Clyde/GM BL Class
The BLs were built by Clyde under license from GM at Rosewater, SA, in 1983 and 1984 for Australian National for use on Intercapital freights. They have seen service with AN, National Rail and now Pacific National. These locomotives are used on a number of different duties including ore trains, broad gauge steel trains to Long Island, Vic, and East Coast Banking duties. The BLs seen in Queensland are generally coupled between two NRs for banking duties on the East Coast between Melbourne and Brisbane.
References
'Australian National BL class', Wikipedia (accessed October 2026)
'BL Class', Railtram Australia (accessed October 2026)
Technical details
| Model Number | JT26C-2SS |
|---|---|
| Builder | Clyde Engineering, Rosewater |
| Locomotive Numbers | BL26-35 |
| Number in Class | 10 |
| Introduced | 1983 |
| Gauge | Standard Gauge (1,435mm or 4' 8½") Broad Gauge (5' 3" or 1600mm) |
| Axles | Oº-Oº-Oº Oº-Oº-Oº Co-Co |
| Length | 19.82m |
| Mass | 129t |
| Engine | EMD 16-645E3B |
| Generator/Alternator | EMD AR16 |
| Traction Motors | EMD D77B |
| Power | 2460kW / 3300HP |
| Starting Tractive Effort | 465kN @ 30% adhesion |
| Continuous Tractive Effort | 337kN @ 18km/h |
| Speed | 115km/h |
Photos
Class roster
10 of 10 locomotives
| BL26 | 83-1010 | Mar-83 | - | - | |
| BL27 | 83-1011 | Sep-83 | - | - | |
| BL28 | 83-1012 | Sep-83 | - | - | |
| BL29 | 83-1013 | Oct-83 | - | - | |
| BL30 | 83-1014 | Dec-83 | - | - | |
| BL31 | 83-1015 | Nov-83 | - | - | |
| BL32 | 83-1016 | Feb-84 | - | - | |
| BL33 | 83-1017 | Apr-84 | - | - | |
| BL34 | 83-1018 | Jun-84 | - | - | |
| BL35 2 | 83-1019 | Jul-84 | - | - |


