Progress Rail/EMD 4600 Class

Bowen Rail's 4600s are Progress Rail EMD GT46C-ACe Gen IIIs, built in the USA by Caterpillar's Progress Rail business. The first ten came in through the Port of Townsville and were officially welcomed in September 2021, and there are 14 of them now. Bowen Rail reckons they're the most powerful diesels in Queensland, and says they use about 10% less fuel than the other diesels in the Bowen Basin.

They run in pairs on 86-wagon coal trains from the Carmichael Mine, over the Carmichael Rail Network and Aurizon's Newlands system to the North Queensland Export Terminal.

References

'Bowen Rail's Queensland coal locomotives delivered', Railway Gazette International, 24 September 2021
'Bowen Rail unveils its new locomotives', Railway PRO, 27 September 2021
'Rollingstock', Bowen Rail Company (accessed October 2026)