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KiwiRail DA 1482

DA 1482 was built in 1964 by General Motors, and entered service with New Zealand Railways in December 1964. Several years later she was chosen for rebuilding as a DC.

In March 1981 the engine was shipped to Clyde Engineering in Australia (two years after being renumbered to DA 846) and rebuilt as DC 4790. The DA to DC conversion involved replacing the old 1,425 horsepower prime mover (GMD 12-567C) with a slightly more powerful 1,650 horsepower unit (EMD 12-645C), as well as lowering the short-hood to improve visibility for the driver.

The rebuilt engine - now designated as DC 4790 - re-entered service in February 1983. She was originally painted in the now-classic ‘Fruit Salad’ livery.

DC 4790 is notable for just how long she remained in Fruit Salad colours. She lasted right through the Tranz Rail and Toll Rail eras (and even two years into the KiwiRail era) without ever being repainted. During this time she became a film star, of sorts. In January 2010, DC 4790 was sent up the North Auckland Line for a filming job, which resulted in her making two cameo appearances in the live action ‘Yogi Bear’ film. I actually went and saw this film in the cinema, and was surprised to see DC 4790 on screen when the film is supposed to be set in the United States of America.

It wasn’t until October 2010 when she was finally repainted in the KiwiRail livery. 4790 returned to service soon after, and over the next couple of years she was a common sight on the Mount Maunganui to Kawerau route. It was during this period when - one day in July 2011 - I had a cab ride in 4790 on a short section of the mainline, Mount Maunganui to Tauranga (Sulphur Point) and return, although the return trip had me in the cab of DFT 7322 (which was coupled to 4790).

Following the unwelcome invasion of the DL class - which really set in in 2011 - DC 4790 was transferred elsewhere, mainly the Auckland region. However she has ventured down to the Waikato a few times, mainly to run the M52 shunt to the Fonterra plants at Hautapu and Waitoa.

One day in April 2019, I was out filming 4790 on the Waitoa branch. For whatever reason I ended up having a second cab ride in this locomotive at Waitoa, although it was nowhere near as long of a ride as Mount Maunganui to Sulphur Point. There was another day - in February 2020 - when 4790 made a rare appearance in Tauranga again.

More recently - in June 2020 - DC 4790, along with classmates 4260 and 4663, became stranded in Whangarei. Until January 2021, these engines were used to haul work trains while KiwiRail was busy upgrading the North Auckland Line. Now the work is finally over, it is assumed (by me) that DC 4790 has returned to Auckland.