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Toll Rail DA 1448

(What if DA 1448 was never rebuilt as DAR 517 yet remained in service into the Toll Rail era)?

DAR 517 was a unique locomotive, and had an interesting story too. She was originally DA 1448, and was built by General Motors of Canada in 1961, entering service in September 1961.

The engine had a fairly normal life before her rebuild, however - in January 1980 - she derailed at the breakwater in New Plymouth, but didn’t sustain any major damage. Soon after this incident DA 1448 was renumbered to DA 512 and repainted in the International Orange livery. She stayed in this condition for the rest of her time with New Zealand Rail.

Back in 1989, Tasman Pulp & Paper was looking for an additional locomotive to use as a shunter in Kawerau. In 1983 they had taken delivery of their first shunter; a Niigata Bo-Bo engine numbered 2071. The new addition was intended to replace an old Bagnall diesel shunter, which had been modified in the 1970’s with a new diesel engine and torque converter (whatever that means) to make it more powerful. As traffic increased, the Bagnall shunter was getting less and less capable of handling the work.

Originally NZR offered a DH (or GE U10B) to Tasman, but they turned it down as they thought she wasn’t up to the task. So NZR offered DA 512 instead, seeing as this engine was retired in May 1989. Tasman chose the DA, and sent her to Hutt Workshops for conversion to a heavy shunter.

The short-hood was cut down to improve forward visibility, and the locomotive was repainted in a distinctive yellow livery complete with the green ‘Tasman’ logo. She was renumbered to DA 822 and then sent to Kawerau to start her new job as a shunter. Unfortunately photographs of the engine in her 1990’s condition are extremely rare, so much so that I’ve only found one picture of the former DA 512 in her Tasman condition.

DA 822 remained in Kawerau until 1998, when Tranz Rail re-acquired her and took over control of the yard. The engine was immediately sent back to Hutt Workshops for further modifications, which saw her being repainted in Tranz Rail blue and being fitted with shunters’ refuges. The latter was meant to cement the engine’s place as a heavy shunter.

During this time, DA 822 was reclassified and renumbered to DAR 517. In 1999 she was sent to Whareroa in Taranaki, where she was used as a shunter at the enormous dairy factory. There she replaced another Bagnall shunter, this time it was DSA 414. Six years after arriving in Whareroa - in 2005 - DAR 517 was repainted in the Toll Rail livery, which I think was an unusual move given her relative obscurity.

DAR 517 remained in service until 2008, when she was withdrawn for overhaul. The engine was transferred back to Hutt Workshops yet again, but - for reasons unknown - the overhaul never happened. Sadly DAR 517 was scrapped in December 2017.