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Stanleyville DXB 5114

DXB 5114 is one of the older members of the DX class, being built by General Electric in 1972. She was originally numbered as DX 2610, entering service in November 1972. Like every other member of the DX class, 2610 first carried the Clockwork Orange livery. In 1978, DX 2610 was renumbered as 5114 as part of the roll-out of the Traffic Monitoring System.

Curiously, the locomotive remained in Clockwork Orange until at least 1985. It was around that time when the locomotive was finally repainted in the International Orange livery. She stayed like this until October 1995, when she was repainted in Tranz Rail blue. She was repainted yet again in April 2008. This time she received the hideous Toll Rail livery, but this was surprisingly late. On the 1st of July 2008, Toll Rail ceased to exist, as the New Zealand railway system was re-nationalised and rebranded as KiwiRail. It wasn't until March 2010 that DXB 5114 was repainted in the KiwiRail livery. She is still in this livery as of September 2019.

On a personal note, I have seen DXB 5114 at least four times. The first was in October 2010 at Dannevirke, which is on the Palmerston North to Napier line. The 2nd time was at Napier's Ahuriri Yard in November 2016. Then twice at Christchurch's Middleton yard in November 2018.

*Now for the fictional part of the engine's history.*

KiwiRail decided to sell DXB 5114 (along with DXB 5068 and DXC 5287) to the Stanleyville Railway in March 2017. Upon arrival, all three were repainted in SR purple. Today the Stanleyville DX's are used solely on passenger trains from Stanleyville Forest to Pendletown Junction, and they are occasionally supplemented by the two NR locomotives from Australia.