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Flying Tomato DSG 3061

Flying Tomato is an unusual variant on the traditional International Orange livery. This version doesn't have grey paint on the roof and cab-sides. Instead, those areas are red. It existed for around 8 years in the late 1980's and 90's. Based on my research, the locomotives that received this livery were as follows:

DC 4006
DC 4058
DC 4087
DC 4110
DF 6006
DF 6012
DF 6029
DF 6058
DSC 2381
DSC 2419
DSC 2475
DSC 2515
DSC 2528
TR 603
TR 920

This reskin is not - technically - accurate to real-life, since no DSG's ever carried the Flying Tomato livery. But who ever said I couldn't have fun screwing with the purists.

DSG 3061 was built in 1982 by the Japanese company Toshiba, entering service in March of that year. 3061 was one of the 24-strong DSG class. The DSG's are shunting locomotives designed for moving wagons around in medium to large freight yards. Sometimes they run on short mainline trips, with the U4A shunt (Napier to Hastings, returning as U4B) being one of them.

Interestingly the DSG class never carried pre-TMS numbers, as the entire class was introduced after the introduction of the Traffic Monitoring System. The DSG's are notable for having a centre-cab design, which is great for driver visibility. Placed on either end of the cab is a low hood housing a diesel engine. Some technical specifications of the DSG class is as follows:

Length - 13.5 metres
Weight - 56 metric tonnes
Prime Mover - Cummins KTA 1150L (2x)
Power Output - 940 horsepower
Top Speed - 60 kilometres per hour

All DSG's were first outshopped in the now-classic International Orange livery. This was phased out and replaced by Tranz Rail blue in the 1990's, even though DSG 3208 remained in Fruit Salad until 2008. As for DSG 3061, she lost her International Orange paint in favour of Tranz Rail in 1997. Around this time, the entire DSG class was fitted with shunter's refuges.

Shunter's refuges are short extensions for the frame at both ends of the locomotive. These are suitable for shunting operations in yards like Mount Maunganui and Kawerau. The way it works is that the driver usually stands outside the locomotive, continuing to operate it by means of a remote control box. When DSG's run short trip workings on the mainline, the driver sits in the cab and drives the locomotive from the usual position.

As far as I know, DSG 3061 has spent most of her life in the South Island. She was repainted in the KiwiRail livery in March 2010. Today the locomotive is still in service, but has been in the North Island since the repaint.

On a personal note, I have seen DSG 3061 at least twice. The first time was at Palmerston North depot in September 2010, while the second was at the Moturoa Coolstores in New Plymouth in April 2012.