The Flickr El56 Image Generatr

Australian National loco EL56 waits departure from the Adelaide Rail Passenger terminal, Keswick the Sydney bound Indian Pacific bound on 24 October 1993.

Fourteen GE-powered 3000hp EL class locos were built for Australian National (AN) by Goninan in 1990/91. Following the privatisation of AN in 1997, the class were sold to the Australian subsidiary of Chicago Freight Car Leasing (later to become RailFirst Asset Management). As of late 2024, only a handful were seeing regular use.

V200_2_962

RailFirst Assets EL57 & EL56 tow GL108 head south through Hurlstone Park after picking up the GL from Port Botany as D193 to Goulburn Railway Workshop.

GM44/ EL56 on a light engine move to National Rail at Kewdale in August 1995 at the south end of Forrestfield. Photo: Jim Bisdee.

SSR

EL56,EL62 are stabled on an empty coal to Pelton at Port Waratah yard along with 8220 and another 3 x 82 class locos on 27-2-11

EL56,EL62 are stabled on a loaded coal train from Pelton at Port Waratah on 27-2-11.
Pacific National hired a small number of El's to run the Pelton coal trains

G521 VL356 and EL 556 lead SCT's freight towards Melbourne as it passes subrban Newport

SCT freight hauled by G521 VL356 and EL 56 trail Crew Car CDBY 255 a former South Australian Railways Blue Bird passenger diesel rail car.

CLP12-S311-EL62-EL56 with an empty SSR grain to Oaklands at Somerton.

A quick burst of throttle results in a puff of black exhaust as elephant-style RailFirst wedges EL62-EL60 shunt grain hoppers into position at the Nhill load out on April 17, 2023 with SSR Western Victoria grain train #9793V. The Nhill loading shunt is particularly time-consuming and arduous for train crews. EL56 is stabled on a spur between the silos and station sheds.

Elephant-style RailFirst GE wedges EL62-EL60 shunt grain hoppers into position at the Nhill load out on April 17, 2023 with SSR Western Victoria grain train #9793V. The Nhill loading shunt is particularly time-consuming and arduous for train crews. EL56 is stabled on a spur between the silos and station sheds.

EL64 EL56 and EL62 stand in the loop at Bombo, having worked 1907 empty ballast train from Chullora.

EL56-EL62-EL55 with 4M44S rail-train to Seymour at Craigieburn.

The mercury is hovering around 37C as EL's 56-62-55 climb towards Beveridge with 4M44S railset bound for Seymour. 27/12/22

EL56 trails a push-pull ARTC ballast train to Seymour at Somerton.

On an interesting stint to Victoria, EL56 leads EL61, QBX002 and 8044 into Wandong as 5SM7, loaded cement train from Minto to Melbourne.

Wandong, Vic.
23/1/21