Where It All Started Prior to Preservation

Locomotive 4468 (Manufacturer Serial No. G-3421-08) entered service with the New South Wales Government Railways on the 26th May 1966. The engine was manufactured by A E Goodwin Limited at its Sydney workshop.

As with all 44 Class engines of the NSWGR, its life and operation with its former NSW government owner has been wide and varied. During its life of government ownership of 28 years, the engine would have hauled all forms of trains such as freights, passenger, mail and infrastructure trains.

The engine was withdrawn by Freightcorp in 1994 and included in the 'Great Locomotive Auction' at Cardiff Workshops of the same year, however, was withdrawn from sale at the auction for retention by SRA as a Heritage Unit and to work on infrastructure trains. History has shown that the SRA plan did not ultimately come to fruition, and was sold much later on in the late 1990's to the railway company Great Northern.

Since its sale from Freightcorp, it has had a number of private owners (including Great Norther noted above), and ultimately ended up in the ownership of Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia.

During the period of private ownership, the engine operated around Sydney and regional New South Wales for many private railway freight companies on infrastructure and short haul freight trip trains. The engine also spent time in Victoria in the early "naughties" and has even spent time in South Australia operating freight trains between Port Pirie and Outer Harbour during 2004.

The engine was ultimately withdrawn in early 2007 on economic grounds where it was determined that substantial money was required to be expended to return the engine to a satisfactory condition for 'commercial hire'.

Locomotive 4468 was stored at Lithgow locomotive depot around the turntable in the yard with sister engine 4483, which was withdrawn from service at the same time.

The locomotive remained at this location until preservation with the ARHS-ACT.