New Zealand DE class locomotive

The New Zealand DE class locomotive is a New Zealand class of shunting diesel-electric locomotives. The New Zealand Railways intended to replace steam locomotives for shunting duties with this class. They are physically similar to the Tasmanian Government Railways X class, which were also of English Electric design.

Introduction

Although NZR intended to use the class as a heavy transfer shunter, four of the DEs were used in pairs (each locomotive crewed) on the 1953—1954 Royal Train tour when Queen Elizabeth II visited New Zealand. This was to give a sense of modernity to the public and to show what the class could be capable of. The DE was trialed for use on suburban passenger trains in Auckland and Wellington as well as on lesser regional passenger services and branchline freight. The class was also the first to use the new Murupara Branch; for construction then for log trains on the still unsettled track bed.^[1] This has given the DE class an unofficial status of the first mainline diesel electric locomotive in NZR service, a title correctly applied to another English Electric class, the DF class of 1954.

The class was initially based in the North Island, but four of the class were sent to the South Island in 1981. The class was slowly dispersed to secondary yards on the New Zealand network, such as Napier, Dunedin and Invercargill.

Withdrawal

As part of the New Zealand Railways Corporation plan to reduce the number of first-generation diesels in the late 1980s, a number of the class were scrapped or sold for preservation. Two locomotives have been preserved by the Diesel Traction Group at Ferrymead, two at Glenbrook Vintage Railway, and two at the Silver Stream Railway. One for Dunedin Railways in Dunedin.

Preservation

Seven D^E class locomotives have survived out of the original fifteen. All have operated in preservation at one time:

• D^E 504 (TMS DE 1337) was sold to the Otago Polytechnic on retirement in 1988. When it became surplus to requirements in 1993, the locomotive was sold to the Dunedin Railways who restored it to working order as DE 1337 and bearing the DJ class variant of the 'International Orange' livery. It was repainted in 2006 to the original red livery with Larch Yellow nose stripes and wasp stripes on the headstocks as per the 1970s.
  D^E 504 is not mainline registered, and so resides at the TGR Way and Works Depot at the 4 km peg on the former Otago Central Railway when not in use, although it can be run to Dunedin in the company of a mainline-registered locomotive. It sees occasional use pulling work trains and sometimes passenger excursions.
• D^E 505 (TMS DE 1343) was sold to the Silver Stream Railway in 1984. It was one of two DE class locomotives that did not receive the 'International Orange', instead bearing its original red livery with its headstocks painted yellow until withdrawal. It is still in service on the SSR, albeit in its original livery but with the headstocks repainted to black.
• D^E 507 (TMS DE 1372) was sold to the Glenbrook Vintage Railway in 1988. It has since been repainted into its original livery and has borne both its original identity as D^E 507 and GVR N^O 8 in preservation.
• D^E 508 (TMS DE 1389) was one of the last two NZR DE's, then used to shunt Bluff Harbour due to their ability to be driven from either side of the cab. The locomotive was withdrawn in 1989 but was instead brought to Wellington and restored by NZ Rail to become D^E 508 in their Heritage Fleet. During this time it did some shunting work at Wellington's carriage and wagon depot, and undertook some railfan trips.
  In 2003, Tranz Rail decided to disperse the Heritage Fleet with the result that D^E 508 was given to the Rail Heritage Trust and moved to the Silver Stream Railway. The locomotive is still operational, and runs on SSR open days.
• D^E 509 (TMS DE 1395) was sold to the Glenbrook Vintage Railway in 1988. It kept its TMS identity as DE 1395 and its 'International Orange' livery as it did not spend much time in service for its new owners but instead ended up in storage by 1990 without ever carrying its new identity as GVR N^O 9. This locomotive is the last surviving Royal Train D^E.
• D^E 511 (TMS DE 1412) was sold to the Diesel Traction Group in 1988. It was restored as D^E 511 and journeyed with D^G 772 to Springfield on an excursion as part of the 'Ferrymead 125' celebrations. Currently the locomotive is in storage at Ferrymead.
• D^E 512 (TMS DE 1429) was sold to the Diesel Traction Group in 1988. It was restored as DE 1429, and has been the only operational DE in the old 'International Orange' livery since 1990. The locomotive still sees occasional use at Ferrymead, and has in the past attended the famous Waipara Vintage Festivals hosted by the Weka Pass Railway.

Class register

References

1. ↑ Churchman, Geoffrey B., and Hurst, Tony; The Railways of New Zealand: A Journey Through History p114 (1990, HarperCollins, Auckland) ISBN 1-86950-015-6

• "NZR Locomotives and Railcars 1983". T A McGavin. New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society : Wellington, New Zealand : 1983.
• "New Zealand Railway Diesels". E J McClare. Southern Press : Wellington, New Zealand.

External links

• Diesel Traction Group, Christchurch