| DC class | |
| Powertype: | Diesel-electric |
| Builder: | General Motors Canada |
| Buildmodel: | Electro Motive Diesel G22AR |
| Builddate: | 1964 |
| Rebuilder: | Clyde Engineering |
| Rebuilddate: | 1980 |
| Aarwheels: | C-C |
| Uicclass: | A1A-A1A |
| Wheeldiameter: | 1.25m (04.1feet) |
| Length: | 14.1m (46.3feet) |
| Width: | 2.72m (08.92feet) |
| Height: | 3.76m (12.34feet) |
| Weightondrivers: | 60t |
| Fueltype: | Diesel |
| Primemover: | Electro Motive Diesel 645C |
| Rpmrange: | 900 rpm |
| Enginetype: | V12 Diesel engine |
| Aspiration: | Normally aspirated (Roots blower) |
| Generator: | Electro Motive Diesel D32 |
| Tractionmotors: | Electro Motive Diesel 548 |
| Cylindercount: | 12 |
| Maxspeed: | 100km/h |
| Poweroutput: | 1062kW |
| Tractiveeffort: | 140kN |
| Locobrakes: | Hand brakes/Westinghouse 26L air brake/Dynamic |
| Trainbrakes: | Westinghouse 26L air brake |
| Operator: | New Zealand Railways Department New Zealand Railways Corporation Tranz Rail AN Tasrail |
| Numinclass: | 1 |
| Fleetnumbers: | 4588 |
| Deliverydate: | 15 December 1998 |
| Firstrundate: | February 1999 |
| Lastrundate: | October 2002 |
| Retiredate: | October 2002 |
| Withdrawndate: | October 2002 |
| Disposition: | Scrapped |
The DC class was a class of diesel locomotives in New Zealand and Tasmania. Originally built by General Motors Canada and Clyde Engineering between 1955 and 1967 as New Zealand Government Railways DA class locomotive. Eighty-five DAs were rebuilt as the DC class locomotive.Tranz Rail, a successor of the NZGR, sold DC 4588 to AN Tasrail. It has since been scrapped.
Due to a locomotive shortage due to the planned replacement of AN Tasrails English Electric locomotive fleet, Tranz Rail shipped DC 4588 to Tasmania on a one-year lease. The locomotive left Wellington on 8 December 1998 on the Arktis Dream, and arrived in Bell Bay, Tasmania on 15 December 1998. The locomotives were later sold to Tasrail.[1] Due to the DC being in a non standard nature, low tractive effort and having a small fuel capacity,[2] the loco was restricted to the Bell Bay Line, until Easter 1999 where it has since ventured out on the Western and Melba Lines,[3] while still operating in Tranz Rails Cato Blue livery, but with the "Tranz Rail" lettering replaced with "Tasrail" lettering.[4]
DC 4588 was placed into storage in October 2002 after suffering an engine problem.[5] Rebuilding commenced on the locomotive in 2005 at East Tamar Workshops.[6] The rebuilding included lowering the short-hood, replacing the big front cab window with two smaller ones, and a front cab door on the non-assistants side.[7] By 2008, the rebuilding had stopped and was again placed into long-term storage,[8] until being scrapped in 2011.[9]
| Key: | In Service | Under overhaul/repair | Withdrawn/Out of service | Preserved | Shipped | Scrapped |
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