New Zealand DA class locomotive

New Zealand DA class
DA 1431 (DA345) at Helensville in 2017 on an excursion.
Type and origin
Power typeDiesel-electric
BuilderGeneral Motors Diesel (Canada)
Electro-Motive Division (USA)
Clyde Engineering (Australia)
ModelEMD G12
Build date1955 - 1967
Specifications
Configuration:
 • UICA1A-A1A
Gauge3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
LengthGMD/EMD 14.1 metres (46 ft 3 in)
Clyde 14.6 metres (47 ft 11 in)
Adhesive weight59.0 tonnes (58.1 long tons; 65.0 short tons)
Loco weightGMD/EMD 81.0 tonnes (79.7 long tons; 89.3 short tons)
Clyde 79.0 tonnes (77.8 long tons; 87.1 short tons)
Fuel typeDiesel
Prime moverEMD 12-567C and EMD 12-567E
RPM range835 rpm
Engine typeV12 Diesel engine
AspirationRoots type supercharger
Displacement111.49 L (6,804 cu in)
Traction motorsFour EMD D19 or D29
Cylinders12
Cylinder size216 mm × 254 mm (8.5 in × 10.0 in)
Performance figures
Maximum speed100 km/h (62 mph)
Power output1,060 kW (1,420 hp)
Tractive effort140 kN (31,000 lbf)
Career
Number in class146
NumbersDA 1400–1545 (original)
DA 11–996 (TMS)
First run1955 - 1967
Last run1977 - 1989
Current ownerMuseum of Transport & Technology
Steam Incorporated
Dean McQuoid
Feilding and District Steam Rail Society
Disposition85 rebuilt as DC Class
6 as DAA (defunct), 1 as DAR517 (withdrawn); 0 in service

The New Zealand DA class locomotive[nb 1] were a class of diesel-electric mainline locomotives operated on the New Zealand railway system between 1955 and 1989. Consisting of 146 locomotives, it was the most numerous class to ever operate in New Zealand, with five more than the AB class steam locomotive.

The class were A1A-A1A versions of the Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) G12 model, with the design altered slightly to run on New Zealand's 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) rail system, and fit the small loading gauge. They were introduced between 1955 and 1967 in three phases[1] and were the first class of diesel locomotives to seriously displace steam traction.

Between 1978 and 1983, 85 locomotives were rebuilt as the DC class, of which some are still in use. All but one of the remainder were withdrawn by 1989, with six preserved.[2] The last locomotive was refitted for shunting duties and was rebuilt as DAR 517.


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  1. ^ Palmer & Stewart 1965, p. 155.
  2. ^ "Class "DA" Locomotives". New Zealand Railway Observer. 46 (3): 118. Spring 1989. ISSN 0028-8624.