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NZR DE class
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| NZR DE class | |
| Power type | Diesel-electric |
|---|---|
| Builder | English Electric, United Kingdom |
| Build date | 1951 - 1952 |
| UIC classification | Bo-Bo |
| Gauge | 1067mm |
| Length | 11.6 m |
| Total weight | 52t |
| Prime mover | English Electric 6SRKT Mk 1 |
| Top speed | 97 km/h |
| Power output | 490 kW / 660 hp |
| Career | New Zealand Railways, Taieri Gorge Railway |
| Number in class | 15 |
| Number | TMS numbers: 1308 - 1458 Early numbers: 501 - 515 |
| Disposition | 1 in service; 6 preserved |
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. 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 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.