Various rail operators in New Zealand have used (and continue to use) rail maintenance equipment, such as ballast equalizers, tamping machines, work trains and overhead inspection carriages, to inspect, assess and maintain various components of the rail corridor. [1]
| New Zealand rail cranes | |
|---|---|
 TranzRail Crane EL 6019 at Wairoa | |
| Manufacturer | Cowan Sheldon |
| Entered service | Current |
| Number built | 2 |
| Number in service | 1 |
| Fleet numbers | EL 6002, EL 6019 |
| Operators | TranzRail, KiwiRail |
| Lines served | All lines |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 134 tonnes |
| Track gauge | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) |
Various rail operators in New Zealand have used (and continue to use) rail cranes, for various tasks on maintaining the rail corridor, including accident recovery work. [2] Typically there are two classes, EL indicating diesel, and ELS indicating steam operation.
EL 1007 was the first diesel rail crane used in New Zealand (originally No. 197 pre-TMS). It was built in 1943 by Ransomes & Rapier, and is currently stored at the Weka Pass Railway.
Two 60 tonne Cowan Sheldon diesel rail cranes were built in 1979, after an initial tender in 1976. Both weighing 134 tonnes with a configuration of two 3-axle bogies and two relieving bogies, [3] EL 6019 (nicknamed "Speedy") and EL 6002 (nicknamed "Tweety") accompanied by appropriate cartoon iconography entered service in 1980. Both are now under the ownership of KiwiRail.
In 2005, one of the two cranes sent to Wairoa as part of a work train, and two wagons, ended up falling into the Nuhaka River as two spans of the bridge it was intended to repair collapsed under the weight of the train. [4] As a result, EL 6019 has been decommissioned, and is currently stored.
Until the first diesel class rail cranes were built in 1943, steam rail cranes were in regular use by NZR under the more recent TMS classification of ELS. Remaining examples are now in the hands of preservation groups.
Silver Stream Railway maintain a preserved New Zealand Railways Ransomes and Rapier 15 Ton lift steam crane (ELS 1599/No. 124), built around 1946, and acquired in 1997. [5]
ELS 4007/No. 200, a Craven Bros. Ltd 40 Ton Breakdown steam crane, is listed as being preserved by Steam Incorporated.
Railway preservation in New Zealand is the preservation of historically significant facets of New Zealand's rail transport history. The earliest recorded preservation attempt took place in 1925, although the movement itself did not start properly until 1960.
The Weka Pass Railway is a New Zealand heritage railway based in Waipara, North Canterbury. It is operated on a 12.8 km length of the former Waiau Branch railway between Waipara and Waikari. The railway is operated by an incorporated society which consists solely of members and volunteers, and are largely resident in the city of Christchurch, 60 km to the south. The railway began carrying passengers in 1984 and is now well established locally and nationally.
Rail transport in New Zealand is an integral part of New Zealand's transport network, with a nationwide network of 4,375.5 km (2,718.8 mi) of track linking most major cities in the North and South Islands, connected by inter-island rail and road ferries. Rail transport in New Zealand has a particular focus on bulk freight exports and imports, with 19 million net tonnes moved by rail annually, accounting for more than half of rail revenue.
A railway crane is a type of crane used on a railway for one of three primary purposes: freight handling in goods yards, permanent way (PW) maintenance, and accident recovery work. Although the design differs according to the type of work, the basic configuration is similar in all cases: a rotating crane body is mounted on a sturdy chassis fitted with flanged wheels. The body supports the jib and provides all the lifting and operating mechanisms; on larger cranes, an operator's cabin is usually provided. The chassis is fitted with buffing (UK) and/or coupling gear to allow the crane to be moved by a locomotive, although many are also self-propelled to allow limited movement about a work site.
The Ocean Beach Railway (OBR) is a heritage railway that operates in Dunedin, New Zealand. It is located between John Wilson Drive in the suburb of Saint Kilda and sports grounds near Forbury Park Raceway, and runs parallel with the city's main beach, Ocean Beach. This is near where the Ocean Beach Branch once ran, but not on the same formation.
The New Zealand DJ class locomotive is a type of diesel-electric locomotive in service on the New Zealand rail network. The class were built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and introduced from 1968 to 1969 for the New Zealand Railways Department (NZR) with a modernisation loan from the World Bank to replace steam locomotives in the South Island, where all of the class members worked most of their lives. Nine of the locomotives remain in use, mainly with Dunedin Railways.
The New Zealand Railways Department, NZR or NZGR and often known as the "Railways", was a government department charged with owning and maintaining New Zealand's railway infrastructure and operating the railway system. The Department was created in 1880 and was corporatised on 1 April 1982 into the New Zealand Railways Corporation. Originally, railway construction and operation took place under the auspices of the former provincial governments and some private railways, before all of the provincial operations came under the central Public Works Department. The role of operating the rail network was subsequently separated from that of the network's construction. From 1895 to 1993 there was a responsible Minister, the Minister of Railways. He was often also the Minister of Public Works.
The Glenbrook Vintage Railway (GVR) is a heritage steam railway in Glenbrook, New Zealand.
This is a list of jargon commonly used by railfans and railway employees in New Zealand.
The New Zealand DC class locomotive is a type of diesel-electric mainline locomotive on the New Zealand rail network, operated by KiwiRail on freight trains, and formerly on long-distance passenger trains. The class was rebuilt from the DA class in the late 1970s and early 1980s, mainly in Australia. After the DA class, they were the most numerous class of diesel locomotive on New Zealand's railway network and remained numerically dominant until the mid-2010s when withdrawals began.
The New Zealand DX class locomotive is a type of 49 Co-Co diesel-electric locomotives that currently operate on New Zealand's national railway network. All locomotives are owned by KiwiRail.
The New Zealand DA class locomotive were a class of diesel-electric mainline locomotives operated on the New Zealand railway system between 1955 and 1989. Consisting of 146 locomotives, it was the most numerous class to ever operate in New Zealand, with five more than the AB class steam locomotive.
The New Zealand DB class and DBR class locomotive is a type of diesel-electric locomotive built for service on New Zealand's rail network. They were built by General Motors Diesel (GMD) of Canada as a narrow-gauge version of the EMD G8 model, with seventeen locomotives constructed. Ten of these were later rebuilt into the DBR class.
The New Zealand DG and DH class were classes of forty-two diesel-electric locomotives operated on New Zealand's rail network between 1955 and 1983.
The New Zealand DSC class locomotive is a heavy shunting locomotive used throughout New Zealand. The class was built in seven batches, the first 18 locomotives being built by British Thomson-Houston of the United Kingdom, with the further 52 locomotives being built by New Zealand Railways (NZR).
The New Zealand TR class locomotive is a type of diesel shunting locomotives built by many different manufacturers. Defined as "shunting tractors" or "rail tractors" by KiwiRail and its predecessors, they are classified "TR" for tractor as a result. Many of these locomotives have been withdrawn, but some are still in service. The first locomotive of this class was built by NZR in 1924. The most powerful were Japanese-built Hitachi TRs, with 138 kW Cummins engines.
A & G Price Limited is an engineering firm and locomotive manufacturer in Thames, New Zealand founded in 1868.
The NZR 56-foot carriage is a class of 56 ft (17 m) long railway passenger carriage formerly used on almost all long-distance passenger rail transport in New Zealand. 88 carriages have been preserved.
The New Zealand FM guards van is a rail vehicle in New Zealand originally used on freight trains but now used primarily on passenger trains, reclassified AG.
The NZR DS class locomotive is a type of 16 diesel shunting locomotives built by the Vulcan Foundry and supplied by the Drewry Car Co from 1949–1955, for New Zealand Railways (NZR).
