NREC WRA Class
The WRAs are eight National Railway Equipment Company E2250CCs, built in the USA for Watco's Queensland grain contract with GrainCorp. The first two, WRA001 and WRA002, came off the Tarago at the Port of Brisbane on 9 October 2019 and were dragged out to Warwick behind QR 1724. Once they'd been certified and tested they started on grain and cattle trains in 2020. They've got a 12-cylinder EMD 645 engine.
On 23 May 2024 a WRA-hauled train came off at the Gooray Road level crossing, about 41 km west of Goondiwindi. WRA005 was written off and WRA008 had to be cut up on site just to get it out.
References
'Watco Australia WRA Class', Wikipedia (accessed October 2026)
'Rail transport in Queensland', Wikipedia (accessed October 2026)
Technical details
| Model Number | E2250CC |
|---|---|
| Builder | National Railway Equipment Company, USA |
| Locomotive Numbers | WRA001-WRA008 |
| Number in Class | 8 |
| Introduced | 2020 |
| Gauge | Narrow Gauge (1,067mm or 3' 6") |
| Axles | Oº-Oº-Oº Oº-Oº-Oº Co-Co |
| Mass | 94.5t |
| Engine | EMD 12-645E3B |
| Traction Motors | GE 761 |
| Power | 1680kW / 2250HP |
| Starting Tractive Effort | 250kN |
| Speed | 100km/h |
Class roster
8 of 8 locomotives
| WRA001 | ? | ? | - | - | |
| WRA002 | ? | ? | - | - | |
| WRA003 | ? | ? | - | - | |
| WRA004 | ? | ? | - | - | |
| WRA005 | ? | ? | - | - | Damaged beyond repair in a derailment near Goondiwindi, 23 May 2024 |
| WRA006 | ? | ? | - | - | |
| WRA007 | ? | ? | - | - | |
| WRA008 | ? | ? | - | - | Cut up on site after a derailment near Goondiwindi, 23 May 2024 |