The New Zealand DSJ class is a class of
diesel-electric shunting
locomotive
A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...
used on the
New Zealand rail network. The class has a very similar overall design to the
DSG class, but is instead single-engined, has a cab that is offset from the centre and is both shorter and lighter than its twin-engined counterpart.
Introduction
left, DSJ4017 performing shunt duties at Ahuriri, 2003.
The first DSJ was assembled in Japan by
Toshiba Heavy Industries in 1983 and arrived in New Zealand in 1984.
Toshiba are the same company who built the
EO class electric locomotives. The remaining four were assembled at the former
Addington Workshops
The Addington Railway Workshops was a major railway workshops established in the Christchurch suburb of Addington in 1877 by the Public Works Department, and transferred in 1880 to the newly-formed New Zealand Railways Department (NZR). The wor ...
in
Christchurch
Christchurch ( ; mi, Ĺtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...
, and entered service from 1984 to 1985.
With only five members in this class, it represents one of the smallest contingents of shunt locomotives in current use.
In service
The locomotives have spent most of their time in use at the Te Rapa Marshalling Yard and
Picton, and have ventured elsewhere on the network from time to time, including Ahuriri in Napier.
Accidents
On the afternoon of 1 September 2021, DSJ4004 and a wagon went off the end of the rail ferry linkspan at Picton and into the harbour.
The wagon and locomotive were retrieved from the harbour on 2 and 3 September 2021 respectively. No one was injured during the incident. Due to the cost of repairing the flooded locomotive, DSJ4004 was written off and became a parts donor for the remainder of the fleet.
References
Further reading
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{{NZR Locomotives
Diesel-electric locomotives of New Zealand
3 ft 6 in gauge locomotives of New Zealand
Railway locomotives introduced in 1984
