Marking 50 years of Dj locomotives

ABOUT 120 lovers of diesel electric locomotives arrived in Dunedin from Oamaru by train yesterday afternoon, and hundreds of people are expected to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Japanesebuilt Dj locomotives in the city this weekend.

It is understood that Dunedin Railways owns seven of the nine operational Dj diesel electric locomotives in New Zealand.

The Dj class locomotives were built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and introduced to New Zealand in 196869 for the New Zealand Railways Department.

They were bought through a modernisation loan from the World Bank to replace steam locomotives in the South Island.

Railway Enthusiasts Society president Alan Verry, of Auckland was ‘‘excited’’ to arrive in Dunedin aboard redpainted heritage carriages pulled by Christchurchbased Dg and Di diesel electric locomotives yesterday.

Fiftyseven of those passengers aboard the train were mainly society members but also included 19 Australian train enthusiasts.

The remaining passengers included other train enthusiasts, many of them from the North Island, and two people from the United States.

Mr Verry said five organisations, including the society, had joined forces to make the weekend reunion a success: the other parties were Dunedin Railways; KiwiRail; Steam Incorporated, of Paekakariki, which had provided the redpainted heritage carriages; and the Diesel Traction Group, of the Ferrymead Heritage Park, Christchurch, which was providing two restored diesel electric engines.

Dunedin Railways operations manager Grant Craig said the anniversary was a positive event for Dunedin.

Anniversaryrelated train trips will run from today until next Tuesday, and a special excursion train pulled by Dg, Di, and Dj engines will depart from the Dunedin Railway Station for Middlemarch at 9.30am tomorrow.

Details of the anniversary trip plans can be seen via Behind the Scenes Dunedin Railways on Facebook, and also through www.dunedinrailways.co.nz