| NZR DE class | |
|---|---|
| NZR DE class 504 in service for Taieri Gorge Railway, shunting at Dunedin. | |
| Power type | Diesel-electric |
| Builder | English Electric, Preston, United Kingdom |
| Build date | 1951–1952 |
| UIC classification | Bo-Bo |
| Gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Cape gauge |
| Length | 11.6 metres (38 ft 1 in) |
| Locomotive weight | 52.0 tonnes (51.2 long tons; 57.3 short tons) |
| Fuel type | Diesel |
| Prime mover | English Electric 6SRKT Mk 1 |
| Top speed | 97 km/h (60 mph) |
| Power output | 490 kW (660 hp) |
| Tractive effort | 54 kN (12,000 lbf) |
| Number in class | 15 |
| Number | 501–515 (original) 1308–1458 (TMS) |
| First run | 1952 |
| Last run | 1989 |
| Retired | 1987–1989 |
| Disposition | 8 scrapped 6 preserved 1 in service |
The NZR DE class 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.
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A number of the DEs were used in pairs (each locomotive crewed) on the Royal Trains when Queen Elizabeth the Second visited New Zealand in 1953. The class was also used for suburban passenger trains in Auckland and Wellington.
The class was initially based in the North Island, but at 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.
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 locomotive remains in service for the Taieri Gorge Railway in Dunedin.
| Key: | In service | Out of service | Auckland Transport service | Preserved | Overhaul | Scrapped |
|---|
| Original no. | TMS no. | Introduced | Current status | Notes |
| 501 | 1308[n 1] | May 1952 | February 1987 | Scrapped in 1990. |
| 502 | 1314 | June 1952 | Written off 1986. | |
| 503 | 1320 | July 1952 | Written off 1988. | |
| 504 | 1337 | July 1952 | Written off 1989. | In service for the Taieri Gorge Railway |
| 505 | 1343 | August 1952 | Written off 1984. | Preserved by Silver Stream Railway |
| 506 | 1366 | December 1952 | Withdrawn 1980s. | Scrapped in 1990. |
| 507 | 1372[n 2] | August 1952 | Written off 1988 | Preserved by Glenbrook Vintage Railway |
| 508 | 1389 | December 1952 | January 1989 | Preserved by Silver Stream Railway. |
| 509 | 1395 | February 1953 | February 1988 | Preserved by Glenbrook Vintage Railway |
| 510 | 1406 | February 1953 | Written off 1987 | |
| 511 | 1412 | August 1952 | Written off 1987 | Preserved by Diesel Traction Group, Ferrymead. |
| 512 | 1429 | December 1952 | Written off 1987. | Preserved by Diesel Traction Group, Ferrymead |
| 513 | 1435 | August 1952 | Written off 1987 | |
| 514 | 1441 | June 1953 | Written off 1984 | Scrapped in 1990 |
| 515 | 1458 | September 1953 | December 1988 | Written off 1989 |