New Zealand DM class electric multiple unit
| New Zealand DM/D class | |
|---|---|
D2778 awaiting departure from Johnsonville, the terminus of the Johnsonville Line, 17 December 2007.
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| In service | 2 July 1938 – 25 June 2012 |
| Manufacturer | English Electric |
| Built at | Preston Works, United Kingdom |
| Replaced | Replaced by Matangi class units 2011-2012 |
| Constructed | 1938-1954 |
| Entered service | July 1938 (36 stock) December 1946 (42 stock) August 1949-March 1954 (46 stock) |
| Refurbishment | 2005-2007 (Tranz Metro) |
| Scrapped | 1978-1980s (36/42 stock) 2011-2012 (46 stock) |
| Number built | 49 |
| Number scrapped | 41 |
| Formation | DM-D (Johnsonville Line and Melling Line) D-DM-D (Hutt Valley Line) |
| Fleet numbers | D2130-2869 DM147-562 |
| Capacity | 124 (two-car units) 194 (three-car units) |
| Operator(s) | Tranz Metro |
| Line(s) served |
Johnsonville Line, Melling Line (two-car and three-car units) Hutt Valley Line,(three-car units and occasionally and after displaced from Johnsonville line three two-car units. Kapiti Line, three-car units and two-car units very occasionally after the 1980's |
| Specifications | |
| Car length | 19.2 metres (63 ft 0 in) |
| Width | 2.61 metres (8 ft 7 in) |
| Doors | 4 |
| Maximum speed | 97 km/h (60 mph) |
| Weight | 43.5 t (42.8 long tons; 48.0 short tons) |
| Power output | 447 kW (599 hp) |
| Electric system(s) | 1500 V DC overhead |
| Braking system(s) | Air, handbrakes |
| Track gauge | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) |
The New Zealand DM/D class (also known as English Electrics) were a class of electric multiple units used on the Metlink suburban rail network of Wellington, New Zealand. Formed of DM power cars and D trailer cars, the first units were ordered from English Electric in 1936 and introduced on 2 July 1938 operating the electrified Johnsonville Line service. Additional units were ordered in 1942 and 1946 as other Wellington suburban lines were electrified.
The units were relegated to peak services and the Johnsonville Line after the arrival of the "Ganz Mavag" EM/ET units in 1982-83, before finally being replaced by the "Matangi" FP/FT units in 2011-12. The units operated their last revenue service on 25 June 2012, from Wellington to Melling and return. Five complete units (four two-car and one three-car) and six trailer cars have been preserved.
Following its decision to build the Tawa Flat deviation to replace the original ex-Wellington & Manawatu Railway North Island Main Trunk alignment out of Wellington, the New Zealand Railways Department (NZR) decided to convert the remaining 10.49 km of track between Wellington and Johnsonville into an electrified suburban branch line. Six two-car trains comprising one driving motor car and one driving trailer were ordered from English Electric in 1936 to work the future Johnsonville Line, which formally 'opened' as a branch line on 2 July 1938 with the new electric trains inaugurating the service. The new trains were allocated as the DM class (driving motor cars) and the D class (non-motored driving trailer).
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