Dg class Diesel-Electric locomotives.
Dg 770, an ex-New Zealand Railways Dg class locomotive was built by the English Electric Company Ltd. in England in 1956. These bulky locos, weighing over 65 tons for only 750 hp, are in the true British ‘built like a brick out-house’ fashion. But this means they were built to last, most of the body panels are galvanized!
Dg 770 worked predominantly on South Island mainlines throughout it’s working life and was a common sight on The Cabbage Train, the overnight Christchurch – Picton express mixed train which carried fresh South Island produce to the ferry for early-morning Wellington trade. These engines were notoriously cramped and got very hot while climbing the gradients north of Waipara.
770 was involved in a major tunnel incident in the Dashwood Pass on the 19th of May 1966 which resulted with a heavily damaged body and a bent frame. Fortunately, 770 was rebuilt and continued to operate until 1983 when it was purchased by the newly established Weka Pass Railway. Purchased ready-to-run, Dg 770 was quickly put to work once the Weka Pass Railway began operating trains in 1984. Original public domain image from Flickr