Talk:New Zealand DJ class locomotive

NZ Archive Evidence , Wellington.

Within the Nz archives open access files there is extensive multiple copy of many of the documents and details of the tender documentation and offers for the final stage of NZR rail diesalisation. The tender for 34- 1500hp and 55 - 1000-1200 hp diesel engines, attracted a huge response from Japan, US, UK, Germany and Australia. Three of the Four lowest tenders were for diesel hydralic locomotives by Mitsubushi, Hitatchi and German States Railway for Hydralic locomotives of about 1100hp but in the engine and transmission Maybach/ Voith that were the same as the three different configurations of the British Rail Type 41/42/43 Warships. NZR dominated by electrical engineers who were inclined to be top of the hierarchy refused to consider non DE as the Hydraulic transmission was viewed by them as 'unsuitable for NZ conditions. The archives files also reveal a number of documents, from the NZR engineers who were in the NZR Party who went to Japan, Mitsubushi to supervise the construction and delivery of the DJ. The nature of this engineer comment on there time in Japan is rather like a Graham Billing novel. They seemed to have spent the who time being entertained by their Japanese hosts official or otherwise on the Ginza. Lost in the Japanese floating world of bars are clubs at high level. According to the Japanese the only real NZR demand of the engineers was the need for the DJ to haul 8 NZR carriages at 63mph (100kmh) on level track. That was the only semi sober requirement the Japanese engineers were able to decipher. The NZR engineers wanted to test this requirement on the pre Tokaido narrow 3/6 JNR main line between Tokyo and Osaka. The Mitshibushi staff said this was quite impossible, given Japanee rail safety requirements and the fact there was no space on the old JNT double main line as it was occucupied by steam powered coal trains every 30 seconds running at a mile a minute in both directions. The needs of NZR passenger trains tended to dominate NZR engine procurement planning. The Minister of Railways in the 1967-1972)Peter Gordon favoured gas turbine locomotives for the Southerner and railcar replacement, and the rail staff spent much of their time trying to persuade Gordon that the Gas Turbine engines demonstrated to him by the French, Canadian and Americans were quite unusuitable for the steep sections of NZR track like the Dunedin- Oamaru part of the Southerner route.. Most NZR published railway studies are written by enthusiasts rather than economists, transport experts or professional writers and are keen to present a favourable face where the real NZR records and archives reveal other usually not published issues. To be fair all areas of NZ trading relations with Japan tended to founder with the inability of the NZ staff to maintain the pace and remain competent, coherent or even legal in the Ginza. By the mid 1970s NZR management was inclined to asssist on the stricted selection and supervision of any staff spent to Japan. By the early 1960s the NZR engineering staff led by John Black had largely concluded that the Queensland Rail long distance 52 feet 3/6 gauge day and sleeper stainless steel commonwealth carriages were ideal for NZR and about he same weight as a 56ft steel.However given the priority of diesalisation and freight and marshalling yard redevelopment, the NZR exective spent 1963-1967 investingating and riding the great passenger trains of Europe, Australia and North America, their sleeping cars and dinning and cafe facilities and given there preference for the Southern Aruora and last generation Santa Fe 'Super Chief' 1963-64 cars, ultimately ordered the 62 feet Silver Star Sleepers from Japan, essentially scaled down, versions of 72ft 4/8 inch gauge Southern Aruora sleeping cars, which accomodated 20. The 62 feet sleepers were also intended as the basis of day cars to replace the NZR Name trains, like the Southerner but at 62 feet and 35 tons plus were far too heavy and costly for DJ powered trains, and even a DA could not take 8 Silver Star cars, an offpeak set of just 6 sleepers, Van and Dinner over the NIMT (36t carriages X8 = 288ton) on a relaxed Silver Star timetable. Those bufet cars may have been delightful, but even had they not been staffed by the Cook Straight, Cooks and Stewards and with no mail vans attatched- they were woefully uneconomical and a tribute to a rail management,that was out to lunch. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 210.48.190.88 (talk) 01:35, 24 March 2018 (UTC)

Northland operation

I am aware that in the 00s, DJ 3096 got some use up in Northland, I think principally on the Dargaville Branch. I remember this getting regular comment in railfan mailing lists at the time but I don't possess any magazines or books or other suitable sources that describe the operations. Does anyone have a source to add some information to the article? It would be worth describing this last gasp of the DJ class in revenue service, especially given this occurred about as far away from the class's traditional stomping ground as it could've got without leaving the country entirely! Axver (talk) 05:51, 23 November 2022 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure it was on the front cover of a Rails magazine at the time, which I may have in my possession... --LJ Holden 09:12, 23 November 2022 (UTC)

Fantastic, fingers crossed! Axver (talk) 09:30, 23 November 2022 (UTC)

@Axver: I've been able to find a reference to DJ3096 being transferred to Whangarei in 2000, but nothing specific about its use. It seems it was only in 2010 that it got a mention, when it suffered from a fire. The loco was then sent south again for repairs. I'll keep looking though --LJ Holden 11:29, 6 December 2022 (UTC)