X4 is painted AN green. The remainders, including X17, are still painted TGR yellow.

Photo: Locomotive X17 crossing the Myrtleton Creek Bridge on the way to the Locoshed Roundhouse.

Preservation: X1 - Tasmanian Transport Museum, Hobart, Tasmania X3 - Bellarine Peninsula Railway, Queenscliff, Victoria X4 - Don River Railway, Devonport, Tasmania X10 - Derwent Valley Railway, New Norfolk, Tasmania X17 – Turrella Tramway, Luddenham NSW X18 - Derwent Valley Railway, New Norfolk, Tasmania X20 - Bellarine Peninsula Railway, Queenscliff, Victoria X30 (Static) - St Marys Station, Tasman

Details: Owners: TGR, AN, Turrella Tramway Pty Ltd. Original Number in class: 32 Power: 492 kW Wheel Arrangement: Bo - Bo Builder: English Electric, England Introduced: 1950 Number Built: 32 Current In Service: 0 Preserved operational: 7 Preserved Static: 1

Photo: X 17 passing the heavily overgrown camellia passing loop on it's way towards Bigglestown station.

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