New "EMD" power in the Adelaide Hills!

In March 2023, Aurizon took delivery of another 3 "GWB" class locomotives for their newly acquired "One Rail Australia" grain trains in South Australia. On my latest trip to the Hills in April 23' , I was lucky to catch 2 of these new units , working on grain trains at Mt' Lofty Station.
First we see catch the locos on an empty , rolling through Mt Lofty , then , just around the curve, we see a trio working hard on a loaded grain train.
Turn up the volume and listen on good headphones or speakers to hear what a good stereo shotgun mic can deliver!!
Cheers Gregg.

[@ronaldrondeau7870]

Hi Gregg thanks thoses engines are great

[@FishplateFilms]

Thanks Ronald! They are impressive units and sound great! Gregg.

[@tracksidemike]

Great video Fishplate great share Thanks 👍🏻🚂

[@FishplateFilms]

Thanks Mike! Glad you liked it. Cheers Gregg.

[@FrogandFlangeVideo]

Awesome film !! Loved the engine audio. James.

[@FishplateFilms]

Thanks James! The mic does a nice job...and it should for the price! Cheers Gregg.

[@ScottHiddelston]

Super nice!! That 4029 mic is awesome !!

[@FishplateFilms]

Thanks Scott! Thats a big rap coming from you Sir! You won't regret it and you can also switch it to M-S mode for complete control in post, but I thinks that is overkill and just more work. Order that sucker now man..LOL . Talk soon . Gregg 🙂

[@maxcocks3468]

Good video ❤

[@FishplateFilms]

Thanks Max!

[@upsd402]

Great catch Gregg, interesting how quite they are. Hopefully it's getting cooler down there. Cheers from Terry in Nebraska.

[@FishplateFilms]

Thanks Terry! You need to turn you hearing aid up mate..LOL Put on some headphones and hear the 710's doing their thing on the climb up! But yes, the noise nazi's have killed a lot of the good sounds down here, especially on the GE's...they are too quiet! Weather is lovely now ! Cheers Gregg.

[@Wolfie6020]

Great video. Nice looking locomotives.

[@FishplateFilms]

Thank you ! It's cool to see new looking power...just like models! Gregg 🙂

[@smokeyjoe1034]

I like that new Aurizon paint livery. Very nice. It seems like it was based off of the BNSF H3 livery.

[@FishplateFilms]

That scheme is from when the railway was owned by the Genesee and Wyoming Joe. They sold it to "One rail Australia" who was then bought out by Aurizon not long ago. I hope the keep this paint , as the Aurizon colour is a horrible pale yellow! Cheers Gregg.

[@railfanrahn]

Great vid Greg!

[@FishplateFilms]

Thank you Sir! If only we had some Dash9's or SD40-2's to run through the hills! Cheers Gregg.

[@railfanrahn]

@@FishplateFilms Yea that would be cool

[@railfanrahn]

@@FishplateFilms another thing Greg I’m back to regular “long” vid posting! Seen some cool stuff on the Staples Sub recently!- Mr D

[@FishplateFilms]

@@railfanrahn I did see that mate! I'm on nights so I will check them out soon! Always cool stuff on the Staples Sir🙂 Gregg.

[@railfanrahn]

@@FishplateFilms Thanks! Lemme know what you think

[@elsdp-4560]

Thank you for sharing. Very much enjoyed it. Good to see railroads are putting money back into the company for better equipment. Very nice video👍

[@FishplateFilms]

Thanks for watching ! Yes it's time for rail to rise up again , and we are starting to see that very slowly now , and it will get faster in the near future. Glad you enjoyed the clip. Gregg :-)

[@SantaFeBob]

Excellent locomotives. I love the signal that comes on red during the video once the train is in sight. Lots of "S" curves in this area to navigate. Thank you for sharing.

[@FishplateFilms]

Thanks Bob! They use that feature to prolong lamp life and save power. All the curves add up to a lot more friction , combined with a steep grade , makes for great railfanning! Cheers Gregg

[@westfootscrazy]

Great video, nice to see some SA loco action. The Adelaide hills look so perfect

[@FishplateFilms]

Thank you ! The Hills are a great place to railfan...thats why I'm moving there! Cheers Gregg.

[@MS_Trains]

Great catches there, Gregg! These things are probably a tad boring for your taste? Mine too, but they're still great locomotives with big power, just not big noise. Looks like a successful visit down here, trackside. Hope everything behind the scenes went well too. Matt - M&S Trains

[@FishplateFilms]

Thanks very much Matt! Yes , the modern Aussie boxes can't match the US styles I'm afraid, but these are pretty impressive ! Had a great time and a little progress on the build, but still early days. Slow and steady but hoping to push things along later this year. Cheers Gregg.

[@MS_Trains]

@@FishplateFilms Good luck with it all. My second half of the year is looking a bit quieter compared to the last 12 months so hopefully, we can catch up at some point. Cheers Gregg. Matt - M&S Trains

[@FishplateFilms]

@@MS_Trains That would be good Matt! I'm back down in Sept' hopefully , if we get the earthworks rolling? I'll keep you posted. Gregg 🙂

[@hungrybarry]

Same as the new NSW 94 classes expected soon?

[@Aussie_Hset]

Nope. Those are built by UGL locally with GE engines. The GWBs as featured in this video are built by Progress Rail in the US with EMD engines.

[@franzbrunner499]

2:50+ wonderful to see the train coming along S-curve -well done -what is the grade of Mt. Lofty?

[@FishplateFilms]

Thanks Franz! The grade is 2.2% in both directions , plus all the added curves! Cheers Gregg.

[@Wolfe351]

Nice! Was out past Gawler at Roseworthy and noticed the old rail line to the back of the grain silos disused and all done by road now. Seems a big waste of infrastructure to let theses country rail lines rot away

[@FishplateFilms]

Thanks Wolfie! It is a shame to see old lines closed, but I think rail is on the way back , as it's much greener and efficient if done right. Inland rail will be a massive shove to get rail back again. Cheers Gregg.

[@Wolfe351]

@@FishplateFilms agree 100% much more efficient to ship by rail and less damaging to the major roads if double and triple road trains are only used to bring the products to the rail drop points especially bulk products like grain.

[@Wolfe351]

@@FishplateFilms PS: those new EMDs sound nice!! Won't stay clean for long..... I wish we got US style cabs though

[@FishplateFilms]

@@Wolfe351 Thank you! If you haven't already, try some good headphones and crank it up! I'd love to see some Dash 9's rolling through Lofty! I'm bored by all our "boxes" down here. Gregg.

[@Longshadowsmodeltrees]

Great video Gregg, is that siding ever used? Bob

[@FishplateFilms]

Thanks again Bob! Yes , they use the siding for MOW equipment and defective cars etc. The passing loop is not used much , as the trains are too long now to fit in it! Gregg 🙂

[@robingagnon9659]

nice :) where are those engines built? does emd have a building facility in Australia or they get shipped by boat? thanks

[@aidenteszke9000]

Made in the USA. They used to manufacture this class in Australia, however caterpillar put an end to that as far as I understand.

[@robingagnon9659]

@@aidenteszke9000 thanks for reply :)

[@FishplateFilms]

WE did build EMD's down here , from US parts of course, but that stopped a while ago. We do rebuild them still :-)

[@glifencible]

Are the flat fronts for better visibility?

[@FishplateFilms]

I can't say ? I find them plain looking , and not as safe for the crew in a collision? It seems all new locos are this design now down here, but I prefer the US style cabs. Thanks for watching. Gregg.

[@jesstill7833]

👍👍👍👍🚂🦘🇦🇺

[@FishplateFilms]

Thanks Jess! Gregg 🙂

[@flyboy2610]

To me, the only things that sound better than EMD engines are the old Alco diesels. Other than steam, of course. Steam rules!

[@FishplateFilms]

How good would that be !! We can only hope for a heritage train in the future??? Thanks for watching. Gregg.

[@richardredcastle7911]

Oh to be up the front on a flat top 'T' class......not.

[@FishplateFilms]

LOL...How about a C class Richard??

[@richardredcastle7911]

@@FishplateFilms well a C class had more leg and head space!

[@avlisk]

I just stumbled upon this trainspotter's video that I thought you'd enjoy. Weren't you out there a couple of years ago? Did you visit Hill 582? Link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6TSen-QqLygjJI

[@FishplateFilms]

Ah yes, I've been watching Sarah's videos fro years, and I did make a comment on this one. I went down Cajon on the train, but didn't get to go out there, but hopefully on my next visit! I'm watching her video on the SP derailment at Cajon today. Gregg :-)