the locomotive that enabled the end of steam - a DJ at Dunedin

As people who have our books know, the 64 members of the DJ class diesel-electric built by Mitsubishi and delivered over 1968-1969, effectively replaced steam locomotives in NZ's South Island, and, together with the DG class, were the South Island line service locos for a number of years thereafter.

They were the second NZR class with a tri-bo (Bo-Bo-Bo) wheel arrangement, the first being Wellington's EW class electrics. In both cases, it spread the axle-load which was useful on poor track and gave a shorter wheelbase more suited to sharp curves.  Although the 672 kW Caterpillar D398 prime mover was fairly gutless, on branch-lines loads were rarely onerous.

This pic by Ken Devlin, circa 1980, shows one still in the original red livery at Dunedin station with a goods train. It had probably been given a paint job, as the original red they arrived in soon faded to a distinct shade of pink.

Of the 64 original locos, 10 are in use today, 6 of them by the Taieri Gorge Railway.