| New Zealand DM class | |
|---|---|
D2778 awaiting departure from Johnsonville, the terminus of the Johnsonville Line. |
|
| In service | July 1938 - 2012 (planned) |
| Manufacturer | English Electric |
| Built at | Preston Works, United Kingdom |
| Replaced | Replaced by Matangi class units 2011-12 |
| Constructed | 1938 - 1954 |
| Entered service | July 1938 (36 stock) December 1946 (42 stock) August 1949-March 1954 (46 stock) |
| Refurbishment | 2005-2007 (Tranz Metro) |
| Scrapped | 1978 - 1994 (36, 42 stock) 2011-12 (46 stock) |
| Number built | 49 |
| Number in service | 16 |
| Formation | DM-D (Johnsonville line and Melling Line) D-DM-D (Hutt Valley Line) |
| Fleet numbers | D2130-2869 DM147 - 562 |
| Capacity | 132 (two-car sets) 204 (three-car sets) |
| Operator | Tranz Metro |
| Line(s) served | Johnsonville Line, Melling Line (two-car sets) Hutt Valley Line,(three-car sets) |
| Specifications | |
| Car length | 19.2 metres (63 ft) each car |
| Maximum speed | 97 km/h (60 mph) |
| Weight | 43.5 tonnes (42.8 long tons) |
| Power output | 447 kW (599 hp) |
| Electric system(s) | 1500 V DC overhead |
| Braking system(s) | Handbrakes |
| Gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Cape gauge |
The New Zealand DM/D class is a type of electric multiple unit used on the rail passenger network of Wellington, New Zealand formed of DM power cars and D trailers. They are owned by the Greater Wellington Regional Council and operated by Tranz Metro, a division of national railway operator KiwiRail.[1]
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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 and D trailers 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 Wellington suburban services to the Wellington - Upper Hutt line. They were supplied from 1949 and were used on the Wellington - Paekakariki service, as the Hutt Valley electrification was not then completed. However this required the use of prewar wooden carriages with electric locomotives in peak periods on the Hutt line until the EM units were supplied.[2]
The multiple units were known as the 36, 42 and 46 stock from the year that they were ordered.
They operate in one of two train configurations:
The DM/D class is amongst the oldest rolling stock operated by KiwiRail. Those in service are the 46 stock introduced in 1949 to 1954 - the 36 and 42 stock were withdrawn in the early 1980s. The DM motor cars have 54 seats and D trailers have 70 seats (originally 56 and 72 seats).
There are some differences between the 36 and 42 sets and the 49 sets. Because of their shorter wheelbase and the smaller motor-generator set designed for one trailer unit only, the 36 & 42 sets were kept for the Johnsonville line as much as possible (Hoy).
Originally there was a double seat alongside the driver’s cab of the motor and trailer coaches, but during renovations this seat was removed, reducing the seating by two, and a barrier was installed level with the back of the cab.
Some motor coaches had the double seats in the rear section in front of the luggage compartment removed and the seats parallel with the sides extended; this was to provide space for prams on daytime services (Hoy).
Each car had 10 150V electric heaters in series, run off the 1500V supply, so a 1500V connection was required between the motor and trailer coaches (Hoy).
The 46 stock differed from the 36 and 42 stock in some respects:
The introduction of the EM class units and ET trailers in the early 1980s made some of the DM/D 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 due to their being overgauge, and for peak-hour running on the Hutt Valley and Melling lines.
The introduction of the Matangi units in 2011-12 will replace all the DM class. Metlink's latest plan is to have all EE units retired by July 2012.
The units underwent a moderate refurbishment to extend their operational lives to about 2012, by the time they will be replaced by Matangi units. 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 trains resulted in the recommendation by the Greater Wellington Regional Council to re-introduce five DM/D cars,[3] three Tranz Metro units being used for spares and two from the Ferrymead Railway.[4] These units entered service from October 2008.[5] Six ex-British Rail carriages top-and-tailed by EO locomotives were also used.[6]
The DM/D class are best known for the "Midland Red" livery that they 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/D units were repainted in the olive livery of the EM class, and through the 1990s and 2000s all sets were refurbished. Starting in 2005 the cars 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, DM556 "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.[7]
DM320 and trailer D2695 (originally Dm 27, D 163), currently operating in Wellington, were preserved by the Ferrymead Railway and will return there. A D pair is used in the Hibiscus Coast north of Auckland as a private residence. It is not known whether any further sets will be preserved, as no group has signalled any intention of acquiring any further sets for Preservation.
| Key: | In service | Out of service | Auckland Transport service | Preserved | Overhaul | Scrapped |
|---|
| TMS No. | Original No. | Introduced | Withdrawn | Current status | Current livery | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DM55 | Dm 1 | June 1938 | November 1981 | Scrapped | ||
| DM61 | Dm 2 | June 1938 | September 1982 | Scrapped | ||
| DM78 | Dm 3 | June 1938 | September 1982 | Scrapped | ||
| DM84 | Dm 4 | June 1938 | April 1983 | Scrapped | ||
| DM90 | Dm 5 | June 1938 | April 1983 | Scrapped | ||
| DM101 | Dm 6 | June 1938 | April 1981 | Scrapped | ||
| DM118 | Dm 7 | October 1946 | July 1983 | Scrapped | ||
| DM124 | Dm 8 | October 1946 | July 1983 | Scrapped | ||
| DM130 | Dm 9 | December 1946 | November 1981 | Scrapped | ||
| DM147 | Dm 10 | August 1949 | December 2011 | Withdrawn | Tranz Metro Blue | |
| DM153 | Dm 11 | September 1949 | November 2011 | Withdrawn | Tranz Metro Blue | 3-car set |
| DM176 | Dm 12 | November 1949 | October 1987 | Scrapped | ||
| Dm 13 | October 1949 | April 1978 | Scrapped | |||
| DM182 | Dm 14 | February 1950 | In service | Tranz Metro Blue | ||
| DM199 | Dm 15 | December 1949 | May 1986 | Scrapped | ||
| DM216 | Dm 16 | December 1949 | In service | NZR Midland Red | (Also known as Phoenix) Withdrawn 2001, returned to service October 2008. | |
| DM222 | Dm 17 | December 1949 | Scrapped | Withdrawal date unknown | ||
| DM239 | Dm 18 | February 1950 | Scrapped | Withdrawal date unknown | ||
| DM245 | Dm 19 | April 1950 | October 1986 | Scrapped | ||
| DM251 | Dm 20 | May 1950 | In service | Tranz Metro Blue | 3-car set | |
| DM268 | Dm 21 | June 1950 | Scrapped | Withdrawal date unknown | ||
| DM274 | Dm 22 | June 1950 | October 1986 | Scrapped | ||
| DM280 | Dm 23 | October 1950 | February 1989 | Scrapped | ||
| DM297 | Dm 24 | September 1950 | December 2011 | Withdrawn | Tranz Metro Blue | |
| DM308 | Dm 25 | September 1950 | Scrapped | Withdrawal date unknown | ||
| DM314 | Dm 26 | December 1950 | Scrapped | Withdrawal date unknown | ||
| DM320 | Dm 27 | March 1951 | June 1988 | In service | NZR Midland Red | Preserved Ferrymead Railway, Christchurch, returned to service October 2008 and reverted to Dm 27/D 163. It will return to Ferrymead in 2011/2012. |
| DM337 | Dm 28 | June 1951 | February 1987 | Scrapped | ||
| DM343 | Dm 29 | November 1950 | October 1986 | Scrapped | ||
| DM366 | Dm 30 | August 1951 | In service | Tranz Metro Blue | ||
| DM372 | Dm 31 | September 1951 | May 1988 | Scrapped | ||
| DM389 | Dm 32 | September 1951 | March 1992 | Scrapped | ||
| DM395 | Dm 33 | September 1951 | July 1985 | Scrapped | ||
| DM406 | Dm 34 | March 1952 | October 1986 | Scrapped | ||
| DM412 | Dm 35 | July 1952 | October 1986 | Scrapped | ||
| DM429 | Dm 36 | July 1952 | In service | Tranz Metro Blue | ||
| DM435 | Dm 37 | October 1952 | Scrapped | Withdrawal date unknown | ||
| DM441 | Dm 38 | December 1952 | In service | Tranz Metro Blue | Was out of service from 11 October 2010 until 27 January 2011, when it caught fire, banks burnt out and traction motor gears were noisy. Taken to Hutt Workshops for overhaul and repair. Re-entered service 2 February 2011. | |
| DM458 | Dm 39 | December 1952 | May 1988 | Scrapped | ||
| DM464 | Dm 40 | February 1953 | May 1992 | Scrapped | ||
| DM470 | Dm 41 | March 1953 | May 2011 | Withdrawn | Tranz Metro Blue | Control fault,withdrawn |
| DM487 | Dm 42 | March 1953 | Scrapped | Withdrawal date unknown | ||
| DM493 | Dm 43 | April 1953 | May 1986 | Scrapped | ||
| DM504 | Dm 44 | July 1953 | In service | Tranz Metro Blue | 3-car set | |
| DM510 | Dm 45 | February 1954 | Out of service | Tranz Metro Blue | ||
| DM527 | Dm 46 | April 1954 | November 2011 | Withdrawn | Tranz Metro Blue | 3-car set |
| DM533 | Dm 47 | December 1953 | August 1982 | Scrapped | ||
| DM556 | Dm 48 | March 1954 | Out of service | NZR Midland Red | "Cyclops", refurbished 3-car set | |
| DM562 | Dm 49 | March 1954 | In service | Tranz Metro Blue | ||
| D2438 | D 139 | March 1951 | January 1994 | Preserved | Private residence, Hibiscus Coast. | |
| D2751 | D 169 | August 1953 | January 1994 | Preserved | Private residence, Hibiscus Coast. |