New Zealand DH class locomotive
New Zealand DH class (1978) | |
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DH 2868 shunting two DLs at Port of Auckland | |
Type and origin | |
Power type | Diesel-Electric Shunter |
Builder | General Electric, United States |
Model | U10B |
Build date | 1978 |
Specifications | |
UIC classification | Bo-Bo |
Length | 11.2 m (36 ft 9 in) |
Locomotive weight | 54 tonnes (53 long tons; 60 short tons) |
Prime mover | Caterpillar D398 |
Engine RPM range | 1300 rpm |
Engine type | V12 Diesel engine |
Aspiration | Turbocharged |
Generator | General Electric GT-601 |
Traction motors | Four General Electric 761 |
Cylinders | 12 |
Cylinder size | 159 mm × 203 mm (6.3 in × 8.0 in) |
Performance figures | |
Maximum speed | 112 km/h (70 mph) |
Power output | 672 kW (901 hp) |
Tractive effort | 146 kN (33,000 lbf) |
Career | |
Number in class | 6 |
Number(s) |
900 - 905 (original) 2816 - 2868 (TMS) |
Locale | Upper North Island, mainly around Auckland |
First run | 1978 |
Disposition | All in service |
The New Zealand DH class is a type of diesel-electric heavy transfer/shunting locomotive in New Zealand. The class consists of six heavy shunt U10B type locomotives built by General Electric in the United States in 1978. Five of the class are used in the Auckland area for heavy shunting duties, including services to the Port of Auckland, while one (2851) is based at the Port of Tauranga.
Introduction
Originally an order for Philippine National Railways, the six locomotives were purchased as by coincidence NZR needed a heavy shunter for Auckland container port transfer work. At the time two DSC class shunters were linked in tandem to perform this task. The DH class are actually a light locomotive which are geared to run at 100kph. They saw occasional service on the then under-used suburban passenger network, performing well, but NZR focused them on their intended purpose - heavy shunting. In the late 1980s NZR provided a DH unit to the Tasman Pulp and Paper mill in Kawerau to trial for sale as a heavy shunter in the mill's rail yards. The mill turned down the offer, instead purchasing a DA class locomotive to perform duties.
Classification
The class should not be confused with the English Electric DH class of 1956; as all of the old DHs had been reallocated DG in 1968, the classification was re-used.
Class register
Key: | In service | Out of service | Auckland Transport service | Preserved | Overhaul/Repair | Scrapped |
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TMS No. | Original No. | Introduced | Current Livery[1] | Status | Allocated to | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DH 2816 | 900 | May 1979 | KiwiRail | In service | North Island | |
DH 2822 | 901 | November 1978 | KiwiRail | In Service | North Island | |
DH 2839 | 902 | December 1978 | Toll Rail ("Corn Cob") | In service | North Island | |
DH 2845 | 903 | September 1978 | KiwiRail | In service | North Island | |
DH 2851 | 904 | November 1978 | Toll Rail ("Corn Cob") | In service | North Island | |
DH 2868 | 905 | March 1979 | KiwiRail | In service | North Island |
Other users
The Hedjaz Jordan Railway has three GE U10B locomotives of 1,050 mm (3 ft 5 11⁄32 in) gauge. These are of A1A-A1A wheel arrangement. Another user is the Belgrano Sur Line (Buenos Aires), Argentina.
References
- ↑ "New Zealand RailTrack". Retrieved 2008-10-22.
- McGavin, T A (1983). NZR Locomotives and Railcars 1983. Wellington, New Zealand: New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society.
- McClare, E J. New Zealand Railway Diesels. Wellington, New Zealand: Southern Press.
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