New Zealand DC class locomotive

The New Zealand DC class is a class of diesel-electric main-line locomotive on the New Zealand rail network, operated by KiwiRail primarily on freight trains, but also on long-distance KiwiRail Scenic passenger trains.

History

The TranzAlpine, hauled by two DC class locomotives skirting the Waimakariri River

DCP 4818 leaving Port Napier with a freight train in April 2007

The locomotives started life as D^A class, built by General Motors Canada between 1955 and 1967. Between 1978 and 1983, 85 of the later-build D^As were rebuilt as EMD model G22AR, designated as the DC class, with upgraded engines, new cabs and low short hoods of a style similar to the DX class introduced earlier in the 1970s and the DF class being introduced at the time. Five were rebuilt at the Hutt Workshops near Wellington and the other 80 at Clyde Engineering in Australia.

Technical details

Each locomotive has a General Motors 12-645C or 12-645E V12 diesel engine (the same as originally fitted to the DF class) and four traction motors, with an authorised maximum speed of 100 km/h. They are 14 metres long, has a height of 3756 mm (12 ft 4in) and weighs 82 tonnes. They can be readily identified as they are considerably shorter than the DF and DX classes and have their paired headlights arranged horizontally, rather than vertically on the DFs.

The five 49-series Hutt-built DCs originally retained the 12-567 engine, before later receiving the 12-645.

In service

History

The class was initially employed in the North Island, mainly on freight trains but also hauling either carriage trains or depowered 88-seater railcars.

Changes came during the 1980s; the deregulation of land transport saw rail freight volumes decline and the opening of the NIMT electrification saw the locomotive fleet reallocated. These factors saw the withdrawal between 1985 and 1989 of the DJ class and remaining DA class, with the DC class also seeing regular service in the lower South Island as a result.

Current

The class continues to be a major workhorse, operating either as single units or in multiple with other DC units or locomotives from the DBR, DFT, DX or the new DL classes.

The class is occasionally used on KiwiRail Scenics South Island Coastal Pacific, and was used on the North Islands Northern Explorer until being replaced by a DFB/T, DXB or occasionally a DXC unit and on the South Islands on the TranzAlpine until being replaced by two DXC units. A pair of units are also occasionally employed to haul the Capital Connection service.

The Northern Explorer's predecessor, the Overlander, was usually hauled on the northern and southern sections of the North Island Main Trunk by a DC locomotive, and was often used across the central section as well if an EF locomotive was unavailable.

Auckland Transport service

For several years the class has been employed on suburban carriage trains in Auckland. Since 2003 the operation has been run under a service contract by Transdev Auckland and its predecessors, through firstly the former Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA) and now through the Auckland Council subsidiary Auckland Transport.

Until July 2015 up to 20 DC/DCP locomotives – along with three DFB/T units – were leased to Auckland Transport, operating in push-pull mode with Auckland Transport's ex-BR Mark 2 SA/SD cars. Originally the DC units were configured with a set of 3 SA cars and a SD driving car, but with an increase in rail patronage some longer trains were provided on the Southern and Eastern lines with the addition of a fourth SA car.^[1] 17 DC locomotives were painted in MAXX blue livery, with four other units that saw regular service with AT – DC 4104, DC 4260, DC 4346 and DCP 4818 – in KiwiRail livery, along with DC 4594 which was Toll-livered at the time. All locomotives in service with Auckland Transport were fitted with controls for the carriage doors, and later received Electronic Train Protection (ETP) equipment. One of the MAXX painted locomotives, DC 4732, was heavily damaged when it derailed at Westfield as an empty service on 2 March 2014.

Following the availability of sufficient numbers of the AM class EMUs to operate the Auckland network the majority of the diesel locomotives have been returned to KiwiRail, with a number of them re-entering freight service.

Tranz Metro

The DC class previously hauled Metlinks Wairarapa Connection services between Masterton and Wellington. The locomotives were allocated on a daily basis, rather than being permanently assigned as is the case in Auckland. In July 2015, the DFB class replaced the DC class hauling the service.^[2]

Numbering

Initially the class was numbered sequentially from D^C 1551 (the D^A class having ended at 1545, the D^F class started at 1651). In 1980 the computerised Traffic Management System (TMS) was introduced and the class was renumbered with a four-digit number commencing with '4', with the last digit a check number. The 49 Clyde-built units were renumbered in sequence with D^C 1551 becoming DC 4006 and D^C 1599 becoming DC 4536, though only the first 31 (up to D^C 1581) had entered service by that time. The remaining Clyde builds received TMS numbers through to 4876 as they entered the rebuilding, while D^C 1582–1589 entered service with their original 15xx series numbers on the headlight number boards and the later 40xx TMS numbers on the long hood.^[3]

Initially the Hutt-built units retained their DA-sequence TMS numbers, as the Railways considered them to be DA locomotives as they retained the 12-567 engine. Eventually this decision was changed and they became DC 4916-DC 4951, with 4882 and 4899 not used to keep them in a separate number sub-series.

Livery

The class were delivered in the International Orange or "Fruit Salad" livery – orange/red, grey, and yellow with large white numbers on the long hood – which was the standard livery for NZ Railways until the late 1980s. The class has since collectively worn almost every other single livery introduced since then, although some examples still wear the original Fruit Salad livery in service today. Liveries worn by the class are:

• International Orange (Fruit Salad) - The livery as introduced. DCs 4409 and 4876 still wear this livery in service as of 2015; DC 4409 is notable as having received a large touch-up of its paint job in this scheme in 2012.
• Flying Tomato - A variation of Fruit Salad, where orange was substituted for the grey. Some locomotives which received this paint scheme were later painted back in Fruit Salad. No DCs still wear this livery.
• NZ Rail Blue - The DC class were the first to debut this livery in 1991, with the orange replaced by a mid-blue and either "NZ Rail" or "New Zealand Rail" on the long hood with numbers painted on the cab sides. Later in the Tranz Rail era, some locomotives received Cato Blue sticker patches over the long hood lettering with the Tranz Rail logo attached. No in-service DCs wear this livery, although DC 4231 and DC 4352 are stored at Hutt Workshops in the Tranz Rail patched version of this livery. As of June 2015, only DC 4219 and DCP 4755 wear this livery.
• Cato Blue - A variation of NZ Rail Blue upon the launch of "Tranz Rail" in late 1995, where a sky-blue colour (Cato Blue) replaced the mid-blue and the Tranz Rail "winged" logo was placed on the long hood. Later the rights to Cato Blue were sold to Tranz Scenic 2001, and a number of their DCPs received repaints in the livery but with the Tranz Scenic logo in place of the Tranz Rail logo. A number of DCs still wear the Tranz Rail example of this livery.
• Bumble Bee - DC 4323 was the first locomotive to wear this livery, which consisted of the long hood being black, with the hood end, short hood and cab painted yellow. The first two DCs wore the Tranz Rail winged logo on the long hood Later locomotives instead had block "TR" letters in yellow on the long hood. A number of DCs still wear this livery.
• MAXX Blue - A variation of Bumble Bee with dark blue on the long hood (with MAXX logo displayed), although with black long hood top and without the extended yellow rear area on the long hood. DC 4444 has a variation where large numerals similar to the Fruit Salad livery are displayed on the long hood in the place of the MAXX logo, and nothing on the cab sides. The livery was for locomotives leased to ARTA to operate suburban services in Auckland.
• Toll Green (Corncob) - A variation of Bumble Bee where Toll Green was substituted for the black, a lemon yellow replaced the former yellow colour used and the Toll Logo displayed on the long hood in addition to Toll logos on each end of the loco with three green whisker stripes. Later after Toll sold their stake in the railways in 2008, KiwiRail patch stickers were placed over the Toll logos. DCP 4830 was the last DC to wear this livery in service.
• KiwiRail Phase 1 (KiwiFruit) - The first introduced KiwiRail livery, with DC 4260 being the only example to receive it.
• KiwiRail Phase 2 (KiwiRail Bold) - The revised livery, which is now the most common livery on the class.

In addition, DC 4093 wore a special one-off "Kiwi Lager" livery to go with the Kiwi Lager Ski train, and DC 4346 was one of two locomotives to wear a brown with yellow ends "Tasman Forestry" livery.

DCP subclass

The DCP sub-class was established in 2002 to differentiate locomotives owned by Tranz Scenic 2001 Ltd from those owned by Tranz Rail Ltd. The DCP classification was retained on these locomotives after the purchase of Tranz Scenic 2001 by Toll NZ, and continues to be used by KiwiRail. Further units since received the classification, though it then referred to those DC locomotives that were fitted with bogie retention wire ropes to stop the bogies falling off in derailments, rather than locomotives dedicated to passenger workings. The practice of reclassifying has now been abandoned by KiwiRail, though most DC's, including all those used on Auckland commuter services, have received the bogie ropes.

Upgrades

DC Micro

In May, 1988, trials were carried out using GE's BrightStar control system on DC 4588 and DC 4939, which were unsuccessful. In November 1988, DC 4588 was fitted with the locally developed DC Micro wheelslip system, similar to the system then used on Massey Ferguson tractors. The system substantially enhanced traction on the bogies, maximising traction potential. DC 4939 followed in December 1988 and was also a success. Over the next 10 years, 64 DC locomotives had DC Micro fitted.

Locolog and Tranzlog

Locolog was an event recorder system similar to a black box on aircraft. It was trialed successfully in 1986 on DC 4070 and DC 4778 before being fitted to all other main-line locomotives. It has since been supplanted by the locally produced Tranzlog system, with both systems having provided significant material to assist in accident investigations.

Fire suppression

In 2014, six of the class were fitted with fire suppression to run passenger services through the 8.8-kilometre (5.5 mi) Rimutaka Tunnel on the Wairarapa Line due to a change in requirements resulting from the Commission of Inquiry in the Pike River Mine disaster. This is being removed from these locomotives in mid-2015 and being reinstalled into DFB class locomotives which are taking over the haulage of these services.

Withdrawals

As of October 2015, 36 units have been withdrawn from service. DCs 4006, 4087, 4202, 4657, 4686, 4703, 4732, 4749, 4778, 4824 were all withdrawn as a result of accidents, while DCs 4029, 4064, 4070, 4104, 4110, 4127, 4133, 4162, 4179, 4225, 4231, 4283, 4352, 4369, 4375, 4398, 4415, 4438, 4444, 4473, 4507, 4542, 4640 and 4784 and DCPs 4277, 4450, 4818 and 4830 were withdrawn on account of being surplus to requirements or poor mechanical condition. DC 4496 was taken out of service for an experimental rebuild that was later cancelled.

DCs 4029, 4064, 4070, 4133, 4225, 4231, 4352, 4283, 4369, 4375, 4398, 4415, 4444, 4450, 4507, 4542, 4640, 4732 and 4784 with DCPs 4818 and 4830 are in outside storage. The other units have all been scrapped. DCs 4041, 4110, 4133, 4248, 4254, 4323, 4369, 4381, 4444, 4594, 4732, 4876, 4916, 4922, 4939, 4951 and DCPs 4818 and 4945 were withdrawn in the late 1990s or early 2000s, but have since returned to service. 10 DCs and 1 DCP were returned to service for the push/pull suburban trains in Auckland, with British Rail Mark 2 carriages from Britain. DCs 4133 and 4784 were withdrawn in February 2014 and October 2013 respectively, and were returned to service after the DL class was sidelined in March 2014.^[4] The locomotives were withdrawn again in June 2014 and are now stored at Hutt Workshops. DCs 4110, 4438 and 4473 and DCP 4277 are currently stored in Middleton and are awaiting to be transferred to Hutt.

The final withdrawn locomotive, DC 4588, was shipped to Tasmania (along with QR class locomotives) in December 1998 for use on TasRail, then part-owned by Tranz Rail and its parent Wisconsin Central through the Australian Transport Network. The locomotive was purchased outright by TasRail after an initial period used lease, but was placed into storage in October 2002 after suffering an engine problem and was sold for scrap in 2011.^[5]

Future

In February 2015 KiwiRail issued a Request for Quotation (RFQ) via the Government Electronic Tendering Service (GETS).^[6] The RFQ requests pricing for the disposal of a tranche of DC class locomotives, with further tranches of locomotives being released from the fleet over the next two years.

In July 2015 KiwiRail confirmed it had reached agreement with Progress Rail for the disposal of 12 DC locomotives - DC's 4029, 4070, 4133, 4225, 4231, 4352, 4398, 4507, 4542, 4640, 4732, and 4784 - with usable parts likely to be salvaged and the hulks scrapped.

Class register

In popular culture

• In the 1981 film Goodbye Pork Pie, DC 1582 (later DC 4346) hauls a down (westbound) Midland Line freight train including the box wagon in which Gerry, John, and the yellow Mini were hiding.
• In the penulimate scene of the 1982 film Smash Palace, DC 4202 hauls an up (northbound) North Island Main Trunk freight train, which appears to be about to crash into a Model T Ford containing Al Shaw and policeman Ray Foley, but at the last second the train enters the crossing loop, missing them.
• DC 4790 made two appearances in Yogi Bear: The Movie.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to NZR DC class.

• New Zealand Diesel and Electric Traction – Class DC
• Rail Tasmania information – Class DC
• New Zealand DC Class Locomotives
• NZR Rolling Stock Lists - DC class
• NZR Rolling Stock Lists - DCP class