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Westrail P class

class of 17 Australian Co′Co′ diesel-electric locomotives

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionMay 18, 2026
Entity authorityQ7946443 ↗
Source-derived summary

The P class is a class of diesel locomotives built by A Goninan & Co in Bassendean for Westrail between 1989 and 1991.

History

In 1988, Westrail placed an order for 15 CM25-8 Dash 8 locomotives for bulk grain and general freight haulage with A Goninan & Co. A 16th was later ordered followed by a 17th funded by AMC Mineral Sands.

In 1997, the class was fitted with Locotrol equipment to allow them to operate in top and tail formation.

All 17 locomotives, with the class redesignated as the 2500 class. In early 2014, all were included in the sale of Australian Railroad Group's Western Australian operation to Aurizon. All 17 in service.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Westrail P class” as class of 17 Australian Co′Co′ diesel-electric locomotives. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Westrail, class and Australian.

Editorial reviewA concise reference frame for defining the subject, testing terminology and identifying the institution closest to the evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1989, 1991, 1988, 1997—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Westrail, class and Australian providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Westrail P class”, the useful work is to connect “class of 17 Australian Co′Co′ diesel-electric locomotives” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7946443. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1989, 1991, 1988 and 1997.

Critical limits

Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Westrail P class”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Westrail P class primary sources, Westrail P class archive and Westrail research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Westrail P class”?
  2. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
  3. Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Westrail P class” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.