Driving a CL class Locomotive!

Driving the Australian CL class locomotives
A drivers view of the controls and how it all happens, it looks easy but years of practice allow for predictions and how best to operate the train or locomotive.
Unfortunately my Pc has been having an issue rendering which is being sorted. So I uploaded this is 1080P instead of 4k.
Enjoy! 🤟

[@ethanthevictorianrailfan7030]

Cant get enough of the CL's! Nicely done mate, super cool seeing what you guys to to move these beasts. Rest in peace CLF1 :(

[@eol68896]

The CLP'S are very nice.& noticed they used to be owned by GWA Australia. But SSR finally has picked them up for use on grain haulage.

[@AUSSIETRAINDRIVER]

There was a few owners over the years, they are a beautiful locomotive. Always a pleasure to operate.

[@mb3558]

What's the best and worst you've operated?

[@rivervalley664]

Hi Adam, another great video as per usual, many thanks and stay safe. Cheers Lee.

[@NicholassTrainChannel]

As always a pleasure to watch. Nice one.

[@jamesgovett2501]

Great ride! Thanks for sharing 👌

[@TheTonystearns]

Thanks for the share , pretty neat seeing in what your guys version of what we call ee8 or ee9 unite ( covered wagons) you guys got updated operator consoles that’s too cool . Happy safe railroading . ❤

[@dberk71]

double thumbs up another awesome upload. Thanks You

[@trainfixer1981]

Nice sounding Dynamic Brake.

[@tomharrington1393]

Heck of a ride along 🚂🚂🚂

[@karen6778]

Very interesting. Thank you! 🙏

[@marhell9929]

Awesome Locomotive.. one of my favourites the CL......

[@STHSIndustries2K6]

Sadly CLF-1 got damaged in a rail crossing accident and is pending scrapping. CL17 is preserved though and is under restoration. Wow nice ride.

[@Trains-With-Shane]

Nothing beats the thunder of a big EMD turbo prime mover. Was that CLF3 at the head end there on the last clip? LOVE that unit!

[@danthefryingpan963]

Great video brother! 👌🏼

[@TristXD]

great video, thanks for sharing this :P

[@The_Real_DreamM]

That was really cool 👍

[@RYNT1157]

Even though our freight does not have buckye couplers we often try and bring the wagons together after stopping so uncoupling can be done easily. All our locos have desk controls but our single ended GMs had a console. The brake handles go the opposite to ours , we push forward to release. Throttle operation the same.

[@AUSSIETRAINDRIVER]

Interesting! Cheers for the info 🍻

[@joshhillman5317]

Very jealous. I'd love to be able to do this for a living.

[@paulsheahan1092]

I must say, I envy your job!!

[@AUSSIETRAINDRIVER]

It's not always as it seems... When you wake uo tired at 2am, imagine you are about to start a 12 hour shift... Haha. It can be hard work!

[@ausblue1]

lots of work to drive a train ,, thanks

[@MrTankThatStopped]

I’d love to do this one day

[@brendanengland8385]

Thank you..

[@robertcameron2808]

I thought a couple of these clp were written off in a derailment in Victoria a couple more need a lick of paint running around in grey.

[@AUSSIETRAINDRIVER]

CLF1 was written off recently in nsw

[@petersmith4455]

hi there. greetings from england, wish we had them here, great looking loco, a bit like the emd f7 but the driving desk is different.are these locos about 1700 b.h.p. and two stroke. great video.

[@AUSSIETRAINDRIVER]

These are essentially a streamlined SD40 - so they are a 3000hp V16 emd 2 stroke. Built in the 1970s and still going strong.

[@bigman4225]

drove these once when arg/gwa was common in victoria i belive early-mid 2010s as i was a momentum subbie at the time and gwa had no crew available or not qualified

[@AUSSIETRAINDRIVER]

Yeah sure we're!

[@bigman4225]

@@AUSSIETRAINDRIVER great locos but i was never a big fan of their rebuilt status as working a desktop for me was uncomfortable as i didn't fit too well. how are they going at ssr?

[@AUSSIETRAINDRIVER]

Yeah side controls are better 100% but what do you do.. They need some TLC but they are going reasonably well.

[@bigman4225]

@@AUSSIETRAINDRIVER still better then driving a t class backwards. my pet hate

[@KCSM_1200]

Here in Mexico, those locomotives are called Chatas because of their exterior design. definition of Chatas: Flattened nose

[@legass420]

Awesome video mate! At around 2:21 you appear to quickly move the controller into idle before moving back to notch 1. Why is this?

[@AUSSIETRAINDRIVER]

Usually to drop amps momentarily, if you kill the throttle you loose amps and they have to build again which gives you more control, unfortunately in this video the CL was offline in the shut so you can't see it happening.

[@legass420]

@@AUSSIETRAINDRIVER Cheers!

[@MrRandom750]

Oppff that horn on the passenger train sounded like a over blown kazoo.

[@jasonwhitler4167]

Alright I have to ask. Do you prefer console controls or a control stand?

[@AUSSIETRAINDRIVER]

Control stand.

[@glenbrown3011]

I'm gonna have to come for a spin......or even jump ship haha. Nah all jokes aside, another shit hot video bloke. You've done it again. Will have to catch up for a beer soon.

[@AUSSIETRAINDRIVER]

Defs man

[@steveh9169]

good old casper & space ghost......

[@maxxfx4767]

Where we you head to/from? Surely too long to go back to Kensington.

[@AUSSIETRAINDRIVER]

Appleton dock to various places in nsw atm.

[@supercuda1950]

Tell your boss we (me and you) could put on a bigger turbo, bigger injectors, and a controller and add at least another 1000hp. Only problem is it wouldn't make it between fuel refills. By the way, do the newer engines have power steering(lol)?

[@AUSSIETRAINDRIVER]

Hahaha made me laugh! Cheers! The usa did some mods to their engines in the 70s-80s to add power some with success others became less reliable, but I can assure you those EMDs are near on bullet proof.

[@louiskats5116]

Goodday Adam, Finally I get my first chance to watch your video, it has been a absolutely crazy week at work doing crazy crazy hours. Friday night enjoying a beer whilst watching CLP'S doing their thing. Recognize the first half Emerald Grain. They do very little housekeeping regarding the weeds. Any chance you can do a in cab fully loaded climbing Heathcote Junction, I was watching on another channel and you basically just barely make it over the crest. Love to hear those EMD'S working on hands and knees to makr the gradient. All the best for Xmas, sooner or later we will meet & greet down at the bottom of the siding at Emerald Grain one day. Cheers Louis 👍

[@AUSSIETRAINDRIVER]

Yes good idea, I can do that!! Cheers for the comments as always.

[@EWM27]

Interesting that this unit isn’t equipped with a cab radio and you have to use a handheld! When my Conductors get more than 3000 ft (900m ~) away, a handheld is almost useless on either end lol.

[@AUSSIETRAINDRIVER]

We have both but the hand held can be a little less clunky on the grain tip jobs.

[@chrismcdonnell1695]

I never understand why the brakes are manipulated while the throttle is active. I clearly have a lot to learn.

[@AUSSIETRAINDRIVER]

When you have a long train you can bunch it up or stretch it out depending on your next plan.. If it's stretched and you need to uncouple, you can't due to the force on the coupler pin. So we power pushing back with the train brake on to ensure the train is bunched and pins can be lifted. Of you want the train secure so no one can lift a pin, you stretch it out.

[@H3avyHaul3r]

pushing through your brakes especially with shunting a reverse move is necessary to be able to control a long string with some sort of precision…its a valuable technique

[@aaronfitzgerald9109]

It's to prevent train "run-in" forces and stretching, or else it can derail, snap couplers or will not allow the shunter to disconnect the rake or some wagons, so the brakes need to be used with throttle to prevent this.

[@darylcheshire1618]

When I travelled in the van of a sheep train in SA, when the loco moves the slack is taken up and the wagons go “b-b-b-b-b-b” until the van is suddenly jerked. I think that is called a run in? Almost like a wave motion.

[@scr2392]

It’s kind of funny the trains in the US the drivers sit on the right but in AUS THE driverS sit on the left

[@H3avyHaul3r]

in the state of Qld Australia we drive on the “right” 👍 side like you guys thank god

[@produKtNZ]

What's the unit of measure with "2 to go"? 2 lengths of a standard carriage?

[@EAFSQ9]

probably a single car per measure (each of which is 15m long). So if it's "2 to go", means there's about 30m till he has to stop

[@AUSSIETRAINDRIVER]

I generally use the length of the loco the driver is on, or count by feet given container sizes, but we also often use metres but I've got a fair grasp on both when driving, I kinda want to teach that both can be used but I'm aware feet will progressively get phased out here in Australia.

[@ajlow14]

What kind of qualifications do you need to have to get a train driver job there? I'm already a train driver in Canada and I'm actually an ozzie citizen thanks to my old man.

[@AUSSIETRAINDRIVER]

We have cert 4 in train driving here. If you've been an engineer before in the USA/Canada I can't see an issue with applying here for a job.

[@keepcalmandblametheblackgu9164]

What do you do if you need to go to the dunny.

[@AUSSIETRAINDRIVER]

Most of the locos have a toilet, or most stations do worst case.

[@cavemanballistics6338]

No directional horn for forward and reverse?

[@AUSSIETRAINDRIVER]

No not on the CLs.

[@roblachman8919]

Great vid. Still can’t understand why anyone would spray paint garbage on rail wagons. 🤡

[@rob1248996]

For those of us that don't drive CL's. What is a CL?

[@hcrun]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_Railways_CL_class

[@AUSSIETRAINDRIVER]

Yes Wikipedia has more info than I could elaborate, but their claim to fame being the last streamliners built in the world - mid 1970s

[@EAFSQ9]

@@AUSSIETRAINDRIVER Goes to show how these old streamliners are still going strong, even with these 16cyl 2-stroke EMD engines that were built in the early 70's heh

[@muhammadarslan2805]

How to join aurizon railways

[@AUSSIETRAINDRIVER]

Best apply online, they don't run much down south here.

[@Dan-rg7jj]

Adblue?

[@AUSSIETRAINDRIVER]

Coolant water

[@Dan-rg7jj]

@@AUSSIETRAINDRIVER aaa I use that stuff in my LS

[@dannywilliamson3340]

Please hard mount your camera so we don't have to take Dramamine.

[@AUSSIETRAINDRIVER]

Easier said than done. Haha. Was on my helmet for a unique first person view. I don't do that often though.

[@jesstill7833]

👍👍👍👍👍💪💪💪💪💪😁😁😎

[@H3avyHaul3r]

as a driver i so dislike that term “red light” for STOP…why use a longer two syllable direction…

[@AUSSIETRAINDRIVER]

I guess it just keeps everything uniform, red light applies to rail vehicles only generally so it's easy if you hear that to pull up.