NZR DM class
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| NZR DM class | |
 DM147, the sole member in the EM's Tranz Metro colours, seen at Melling. |
|
| Power type | Electric Multiple Unit |
|---|---|
| Builder | English Electric, Preston Works, United Kingdom |
| Build date | 1938 - 1954 |
| UIC classification | Bo-Bo |
| Gauge | 1067mm (3' 6") |
| Length | 19.2 m |
| Collection method | Pantograph |
| Top speed | 80 km/h |
| Power output | 447 kW (600 hp) 1 hour 313 kW cont. |
| Career | New Zealand Railways, Tranz Metro |
| Number in class | 49 |
| Number | Old: DM 1 - 49 TMS: 55 - 562 |
| Nicknames | "Cyclops" (DM 556) |
| First run | 2 July 1938 |
| Disposition | 15 in service; 35 withdrawn; 1 preserved; |
The NZR DM class is a type of electric multiple unit used on the rail passenger network of Wellington, New Zealand, operated by Tranz Metro.
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
Built by English Electric, they were introduced in 1938 following the opening of the Tawa Flat deviation of the North Island Main Trunk - the section of the old NIMT from Wellington to Johnsonville became the Johnsonville Line from 2 July. Ordered in 1936, the first six DM motor cars each with a D trailer inaugurated the service. Due to traffic growth, three more DM cars and two more D trailers were ordered in 1942 and placed into service in 1946. Forty more DM cars and 71 D trailers were ordered in 1946 and supplied from 1949 on for an expansion of the Wellington suburban services onto the Wellington - Upper Hutt line and were used on the Wellington - Paekakariki service, although this required the use of old wooden carriages with electric locomotives in peak periods on the Hutt line. The multiple units were known as the 36, 42 and 46 stock from the year that they were ordered.
[edit] Operation
DM motor cars have 56 seats and D trailers have 70.
They operate in one of two train configurations:
- Two car unit (DM-D). Primarily used on the steep Johnsonville Branch, as a four-car train for peak and two-car train of off-peak and weekend. A two-car unit is 38.4 metres in length with unit tare weight = 69.7 t and weight with fully seated load = 79.9t. There are 9 two-car units in service.
- Three car unit (D-DM-D). Mainly used on the Wellington Station to Taita and Wellington to Melling lines. A three-car unit is 57.5 metres in length with unit tare weight of 99.5 t. There are 5 three-car units in service.
The DM class is amongst the oldest rolling stock still operated by Toll. Those in service are the 46 stock dating from 1949 onwards - the 36 and 42 stock were withdrawn in the early 1980s.
[edit] Withdrawal
The introduction of the EM class units and trailers in the early 1980s made many of the DM class redundant, but ten motor-trailer sets were refurbished between 1984 and 1987 for continued operation on the Johnsonville Branch where EMs do not have running rights. A few more units were retained for peak hour running on the Hutt Valley line but have now mostly been withdrawn.
[edit] Refurbishment
The units are undergoing a moderate refurbishment to extend their operational lives to about 2010, at which time they will be replaced. The refurbishment largely involves a cosmetic upgrade of the exterior and interior of the cars, with new seating and a major mechanical overhaul.
In February 2007, overcrowding of Wellington passenger rail services resulted in the recommendation by the Greater Wellington Regional Council to re-introduce five old DM units [1], three current Tranz Metro units being used for spares and two from the [2]Ferrymead Railway.
[edit] Liveries
The DM class are best known for the "Midland Red" livery that each member wore for most or all of their working lives. When the EM class were introduced in the early 1980s in an olive paint scheme, the red of the older DM class became a distinguishing feature and they came to be nicknamed "old reds" and "red sets" in New Zealand railfan jargon.
The 36 stock were originally in royal blue, similar to MAXX Blue, with a thick white line along the sides below the windows. By the introduction of the 1949 batch, "Midland Red" was standard. In the mid-1980s, some of the two car DM units were repainted in the olive livery of the EM class, and through the 1990s and 2000s all sets refurbished starting from 2005 acquired the a new Tranz Metro livery with yellow safety ends and a dark blue stripe along the windows. A few sets remain in red, including the most famous member of the class, DM 556 "Cyclops", whose restoration included new red paint and earned Tranz Metro a "business in conservation" award from the New Zealand Department of Conservation and the Wellington Conservation Board in 2006. [3]
[edit] Preserved units
One set, DM 320 and trailer D 2695, has been preserved on the Ferrymead Railway, and is planned to return to Wellington into active service. One other set is used in the Hibiscus Coast north of Auckland as a private residence.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- Parsons, David - New Zealand Railway Motive Power 2002 [1]
