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KiwiRail (ex-Toll Rail) DSG 3046

DSG 3046 was built in 1981 by the Japanese company Toshiba. 3046 entered service in March 1981, and was one of the 24-strong DSG class. They are Bo-Bo centre-cab locomotives designed for shunting in medium to large yards (e.g. Mount Maunganui in Tauranga and Middelton in Christchurch). However, they can sometimes run short-distance trips on the mainline, such at the Napier to Hastings shunts. Currently DSG 3264 is rostered to the Hawkes Bay shunt.

3046 - like all other DSG's - wasn't initally fitted with shunters' refuges. These are extensions to the locomotive that provide a safe place for the driver to stand while operating the locomotive via remote control. Shunters' refuges were fitted to the DSG class in the late 1990s. In June 1996, DSG 3046 was repainted in the Tranz Rail Blue livery. She would stay in this livery for another 8 years.

In December 2004, DSG 3046 became the only member of her class to be repainted in Toll Rail colours. Because of the grilles at both ends, 3046 was the only Corn-Cob engine that lacked those abhorent curved stripes. At the time, 3046 was used primarily in Wellington yard. This job includes shunting wagons and - sometimes - locomotives onto and off the Interislander ferry. The Interislander is a road/rail ferry service operated by KiwiRail, which connects the North and South Islands.

After the state-owned KiwiRail system was launched in July 2008, DSG 3046 simply had the Toll Rail logos removed and replaced with KiwiRail stickers. It is in this state that my reskin was made. In June 2011, 3046 was finally repainted into the KiwiRail livery, which she still carries to this day. The only time I recall seeing this locomotive in person was in January 2017, when I saw her shunting wagons as I was coming into Wellington on a train from Plimmerton.