CR GM Class

CR GM Class

AN GM Class

Having long endured the operating hardships of bad coal and bad water on the rugged Trans Australia Railway, the Commonwealth Railways turned their attention toward dieselisation during the late 1940s.

Clyde Engineering acquired the services of former SAR Chief Mechanical Engineer Fred Shea, to design and oversee the production of a GM-EMD F7 model suitable for use on the Commonwealth Railways system, importantly on the Trans Australia Railway. The equipment was re-arranged to suit Australia's tighter loading gauges, resulting in a lower, longer version of the US EMD unit. The longer carbody facilitated a 3rd, unpowered axle in the bogie, the burden of US axle load being well beyond the tolerance of existing infrastructure.

Re-arrangements to the engine room resulted in a longer, lower version of the F7 suitable for Australia's smaller loading gauges. A 3 axle bogie was adopted to reduce axle load; and the first series delivered were of A1A-A1A wheel arrangement. Revisions in design saw a Co-Co configuration adopted from GM12 onwards.

Before the introduction of interworking in the mid 80's the GM Class were seen at the head of almost all standard gauge Central Australian trains between Broken Hill and Kalgoorlie; including the famous Ghan and Indian Pacific services.

Today, a handful of GMs remain in service, and several class members have been preserved. Class leader GM1 holds the record of being the oldest commercially operational diesel locomotive in the country, and remains in service more than 50 years after it first roared across the Australian desert.


Model: EMD ML1/A7
Year: 1951 - 68
Engine: (GM1-11) EMD 16-567B
Horsepower: (GM1-11) 1500
Starting Tractive Effort: (GM1-11) 184kN
Continuous Tractive Effort: (GM1-11) 132kN
Maximum Speed: 143km/h
Driving Wheel Diameter: 1.02
Length: 18.54m
Height: above rail 4.267
Width: 2.972
Weight: (GM1-11) 109 Tonnes

CR GM Class
• config.txt 23.19KB
gm_angreen_body
angreen_gm12_sidegrill copy-angreen_gm12_sidegrill_opacity.texture.txt 92 bytes
angreen_gm12_sidegrill copy.tga 24.04KB
angreen_gm12_sidegrill_opacity.bmp 9.05KB
angreen_gma-angreen_gma.texture.txt 57 bytes
angreen_gma.tga 2.04KB
angreen_gmb-angreen_gmb.texture.txt 57 bytes
angreen_gmb.tga 8.04KB
cupla.texture.txt 28 bytes
cupla.tga 768.04KB
digit_1a.texture.txt 31 bytes
digit_1a.tga 1.04KB
digit_1b.texture.txt 31 bytes
digit_1b.tga 4.04KB
digit_2a.texture.txt 31 bytes
digit_2a.tga 1.04KB
digit_2b.texture.txt 31 bytes
digit_2b.tga 4.04KB
digit_3a.texture.txt 31 bytes
digit_3a.tga 1.04KB
digit_3b.texture.txt 31 bytes
digit_3b.tga 4.04KB
digit_4a.texture.txt 31 bytes
digit_4a.tga 1.04KB
digit_4b.texture.txt 31 bytes
digit_4b.tga 4.04KB
digit_5a.texture.txt 31 bytes
digit_5a.tga 1.04KB
digit_5b.texture.txt 31 bytes
digit_5b.tga 4.04KB
digit_6a.texture.txt 31 bytes
digit_6a.tga 1.04KB
digit_6b.texture.txt 31 bytes
digit_6b.tga 4.04KB
env_glass.bmp 12.05KB
env_metal-env_metal.texture.txt 53 bytes
env_metal.bmp 12.05KB
env_metal.texture.txt 32 bytes
gm_angreen_a copy.texture.txt 40 bytes
gm_angreen_a copy.tga 768.04KB
gm_angreen_b copy.texture.txt 40 bytes
gm_angreen_b copy.tga 384.04KB
gm_angreen_b.texture.txt 40 bytes
gm_angreen_body.im 432.93KB
horn_support.bmp 3.05KB
horn_support.tga 6.04KB
light-light.texture.txt 45 bytes
light.bmp 2.05KB
light.texture.txt 28 bytes
light.tga 3.04KB
gm_cr_alpha_numbers
alphanumber_0a.tga 1.04KB
alphanumber_0b.tga 4.04KB
alphanumber_1a.tga 1.04KB
alphanumber_1b.tga 4.04KB
alphanumber_2a.tga 1.04KB
alphanumber_2b.tga 4.04KB
alphanumber_3a.tga 1.04KB
alphanumber_3b.tga 4.04KB
alphanumber_4a.tga 1.04KB
alphanumber_4b.tga 4.04KB
alphanumber_5a.tga 1.04KB
alphanumber_5b.tga 4.04KB
alphanumber_6a.tga 1.04KB
alphanumber_6b.tga 4.04KB
alphanumber_7a.tga 1.04KB
alphanumber_7b.tga 4.04KB
alphanumber_8a.tga 1.04KB
alphanumber_8b.tga 4.04KB
alphanumber_9a.tga 1.04KB
alphanumber_9b.tga 4.04KB
gm_cr_art
gm_cr_art_icon.texture.txt 77 bytes
gm_cr_art_icon.tga 32.04KB
gm_cr_shadow
black.texture.txt 28 bytes
black.tga 812 bytes
gm_cr_shadow.im 83.05KB