NZR EF class

New Zealand EF class
Three EF locomotives on a freight train north of Feilding.
Power type	Electric
Builder	Brush Traction, Loughborough, United Kingdom
Build date	1986 - 1988
UIC classification	Bo-Bo-Bo
Gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Cape gauge
Length	19.6 metres (64 ft 4 in)
Locomotive weight	107 tonnes (105 long tons)
Electric system	25kV 50 Hz AC
Current collection method	pantograph
Traction motors	6
Top speed	105 km/h (65 mph)
Power output	3,000 kW (4,000 hp) (continuous)
Class	EF, previously Class 30
Number in class	22
Number	30007 - 30249
Nicknames	"Toasters"
Locale	North Island Main Trunk between Palmerston North and Te Rapa
First run	1988 - 1989
Disposition	17 in service; 2 Scrapped, 3 Out-of service

The New Zealand EF class (originally Class 30) is a class of 22 25 kV AC electric locomotives that operate on the North Island Main Trunk between Palmerston North and Te Rapa (near Hamilton) in New Zealand. They are the only class of 25 kV AC locomotives to operate in New Zealand, and following the withdrawal of the EO class 1500 V DC locomotives in November 2011 from Tranz Metro service are the only electric locomotives in operation.

The EF class was built by Brush Traction in Loughborough, United Kingdom between 1986 and 1988 to run on the new electrified central section of the NIMT. The locomotives, at 3,000 kilowatts (4,000 hp), are the most powerful locomotives to operate in New Zealand, and the design of the class has been used in designing other electric locomotives overseas, including the Le Shuttle Eurotunnel Class 9 electric locomotives that operate in the Channel Tunnel between the United Kingdom and France.

Background

See also: North Island Main Trunk Railway

The North Island Main Trunk is a 681-kilometre (423 mi) long rail line that links New Zealand's capital Wellington and New Zealand's largest city Auckland, and is one of the major backbones of the country's rail network. The line was completed in 1908 and opened the following year, and included various engineering feats on the central section between Hamilton and Palmerston North, including the world famous Raurimu Spiral and numerous viaducts - five of which are over 70 metres (230 ft) high.

Electrification of the North Island Main Trunk was first proposed as early as 1918 due to coal shortages during World War I, and later was proposed in the 1950s when diesel locomotives started to replace steam. The section between Wellington and Paekakariki was electrified in 1938 at 1500 V DC to prevent steam build-up in the long Tawa tunnels under the Wellington hills and to provide banking on the steep seaside section from Paekakariki up to Pukerua Bay. This electrification has since been extended further north to Paraparaumu in 1983 and again to Waikanae in 2011.

Following the oil shocks of the 1970s, the National government, led by Prime Minister Rob Muldoon, launched the "Think Big" energy development projects. One of the projects involved the electrification of the 411-kilometre (255 mi) central section of the NIMT between Palmerston North and Te Rapa. This section was chosen for the topography of the line between these two cities, and the advantages electric locomotives had over diesel in this area. The 2,050-kilowatt (2,750 hp) DX class diesel-electric locomotives, then the mainstay of the NIMT and only recently introduced themselves, could handle 720-tonne freight trains on the section, but could only average 27 kilometres per hour (17 mph) when climbing the 1 in 52 gradient of the Raurimu Spiral. A more powerful locomotive however, in this case an electric locomotive, could haul a 900-tonne freight train up the same section of track at a speed of 45 kilometres per hour (28 mph). Electric trains also had their advantage with the oil shocks of the time with New Zealand being dependent on oil from the rest of the world to supply diesel locomotives. Meanwhile, New Zealand's electricity supply is mainly generated from renewable hydroelectricity (hydroelectricity generated 84.5% of New Zealand's electricity in 1980), and therefore electric trains do not have to rely on overseas oil to operate.

Service

Introduction

The electrification of the central section began in 1984, with the government setting aside NZ$40 million to purchase a fleet of 25 kV AC locomotives to operate the new electrified line. The contract to build 22 electric locomotives was let to Brush Traction of Loughborough, UK. The first two locomotives, numbered 30007 and 30013, arrived in 1986 and were used in the testing of the new electrification system, while the remaining 20 locomotives were introduced after the electrification of the NIMT was completed.

The locomotives are able to generate a continuous power output of 3,000 kilowatts (4,000 hp), making the class the most powerful to operate on the NZR network. They also feature the unusual wheel arrangement of Bo-Bo-Bo, which had been previously used on the EW class and the DJ class. The advantage of using the Bo-Bo-Bo arrangement over the traditional Co-Co arrangement is that it provides greater flexibility for New Zealand's lightly laid and sharply curved tracks, resulting in less wear on the rails.

The locomotives are supplied electricity from 25 kV AC overhead lines above the track. These lines draw electricity from New Zealand's national grid at four locations along the electrified section: Bunnythorpe, Tangiwai, Taumarunui, and Hamilton. The locomotives are fitted with regenerative braking as well as regular air brakes, so the traction motors can be turned into generators when the locomotive is coasting downhill and feed electricity back into the overhead lines and the national grid.

The EF class were nicknamed "Toasters" by New Zealand rail enthusiasts due to their boxy shape.

In service

The EF class were first used to haul freight trains along the central section of the North Island Main Trunk. Freight trains travelling from Auckland be diesel-hauled to Te Rapa, change there to an EF locomotive and be hauled to Palmerston North where it would be changed back to a diesel locomotive to continue to Wellington. This remains the practice today, although trains that do not traverse the length of the central section (such as the Karioi-Wellington pulp trains) are entirely diesel-hauled to save switching the locomotives. Similarly, freight trains that are destined for or originate from the Marton - New Plymouth Line are diesel-hauled for 30 km section of the NIMT between Palmerston North and Marton.

Prior to the Stratford - Okahukura Line being mothballed usual operating practice was for the services originating from Auckland/Hamilton and Stratford to meet at Taumarunui and exchange trains there, with an EF regularly hauling the Hamilton-Taumarunui-Hamilton legs. With the mothballing of this line most services now run direct between Palmerston North and Te Rapa.

EF 30163 haulling The Overlander near Waiouru on 22 March 2003.

EF 30013 on the North Island Main Trunk in 'bumble bee' colours.

Electric-hauled passenger services originated later, due to the New Zealand Railways being skeptical about electric locomotives on passenger trains, and that the then daylight NIMT service, the Silver Fern, utilised diesel-electric rail cars. When the locomotive-hauled Overlander daylight service replaced the Silver Fern in December 1991, EF class locomotives began to be across the central section, and later, the locomotives were used on the overnight Northerner passenger service until it was cancelled in November 2004. The EFs continue to be regularly used to haul the Overlander.

Upgrades

With the EF class being relatively young there have been very few upgrades to the locomotives. Significant maintenance is undertaken at the main Hutt Workshops near Wellington which, due to the unelectrified section between Palmerston North and Waikanae (and Wellington's electrification being DC rather than AC), the locomotives must be towed to by a diesel engine to access the workshops.

An upgrade programme was undertaken over 1993 and 1994 which saw the 20 remaining locomotives receive a full overhaul including transformer work and new traction motors. This work was undertaken at the Hutt Workshops with EF 30007 the first to be treated after having been out of action for some time prior.

From June 2006 locomotives have been fitted with AAR style couplers, each weighing over 400 kilograms (880 lb), to allow them to pull heavier trains.

In July 2010 it was announced by KiwiRail that EF 30065 and EF 30128 were to be assessed to see if they are able to be made ready to again enter service on the NIMT, having been held in open storage (along with EF 30186) for many years at Palmerston North as surplus to operational requirements. It is hoped that reinstating the locomotives will help to ease pressure on the working fleet, especially as locomotives are currently regularly out of service for maintenance, modification and re-branding. EF 30065 was placed on second-hand bogies and moved to Hutt Workshops in August 2010 to begin the assessment, followed by EF 30186 in September, though it was not mentioned in the original announcement. EF 30128 followed to Wellington in April 2011. It is anticipated that one of the locomotives will serve as a parts source to return the other two to service and the remaining hulk scrapped.

Livery

Of the 17 EF Class locomotives currently in service, 9 are painted in a livery other than the original International Orange scheme that they were introduced in;

• 1 in Tranz Rail blue
• 3 in Tranz Rail black ("Bumble-Bee")
• 5 in KiwiRail

The remaining three locomotives not in operational service (EFs 30065, 30128 and 30186) are all presently painted in the International Orange scheme. No EFs were ever painted in the Toll Rail "Corn Cob" scheme.

The rust removal and repaint into the new KiwiRail scheme began in September 2009 with EF 30163, followed by EF 30059 in February 2010, EF 30134 in March 2010, EF 30249 in April 2010 and EF 30226 in July 2010. It is expected that the remaining units will be rebranded in KiwiRail livery as they go through extended maintenance. So far, the KiwiRail repainting has been done in Wellington, which means the locomotives must be towed (as part of a diesel hauled freight service) to and from Wellington. The units painted in International Orange have the road numbers displayed in large type in the centre of the body (with the exception of EF 30007), while the other schemes have them in smaller type on the cabs.

Withdrawal and disposal

Two EF class locomotives have been withdrawn from service:

EFs 30036 and 30088 were withdrawn from service following a derailment caused by a washout at Oio (north of Raurimu) on 7 August 1991 that also killed the locomotive engineer. After recovery from the site the two heavily damaged units were stored at Hutt Workshops until the decision was made that it was both uneconomic to repair the units and they would be surplus to existing requirements. Both units were scrapped at Hutt Workshops – EF 30088 was completed in April 2003 and EF 30036 in February 2007 – with usable salvaged parts used to support the remainder of the fleet.

As noted above three further units – EF’s 30065, 30128 and 30186 – have been in long-term out-of-service storage at Palmerston North as surplus to operational requirements.

EF class outside New Zealand

The EF class design was used as the basis for the Le Shuttle Eurotunnel Class 9 locomotives used in the Channel Tunnel by the Eurotunnel Shuttle Service, as a proven design was required. The Le Shuttle locomotives were also built by Brush, Loughborough, UK and were scaled up to the standard rail gauge and larger loading gauge used in Europe.

Class register

Key:	In service	Out of service	Auckland Transport service	Preserved	Overhaul	Scrapped

TMS number	Introduced	Withdrawn	Current livery	Notes
30007	01987-10 October 1987		International Orange
30013	01988-01 January 1988		Tranz Rail black (Bumble Bee)
30036	01988-01 January 1988	01991-08-07 August 7, 1991	International Orange	Scrapped, 02007-02-18 February 18, 2007.
30042	01988-02 February 1988		Tranz Rail black (Bumble Bee)
30059	01988-02 February 1988		KiwiRail
30065	01988-03 March 1988		International Orange	Undergoing rebuild / repaint assessment at Hutt Workshops
30071	01988-02 February 1988		Tranz Rail black (Bumble Bee)
30088	01988-02 February 1988	01991-08-07 August 7, 1991	International Orange	Scrapped, 02003-04-11 April 11, 2003.
30094	01988-03 March 1988		International Orange
30105	November 1988		International Orange
30111	01988-02 February 1988		International Orange
30128	01988-03 March 1988		International Orange	Undergoing rebuild / repaint assessment at Hutt Workshops
30134	01988-03 March 1988		KiwiRail
30140	01988-05 May 1988		International Orange
30157	01988-03 March 1988		International Orange
30163	01988-05 May 1988		KiwiRail
30186	01988-07 July 1988		International Orange	Undergoing rebuild / repaint assessment at Hutt Workshops
30192	01988-08 August 1988		Tranz Rail blue
30203	01988-10 October 1988		International Orange
30226	01988-09 September 1988		KiwiRail
30232	01989-04 April 1989		International Orange
30249	01989-02 February 1989		KiwiRail

See also

• Locomotives of New Zealand

References

Bibliography

Channel Tunnel Trains by P.W.B. Semmens & Y. Machefest-Tassin (1994, Channel Tunnel Group Ltd, Folkestone, Kent) ISBN 1872009336