| New Zealand Ea/EO class | |
|---|---|
| EO45 at Plimmerton in 2008. | |
| Power type | Electric |
| Builder | Toshiba Heavy Industries, Japan. |
| Build date | 1968 |
| UIC classification | Bo-Bo |
| Gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Cape gauge |
| Length | 11.6 metres (38 ft) |
| Weight on drivers | 55 tonnes (54 long tons; 61 short tons) |
| Locomotive weight | 55 tonnes (54 long tons; 61 short tons) |
| Electric system | 1500 V DC |
| Current collection method |
Pantograph |
| Traction motors | 4 |
| Top speed | 72 km/h (45 mph) |
| Power output | 960 kW (1,290 hp) |
| Class | originally Ea, now EO |
| Number in class | 5 |
| Number | Ea 1-5 (original) EO39-74 (TMS) |
| Locale | Otira – Arthur's Pass (1968 – 1997) Wellington (2008 – 2011) |
| First run | 1968 |
| Last run | 1997 |
| Disposition | 3 refurbished, 2 unrefurbished |
The New Zealand Ea class (EO from 1968) is a class of electric locomotives that were used on the New Zealand rail network between 1968 and 1997 on the Otira – Arthur's Pass section of the Midland line in the South Island, through the Otira Tunnel. Following reconditioning, three were used by KiwiRail's Tranz Metro in Wellington from 2008 to 2011 to top and tail Metlink suburban passenger trains as an interim measure before new rolling stock arrived.
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The class replaced the Eo class of 1923 on Otira Tunnel duties.
When the Otira – Arthur's Pass electrification was decomissioned in 1997 in favour of dieselisation with modified DX locomotives and upgrading the Otira Tunnel ventilation, the locomotives were withdrawn from service. They were transferred to Christchurch, and were initially stored at the Linwood locomotive depot. Shortly after, EO 45 and 74 were moved to the Ferrymead Railway for storage due to constraints and vandalism at Linwood. The other three were moved to Ferrymead for a time, but due to space constraints there these three were moved back to Linwood. With vandalism still an issue at Linwood, EO45, 51 and 74 were transferred to Picton and stored in the locomotive shed there. While at Ferrymead, EO74, 45 and 68 were used on a few occasions on Ferrymead's electric section, and EO39 was given a repaint by enthusiastic members.
In 2007 the three Picton locomotives were transferred to Hutt Workshops in the North Island for refurbishment for use by Tranz Metro on Wellington Metlink suburban trains as a short-term solution to increase capacity before the arrival of the FP class EMUs. Two locomotives top and tailed six ex-British Rail Mark 2 SE/SEG/SES carriages owned by the Greater Wellington Regional Council and refurbished at Hillside Workshops, while the third was kept as a spare. The first such train ran on 8 December 2008. In October 2008 the two remaining EOs at Ferrymead, EO39 and 68, were also moved north to Hutt Workshops, where they have been used for donor parts and remain in unrestored condition.
The EO/SE train was typically stabled in Upper Hutt overnight, running an early morning service into Wellington before running to Plimmerton and back on the Paraparaumu Line (now the Kapiti Line). It stabled in Wellington until the afternoon peak, when it ran to Upper Hutt - a projected afternoon service to Plimmerton never eventuated. In early 2011 the Plimmerton run was discontinued, and towards the latter half of the year the trip from Upper Hutt typically did not run, with the train returning to Wellington after the evening trip and overnighting there. From September 2011 the train saw very little use in service, typically going out on a test run once a fortnight and if that was successful running the evening train. The last time the train carried passengers all the way to Upper Hutt was on 10 October 2011, and mechanical issues sidelined the train again. On 25 October, after a test run, the train carried passengers from Wellington Station as far as opposite Thorndon locomotive sheds, where it failed. It managed to get back to Wellington under its own power to drop the passengers off, and the service was cancelled. Another test run was made on 3 November, but was unsuccessful. During this time EO45 had been parked up at Hutt Workshops, leaving the set without a spare loco, but it returned to Wellington on 10 November and for a time all three refurbished EOs were coupled together in Wellington's north yard.
On 28 November the 3 EOs and the SE set were hauled to Hutt Workshops, withdrawn because of the EO maintenance issues.[1] The SE carriages are planned to be modified for use on Wairarapa trains, but the fate of the EOs is unclear. One possible use for the refurbished units is a return to banking duties, to replace diesel locomotives DBR 1199 and 1200 on the North Island Main Trunk south of Paekakariki, but they would be limited to electrified lines and their unreliability would seem to preclude this use.
| Key: | In service | Out of service | Auckland Transport service | Preserved | Overhaul | Scrapped |
|---|
| Original no. | TMS no. | Introduced | Withdrawn[n 1] | Livery[2] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ea 1 | EO39 | April 1968 | 1997 | NZGR | Stored, Hutt Workshops. |
| Ea 2 | EO45 | April 1968 | 1997 ( 2011) | KiwiRail | Wellington suburban service. |
| Ea 3 | EO51 | April 1968 | 1997 ( 2011) | KiwiRail | Wellington suburban service. |
| Ea 4 | EO68 | April 1968 | 1997 | NZGR | Stored, Hutt Workshops. |
| Ea 5 | EO74 | April 1968 | 1997 ( 2011) | KiwiRail | Wellington suburban service. |