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KiwiRail (ex-Toll Rail) DXC 5356

(Requested by Riki Simeti).

(This re-skin depicts 5356 as she looked between 2008 and 2016).

Toll Rail was a short-lived company that operated the New Zealand rail network from 2003 to 2008. They were owned by a company called Toll Holdings, hence the Toll Rail name. After KiwiRail was launched on July 1st 2008, most engines that received the Toll Rail livery retained it for a few years, and just had KiwiRail stickers on-top of the old logo, like on this 5356 re-skin.

The Toll Rail livery has become known amongst New Zealand railfans as the 'Corn Cob' livery. In my opinion, this was one of the ugliest livery NZ has ever seen. The shades of green and yellow were really off, and the curved stripes on the ends of the locomotives completely ruined their appearance. Fortunately there are no more mainline engines in TollRail colours, only five shunters (DH 2839, DSC's 2462 and 2720 and DSJ's 4032 and 4060). The last mainline locomotive to carry this livery was DXC 5356. Go figure.

DXC 5356 was built by General Electric in 1976, entering service in September of that year. She was originally numbered as DX 2632 (the next engine - 2633 - became DX 5362 and later DXR 8007). 2632 was re-numbered as 5356 in 1978.

All DX’s initially carried the distinctive ‘Clockwork Orange’ livery, which was gradually phased out and replaced by International Orange / Fruit Salad in the 1980’s. In the case of DX 5356, she was repainted sometime between 1980 and 1985. The engine was repainted again in 1997, this time receiving Tranz Rail blue.

5356 stayed in this blue livery until late 2007. Throughout this time she was - more or less - confined to the South Island, like all DX’s today. In December 2007, the engine was sent to Hutt Workshops in Wellington. Upon arrival, she was repainted in the Toll Rail livery and fitted with the distinctive ‘chutes’ on both sides.

5356 wasn't initially fitted with the distinctive air chutes or air-intakes which are now fitted to all members of the DXC subclass. The engine was fitted with the chutes and reclassified as DXB 5356 during her repaint.

The chutes on DXC locomotives are used to aid crew ventilation when they’re running through the Otira Tunnel, which is on the line from Christchurch to Greymouth in the South Island. It is one of the most brutal operating environments a locomotive could run in; the tunnel is 8.5 kilometres long and on a 1 in 33 gradient (climbing uphill when travelling east). The trains going through those tunnels are incredibly heavy, and the locomotive has to work very hard to avoid stalling, and chucks out a lot of exhaust in the process. The chutes help to direct cooler air from the tunnel floor around the engine, and mainly to prevent the crew from suffocating.

5356 re-entered service in December 2007, but - of course - lasted less than a year in the full Toll Rail livery. Soon after KiwiRail took over, the engine had her old logo replaced with KiwiRail stickers. She stayed in this condition until 2016, when she was finally repainted in the KiwiRail livery.

DXC 5356 is still in service with KiwiRail today, and is now 44 years old.