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New Zealand Rail Blue DXC 5391

Based on the blue livery carried exclusively by the DJ class in the 1970's, 80's and early 90's. It is basically the same as International Orange, but with blue instead of red.

5391 is the number of a real-life DX locomotive. It was chosen for this re-skin as it's an anagram of 3159, one of the locomotives in the DJ class. In other words - DJ 3159.

DJ 3159 was originally numbered as DJ 1214. The engine was built by Mitsubishi in 1967, as the 15th member of a class of 64 locomotives. The DJ's were ordered by New Zealand Railways to completely replace steam locomotives in the South Island, and - although the DJ's entered service in 1968 - steam wasn't completed retired until 1971.

DJ 1214 was renumbered in 1978, as part of the then-new Traffic Monitoring System (which is still used by KiwiRail today). The locomotive was originally painted in a so-called 'Nippon Pink' livery, which gave way to NZR blue sometime in the 1970's. DJ 3159 ran in service right up until July 1992, when she was retired after 26 years of service. Sadly DJ 3159 did not survive into preservation; being scrapped instead.

As for DXC 5391, she was built by General Electric in 1976, and entered service in April of that year. She was originally numbered as DX 2636, and was the 37th locomotive to be built in a class of 49. 2636 was re-numbered as 5391 in 1978, and is still in service with KiwiRail today. DXC 5391 is now 44 years old, and looks set to remain in service for at least another two years.