The class was the last in the world to be built with the Electro-Motive Diesel bulldog nose but differed from previous builds in having a mansard roof.

In August 1992, Australian National awarded Morrison Knudsen Australia a contract to remanufacture the CLs at its Whyalla factory.

[2] As part of the deal, Morrison Knudsen purchased the locomotives and leased them back to Australian National for 12 years.

Changes included the EMD 645E3 engines being replaced with overhauled EMD 645E3C engines imported from Morrison Knudsen in the US, the original main alternators were rebuilt from AR10/A4-D14 to the AR10/A9-D14 type, refurbished D78 traction motors replaced the originals along with a new gear ratio, and new MK-LOC microprocessor controls were fitted.

[3] From January 1994, CLPs began operating the Indian Pacific from Sydney to Perth, previously New South Wales and Western Australia used their own locomotives on the train when within their state borders.

CLP15 was involved in the Mount Christie head-on collision in February 1997, being stored for several months before scrapping in November the same year.

[3] In mid-2017, a fund-raising campaign was started with the aim of purchasing CLP10 from Apex International and restoring it externally to its as-built condition as CL17.

Kokatha Milton Bromwich Jason Ferguson City of Port Augusta Kaurna Casper Mirning (formerly) Media related to Commonwealth Railways CL class locomotives at Wikimedia Commons