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Tranz Rail DX 5431

This reskin depicts DX 5431 in an unusual variant of Tranz Rail blue that she wore in November 2001.

DX 5431 was originally numbered as DX 2641. Like all other DX's, she was built by General Electric in Erie, Pennsylvania. 2641 entered service in July 1976 and was only four years old when she was renumbered as 5431 in 1980. She was originally painted in the distinctive Clockwork Orange livery, which was exclusive to the DX class. Five years after being renumbered - in 1985 - the locomotive was repainted in what is now the classic International Orange livery.

In the early 1990s, 5431 was repainted again. This time in the New Zealand Rail blue livery. In 1996 the locomotive was fitted with the distinctive chutes or air intakes. These were to allow the locomotive to operate in the Otira Tunnel without the crew suffocating. In June 2006, DX 5431 was reclassified as DXB 5431 and repainted in Toll Rail colours.

2008 saw the locomotive being reclassified as a DXC. Around this time, she had the Toll Rail logos replaced by KiwiRail stickers. It wasn't until 2014 that DXC 5431 was finally repainted in the KiwiRail colours, which she still carries today.

I ended up seeing DXC 5431 when I was in Christchurch in November 2018. On that occasion, she was running in tandem with DC 4726.