Clyde/GM WRC Class
The WRCs are three more ex-QR 2170s, 2202, 2204 and 2206, from the 2202-2210 batch that went into service in late 1983. That batch had bigger fuel tanks than the rest of the class (7,273 litres against 5,950) and spent years at Townsville on Greenvale and Mount Isa line trains before moving down to Gladstone. Like the WRBs they went to Transnet in South Africa, then Watco bought them back and renumbered them, and they went back to work in 2022.
References
'Queensland Railways 2170 class', Wikipedia (accessed October 2026)
'WRC Class', Railtram Australia (accessed October 2026)
Technical details
| Model Number | GL26C-2 |
|---|---|
| Builder | Clyde Engineering |
| Locomotive Numbers | WRC2202, 2204, 2206 |
| Number in Class | 3 |
| Introduced | 2022 (with Watco) |
| Gauge | Narrow Gauge (1,067mm or 3' 6") |
| Axles | Oº-Oº-Oº Oº-Oº-Oº Co-Co |
| Length | 17.04m (over body) |
| Mass | 97.5t |
| Engine | EMD 16-645E |
| Power | 1641kW starting / 1492kW continuous |
| Starting Tractive Effort | 286kN @ 30% adhesion |
| Continuous Tractive Effort | 213kN @ 19.8km/h |
| Speed | 100km/h |
Class roster
3 of 3 locomotives
| WRC2202 | 83-1166 | Sep-83 | - | - | Ex QR 2202. Exported to Transnet, South Africa, 2014, and repatriated for Watco |
| WRC2204 | 83-1168 | Sep-83 | - | - | Ex QR 2204. Exported to Transnet, South Africa, 2014, and repatriated for Watco |
| WRC2206 | 83-1170 | Oct-83 | - | - | Ex QR 2206. Exported to Transnet, South Africa, 2014, and repatriated for Watco |