NZR DM class (Electric Multiple Unit)
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| NZR DM class | |
 DM147, the sole member in the EM's Tranz Metro colours, seen at Melling. |
|
| Power type | Electric Multiple Unit |
|---|---|
| Builder | English Electric, United Kingdom |
| Build date | 1938 - 1954 |
| UIC classification | Bo-Bo |
| Gauge | 1067mm |
| Length | 19.2 m |
| Collection method | Pantograph |
| Top speed | 80 km/h |
| Power output | 447 kW / 600 hp |
| Career | New Zealand Railways, Tranz Metro |
| Number in class | 49 |
| Number | Old: DM 1 - 49 TMS: 55 - 562 |
| Nicknames | "Cyclops" (DM 556) |
| First run | July 1938 |
| Disposition | 14 in service; 35 withdrawn; 2 preserved; |
The NZR DM class is a type of electric multiple unit used on the rail passenger network of Wellington, New Zealand, operated by Tranz Metro.
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
Built by English Electric, they were introduced in July 1938 following the opening of the Tawa Flat deviation of the North Island Main Trunk, which turned the previous mainline into the Johnsonville Line. The first six DM class multiple units each with a D class trailer inaugurated the service, and due to growth of traffic, three more coaches and two more trailers were ordered in 1942 and placed into service in 1946. Forty more DMs and seventy-one D trailers were ordered in the mid 1940s for an expansion of the Wellington suburban services to the Wellington - Paekakariki and Wellington - Upper Hutt sections.
[edit] Operation
The DM Class motor carriages have 70 seats and D Class carriages have 56 seats.
They operate in one of two train configurations:
- Two car unit (DM-D). Primarily used on the steep Johnsonville Branch, as a four car train for peak and two car train of off-peak and weekend. A two car unit is 38.4 metres in length with unit tare weight = 69.7tonne and weight with fully seated load = 79.9tonne. There are currently 9 two car units in Service.
- Three car unit (D-DM-D). Mainly used on the Wellington Station to Taita and Wellington to Melling lines. A three car unit is 57.5metres in length with unit tare weight = 99.5t. There are currently 6 three car units in service.
The DM class is arguably one of the oldest rollingstock still owned by Toll, being over 70 years old[citation needed].
[edit] Withdrawal
The introduction of the EM class units and trailers in the early 1980s made the DM class largely redundant, but ten motor-trailer sets were refurbished between 1984 and 1987 for continued operation on the Johnsonville Branch where EMs do not have running rights. A few more units were retained for peak hour running on the Hutt Valley line but have now mostly been withdrawn. The only surviving units date from August 1949 onwards.
[edit] Refurbishment
The English Electric units are currently undergoing a moderate refurbishment to extend their operational lives to about 2010, at which time they will be replaced. The refurbishment largely involves a cosmetic upgrade of the exterior and interior of the cars, with new seating and a major mechanical overhaul.
In February 2007, overcrowding of Wellington passenger rail services resulted in the recommendation by the Greater Wellington Regional Council to re-introduce five old DM units [1], three current Tranz Metro units being used for spares and two from the [2]Ferrymead Railway.
[edit] Liveries
The DM class are best known for the "Midland Red" livery that each member wore for most (and sometimes all) of their working lives. When the EM class were intoduced in the early 1980s in an olive paint scheme, the red of the older DM class became a distinguishing feature and they came to be nicknamed "old reds" and "red sets" in New Zealand railfan jargon.
However, the earliest members of the DM class did not begin their lives in "Midland Red". The first 1938 batch were painted in a royal blue similar to MAXX Blue with a thick white dash along the sides below the windows. By the introduction of the 1949 batch, "Midland Red" was standard. In the mid-1980s, some of the DM class retained for active service were repainted in the olive livery of the EM class, and through the 1990s and 2000s, all of the sets that were refurbished starting from 2005 acquired the a new Tranz Metro livery with yellow safety ends, and a dark blue stripe going along the middle. A few sets remain in red, including the most famous member of the class, DM 556 "Cyclops", whose restoration included a new coat of red paint and earnt Tranz Metro a "business in conservation" award from the New Zealand Department of Conservation and the Wellington Conservation Board in 2006. [3]
[edit] Preserved units
One set, DM 320 and trailer D 2695, has been preserved on the Ferrymead Railway (this was the set recently returned to Wellington for service). One other set is used in the Hibiscus Coast north of Auckland as a private residence.
[edit] External link
[edit] References
- Parsons, David - New Zealand Railway Motive Power 2002 [2]
