NZR DE class

The NZR DE class was a class of fifteen diesel-electric shunting locomotives introduced by New Zealand Railways to replace steam locomotives on shunting duties. The class was physically similar to the Tasmanian Government Railways X class, which was also of English Electric design. Although intended as heavy transfer shunters, four were used in pairs on the Royal Train tour of Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to New Zealand in 1953 and 1954, and the class was trialled on suburban passenger trains in Auckland and Wellington and on branch line freight. It was also the first to run on the new Murupara Branch, which gave it the unofficial status of first mainline diesel-electric locomotive in New Zealand Railways service, a title that correctly belongs to the DF class of 1954, also built by English Electric. The 1979 Traffic Monitoring System renumbered the locomotives DE1308 to DE1458. Two members were later fitted with English Electric 6SRKT Mk 2 engines, and seven of the original fifteen have survived in preservation.