NZR DB class
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The New Zealand DB class and DBR class
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 ...
is a type of
diesel-electric locomotive A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover (locomotive), prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conv ...
built for service on New Zealand's rail network. They were built by
General Motors Diesel General Motors Diesel was a railway diesel locomotive manufacturer located in London, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1949 as the Canadian subsidiary of the Electro-Motive Diesel division of General Motors (EMD). In 1969 it was re-organiz ...
(GMD) of Canada as a narrow-gauge version of the
EMD G8 The EMD G8 is a model of diesel-electric locomotive of which 382 were built between 1954 and 1965 for both export and domestic use. They were built by both Electro-Motive Division in the United States and by General Motors Diesel Division in Cana ...
model, with seventeen locomotives constructed. Ten of these were later rebuilt into the DBR class.


Introduction

The DB class was introduced to the rail network in 1965-1966 as a result of a requirement for a modern locomotive that could operate on the
North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...
lines that the DA class was excluded from due to their weight and axle load. They were ordered at the same time as the final DA order was placed. While these were mainly branch lines, it also applied to the
East Coast Main Trunk The East Coast Main Trunk (ECMT) is a railway line in the North Island of New Zealand, originally running between Hamilton and Taneatua via Tauranga, connecting the Waikato with the Bay of Plenty. The ECMT now runs between Hamilton and Kawerau ...
line, particularly the section beyond
Paeroa Paeroa is a town in the Hauraki District of the Waikato Region in the North Island of New Zealand. Located at the base of the Coromandel Peninsula, it is close to the junction of the Waihou River and Ohinemuri River, and is approximately 20 kilo ...
through the
Karangahake The Karangahake Gorge lies between the Coromandel and Kaimai ranges, at the southern end of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand's North Island. A sharply winding canyon, it was formed by the Ohinemuri River. State Highway 2 passes throug ...
and Athenree gorges until the opening of the
Kaimai Tunnel The Kaimai Tunnel is a Rail transport in New Zealand, railway tunnel through the Kaimai Range in the North Island of New Zealand. Since it was opened in 1978, it has held the title of Tunnels in New Zealand#Railway Tunnels, longest tunnel, at , ...
in 1978. The class was virtually indistinguishable externally from the DA class, being of the same basic design and dimensions, and wearing the same livery. They were some 13 tonnes lighter with a V8 prime as opposed to a V12, though they shared the same A1A-A1A wheel configuration and traction motors for commonality with the DA fleet.


Numbering

The class was initially numbered DB 1000 to DB 1016, this being in common with NZR practice of the time to number locomotive classes with reference to the power output. Upon the introduction of the computerised Traffic Monitoring System (TMS) in 1979 the class was renumbered and the designation capitalised. The class received new four-digit numbers beginning with 1, in which the last number is a check digit for the whole number. Under the new system DB 1001 retained its number, becoming DB 1001, with DB 1000 becoming DB1018. The rest of class was renumbered in sequence, with DB 1016 becoming DB1180. The units being rebuilt to DBR received a new TMS number in the 12XX range when they entered the rebuilding cycle.


Rebuild to DBR

In the late 1970s the decision was undertaken to rebuild the DB class along similar lines to that being undertaken for the DA class into the DC class. The rebuilt DB units were designated as DBR (R = rebuild). The work was undertaken by
Clyde Engineering Clyde Engineering was an Australian manufacturer of locomotives, rolling stock, and other industrial products. It was founded in September 1898 by a syndicate of Sydney businessmen buying the Granville factory of timber merchants Huds ...
in Australia and involved the lowering of the short hood to improve visibility for the driver, new cabs and the installation of a new EMD 8-645 engine. Ten units were rebuilt between 1980 and 1982.


In service

The DB class was employed primarily freight duties, though they did also see occasional service hauling passenger trains. As lines and bridges were upgraded, and in the case of the ECMT the Kaimai Tunnel opening, the weight advantage the locomotives had over other classes used in the North Island became less of a factor and the locomotives were operated as part of a general pool. Initially, all DBR class locomotives were allocated to the North Island. The lightweight nature of the DBR locomotives meant they were well suited to operate some
South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...
lines following the withdrawal of the DI and DJ class locomotives in the early 1990s. The last DBR returned north from the South Island around 2007.


Auckland Transport

From 2003 to 2014 two locomotives were leased to the Auckland Regional Transport Authority and then its successor, Auckland Transport, with the services operated under contract by
Transdev Transdev, formerly Veolia Transdev, is a French-based international private-sector company which operates public transport. It has operations in 17 countries and territories as of November 2020. History The group was formed by the merger of V ...
. The two locomotives, DBRs 1199 and 1254 are operated in a
top and tail A top-and-tail railway train has locomotives at both ends, for ease of changing direction, especially where the terminal station has no run-round loop. This is a British term. It is normal for only the leading locomotive to power the train when in ...
configuration with the five car
SX carriages The SX carriages were a type of passenger carriages constructed by Commonwealth Engineering for the Queensland Railways in 1961-1962. History The SX carriage stainless steel bodyshells were constructed by Commonwealth Engineering, Granville with ...
set and wore the full MAXX Blue livery. A third unit, DBR 1226, was also painted in MAXX Blue but without the MAXX logo. DBR 1226 was usually used for freight services or work trains by
KiwiRail KiwiRail Holdings Limited is a New Zealand state-owned enterprise responsible for rail operations in New Zealand, and operates inter-island ferries. Trading as KiwiRail and headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand, KiwiRail is the largest rail ...
but was used as back up for DBR 1199 or DBR 1254 as it had the necessary modifications to work with the suburban carriages. The leases expired in 2014 and the locomotives returned to freight service.


Wellington bankers

For many years two DBR class locomotives formed the basis of a banker set out of Wellington, primarily assisting trains between Wellington and Paekakariki but also performing multiple other jobs including the
Hutt Workshops The Hutt Railway Workshops is a major railway engineering facility in the Lower Hutt suburb of Gracefield in the Wellington region of New Zealand's North Island. It is state-owned enterprise KiwiRail's only workshops, and was opened in 1930. ...
shunt, work trains around the region and any unusual movements. DBRs 1199 and 1200 were the initial pair, becoming known as the "Bobsy Twins" (sp), likely a reference to the
Bobbsey Twins The Bobbsey Twins are the principal characters of what was, for 75 years, the Stratemeyer Syndicate's longest-running series of American children's novels, written under the pseudonym Laura Lee Hope. The first of 72 books was published in 1904, t ...
due mainly to their consecutive numbers (a rarity under the TMS numbering system). In the early 2000s DBR1199 suffered a failure and was withdrawn from service and laid up, replaced on the banker set by DBR1267. DBR1199 was later sent to Hillside for repair and use on the Auckland SX set commuter trains, by which time the pairing of DBRs 1200 and 1267 had become known simply as "The Twins". DBR1267 was later transferred to Auckland to replace DBR1282, with the Wellington banking role taken over by other locomotives.


Livery

The locomotives were delivered in the same overall deep red livery as the DA class, with the same white stripes along the sides and "wings" on the ends. With the introduction of TMS the locomotives road numbers were applied in large white numbers to the long hoods. This livery was worn by many of the original DBs until their retirement, while the DBRs were returned to service in the International Orange or "Fruit Salad" scheme (red and grey with yellow safety ends) being applied to most NZR locomotive classes at the time. DBs 1082 and 1099 also received this livery in the 1980s. DBR 1295 was repainted into the Toll Rail "Corn Cob" scheme (yellow and green), and the three units used on Auckland services have received the MAXX Blue livery (deep blue and yellow). More recently DBR 1267 has received the KiwiRail grey, red and yellow scheme.


Withdrawal and disposal

As of , all units have been withdrawn from service. The locomotives were withdrawn on account of being either surplus to requirements, or in poor mechanical condition. All of the DB locomotives were withdrawn by . In the early 2000s, DBRs 1199, 1239 and 1241 were withdrawn and placed into storage at
Hutt Workshops The Hutt Railway Workshops is a major railway engineering facility in the Lower Hutt suburb of Gracefield in the Wellington region of New Zealand's North Island. It is state-owned enterprise KiwiRail's only workshops, and was opened in 1930. ...
. However, 1199 was reinstated a year later for suburban trains in
Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
, and 1239 and 1241 were scrapped at Hutt Workshops in February 2008. More withdrawals commenced in , with 1200 being the first. A few more were laid-up over the next few months. In , 1267, 1282 and 1295 were reinstated due to the DL class locomotives being taken out of service after samples from one locomotive tested positive for
asbestos Asbestos () is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere b ...
. Withdrawals began again in May of that year when 1282 was laid up. The rest have been withdrawn, with 1226 being the last. In June 2017,
KiwiRail KiwiRail Holdings Limited is a New Zealand state-owned enterprise responsible for rail operations in New Zealand, and operates inter-island ferries. Trading as KiwiRail and headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand, KiwiRail is the largest rail ...
issued a Request for Quotation (RFQ) via the Government Electronic Tendering Service (GETS). In August 2017, it was announced that DBRs 1254 and 1295 have been purchased by the
Glenbrook Vintage Railway The Glenbrook Vintage Railway (GVR) is a heritage steam railway in Glenbrook, New Zealand. The GVR is run by a trust board of three trustees elected and appointed from Railway Enthusiasts Society (RES) membership. The board appoints a general m ...
. The remaining DBRs were originally sold to an locomotive/rolling stock dealer in
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
, but have now been sold to DBM Contracting.


Preservation

In August 2017, it was announced by the
Glenbrook Vintage Railway The Glenbrook Vintage Railway (GVR) is a heritage steam railway in Glenbrook, New Zealand. The GVR is run by a trust board of three trustees elected and appointed from Railway Enthusiasts Society (RES) membership. The board appoints a general m ...
that they had purchased DBRs 1254 and 1295 for eventually hauling mainline excursions. After being stored at
Hutt Workshops The Hutt Railway Workshops is a major railway engineering facility in the Lower Hutt suburb of Gracefield in the Wellington region of New Zealand's North Island. It is state-owned enterprise KiwiRail's only workshops, and was opened in 1930. ...
, the pair arrived on-site on 3 November 2017. In March 2018, 1295 was repainted in the "''International Orange''" livery. In May 2018, work started on overhauling 1254 for mainline certification. Both have been given GVR numbers, which are No.11 and No.12 respectively. DBR 1254's restoration was completed in September 2019, and is now mainline certified.


References


Footnotes


Citations


Bibliography

* * * {{NZR Locomotives DB DBR class A1A-A1A locomotives General Motors Diesel locomotives 3 ft 6 in gauge locomotives of New Zealand Railway locomotives introduced in 1965