New Zealand EA class locomotive
EO45 at Plimmerton in 2008.
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| Type and origin | |
|---|---|
| Power type | Electric |
| Builder | Toshiba Heavy Industries, Japan. |
| Build date | 1968 |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Configuration: |
|
| • UIC | Bo-Bo |
| Gauge | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) |
| Length | 11.6 metres (38 ft) |
| Adhesive weight | 55 tonnes (54 long tons; 61 short tons) |
| Loco weight | 55 tonnes (54 long tons; 61 short tons) |
| Electric system(s) | 1500 V DC overhead lines |
| Current source | Pantograph |
| Traction motors | 4 |
| Performance figures | |
|---|---|
| Maximum speed | 72 km/h (45 mph) |
| Power output | 960 kW (1,290 hp) |
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Operators | Tranz Rail, Tranz Metro |
| Class | originally Ea, now EO |
| Number in class | 5 |
| Numbers | Ea 1-5 (original) EO39-74 (TMS) |
| Locale |
Otira – Arthur's Pass (April 1968 – 1 November 1997) Wellington (8 December 2008 – 10 November 2011) |
| First run | April 1968 (Otira) 8 December 2008 (Wellington) |
| Last run | 1 November 1997 (Otira) 10 November 2011 (Wellington) |
| Disposition | 1 preserved, 4 scrapped |
The New Zealand EA class (EO from 1968) of electric locomotives were used on the New Zealand rail network between 1968 and 1997 on the Otira – Arthur's Pass section of the Midland line in the South Island, through the Otira Tunnel. Following reconditioning, three were used by KiwiRail's Tranz Metro in Wellington from 2008 to 2011 to top and tail Metlink suburban passenger trains as an interim measure before new rolling stock arrived. Four of the five locomotives were scrapped in 2013 with one being set aside for preservation.
The class replaced the EO class of 1923, by then largely worn out, on Otira Tunnel duties in 1968. Like their predecessors, the EA class operated as a group of three, with two on standby at Otira. They were more powerful at 1,290 hp than the original EO class at 680 hp, and so could handle heavier trains. This was to prove useful when West Coast coal exports began in the late 1970s using trains of dedicated LC highsider wagons.
Standard operation of the EA's would see three in service at any one time hauling trains between Otira and Arthur's Pass. The other two locomotives would remain at the Otira electric locomotive depot, although any one of the two spare units could be sent to Addington Workshops for overhaul as required. They were mostly used to haul freight trains, although they did occasionally haul passenger trains either on their own or in multiple with the diesel locomotive pulling the train.
Originally the locomotives were classified as the EA class until the early 1980s, when they were reclassified into the EO class.
In the mid-1980s, demand for export coal necessitated the introduction of the C class bogie hoppers on Ngakawau-Lyttelton coal trains. These hoppers were heavier than the dedicated LC highsiders previously used, and this led to a reduction in the amount that three EO's could haul through the tunnel. Initial trials with diesel locomotives on their own had failed, and this requiring the retention of the EO's to help the train locomotives pull the trains through the tunnel.
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Wikipedia