Great Northern Rail Services was a railway operator in Victoria, Australia. Great Northern Rail Services was incorporated in July 1993 and provided locomotives and train crews to other rail operators, ran general train operations and rail vehicle maintenance services in Victoria. The company was the first fully accredited and operational private rail operator in Victoria. The company ceased operations in November 2002 due to the increased public liability insurance costs.
History
Great Northern Rail Services had its start in the leasing of locomotives, in particular to the National Rail, but later expanded into other rail and rail related areas. The main areas of operation were:
Infrastructure maintenance
Maintenance of locomotives and freight wagons
Locomotive leasing
General train operations
Hook & pull operations
Terminal shunt and transfer
Intermodal terminal operation
In November 1997 the company was the first private company to sign an Enterprise Agreement with the Public Transport Union - Locomotives Division and became the first private company to operate locomotives with its own crews on the Victorian rail network.
The fleet was obtained second hand from other operators, some being overhauled and returned to service, while others were acquired for spare parts. The corporate livery consisted of burgundy with a broad red stripe along the side of the unit, dropping into a 'V' at the front of the locomotive, and a yellow pinstripe separating the colours similar by the 1950s Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad scheme. Locomotives purchased were:
Of these locomotives, only T345, T373, T376, T377, T381, S317, GM10, GM22, GM27, J102, J103, J104, J105, 4468, 4471 and 4477 were returned to service.
Demise
Great Northern ceased operating trains under their own accreditation from 20 November 2002 but continued under the control of Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia until 2 December 2003 when a management buyout was made. The locomotives and operator accreditation of the company were acquired by Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia who sold the operator accreditation to Southern Shorthaul Railroad. Chief executive Geoff Tighe later became business manager for El Zorro, another small rail freight operator.
