Just saw the June issue of Australian "Railway Digest," with the first pictures I have seen of Queensland Railways' 5000 class locomotives: the first ones (from an order for 9) were released for testing and crew training in April. (These are 4000 hp standard gauge units with AC traction motors that QR is getting from GE's Australian licensee Goninan for use on coal trains in NSW. (Australia now has open access, so railroad operators can bid for business on what used to be other people's lines-- the same issue of "Railway Digest" had an article on some EMD (hiss! boo!) narrow-gauge locomotives that Pacific National-- a company that operates in the rest of Australia-- is getting to run trains on QR's home meter-gauge system.)
Technically they are apparently basically the same as AC44 (perhaps derated à la Norfolk Southern to 4000 hp), but externally they seem to resemble the NR class (= Ozzified Dash-9, of which Pacific National has 120): Australian-style cab with no short hood, radiator compartment with no overhanging "wingspan". In particular, they don't seem to have the giant inverter box that domstic AC44 have behind the cab on the left side.
Technically they are apparently basically the same as AC44 (perhaps derated à la Norfolk Southern to 4000 hp), but externally they seem to resemble the NR class (= Ozzified Dash-9, of which Pacific National has 120): Australian-style cab with no short hood, radiator compartment with no overhanging "wingspan". In particular, they don't seem to have the giant inverter box that domstic AC44 have behind the cab on the left side.
