DMUs move around New Zealand for preservation and secure storage
TO MAKE space for 15 more new CAF-built EMUs that have been delivered for use around Auckland, redundant exTransperth (Western Australia) Class ADL DMUs were moved from the city to secure store in Pukekohe in mid-December.
Auckland Transport’s concessionaire Transdev gave the empty stock move job to the Glenbrook Vintage Railway (GVR) after national operator KiwiRail was unable to resource the move.
The GVR used preserved former New Zealand Railways (NZR) DBR loco (EMD G8) which made two round trips for each stored DMU, as two more operational ones had to be included in the consist for braking purposes. All of the Class ADL DMUs will be withdrawn by 2024 once all the new CAF AM EMUs enter service and the 19km section between Papakura and Pukekohe is electrified.
‘Silver Fern’ cars for preservation
The Pahiatua Railcar
Society in Pahiatua, near Palmerston North, has purchased the three 1972 Japanese built ‘Silver Fern’ DMUs from KiwiRail. The last two serviceable ‘Silver Fern’ DMUs, RM 24 and 30, were withdrawn from service in 2019 while the third set sold – RM 18 – had been used as a source for spare parts for the other two. KiwiRail moved the units from the South Island where they last operated and had been stored to a new secure compound in Pahiatua using a KiwiRail DFB locomotive. As RM 18 did not have operable brakes it was placed in the middle of RM 24 and 30 with two flat wagons were also added to the consist for braking purposes.
The Pahiatua Railcar Society now has examples of all the diesel railcars used for long distance services by NZR in the North Island built from 1936 to 1972; the Wairarapa, Standard, Drewry 88 seater and the Silver Fern.
■ Our thanks to Robert Sweet for information in this item.