"To promote the appreciation of Queensland's railway heritage and to maintain authenticity in the recording and preservation of this heritage"

1170 Class

	QR DEL 1179 shunting at Townsville Station - 21 March 1982 © Bruce Russell
	1179 at Kunkala 25/3/2005. Photo : J. Cash
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The 1170 class was a lighter development of the 1150 class. They did however feature a number of characteristics not common to QR. Like their bigger 1150 class brothers they carried the drawgear and buffers on the bogie rather than on the chassis frame. They also featured an articulated bogie deign based on a design made for the South American Andes mountains routes. Instead of the full heavy beam chassis the class had the heavy chassis only under the actual diesel motor. This allowed a weight saving on the final design. To allow the locomotive to haul loads, the bogies were fixed to this central platform with one bogie hinge overlapping the other. A central pin under the midpoint of the locomotives provided stability and did not feature in the actual load. The 1170 class were the only QR locomotives to utilise this feature which although saving weight provided no other advantages.

Originally intended for branch line use the locomotives were involved in almost any train type from prestige air-conditioned passenger to track maintenance. The class were heavily involved in the construction of QR coal lines.

These locomotives are powered by a Cooper Bessemer FWL-6-T engine of 710 bhp. They have an A-I-A x A-I-A wheel arrangement.

The 1170 class entered service from 18 January 1956 to 25 May 1958. They were built by Walkers of Maryborough as builders numbers 558 to 569. These are the only QR Diesel Electric Locomotive to have spoked wheels and tyres. The wheels are of the SCOAP type.

• 1170 to 1171 were originally 1270 class.
• 1172 to 1181 were originally 1500 class.
• For a short period 1179 was renumbered 1175 whilst shunting Redbank Workshops.
• 1181 was renumbered 1180 before it's sale to Gold Copper Company at Lappa.
• Some of the class never received the QR logo and 1179 is one of them.
• 1177 spent time moving Com–Eng 3100/3200 class locomotives to Mayne until it failed and was replaced by 1175.

Survivors are:

• 1170 with QR at Rockhampton
• 1172 was originally purchased by Golden Mount Railway, and is now at Bell (Wambo Shire Council)
• 1179 is with the ARHSQ at the Rosewood Railway Museum
• 1177 (spares for 1179 at the Rosewood Railway Museum)
• 1180 is now at Railco, Atherton Tableland.

Specifications :

Running numbers : 1500-1511 (1956-1965), 1170-1181
Number in class : 12
Year in service : 1956
Number in service/preserved : 0/5
Model : N/A
Wheel Arrangement : A1A-A1A
Engine : Cooper-Bessemer FWL-6T
Generator: GT587
Power
- Engine rated : 477kW (640hp)
- Continuous Tractive Effort : 88kN@15.5kph (19750lbs@10.5mph)

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