Diesel locomotive Diesel–hydraulic locomotives have a smaller market share than those with diesel electric transmission - the main worldwide user of main-line hydraulic transmissions was the Federal Republic of Germany, with designs including the 1950s DB class V 200, and the 1960 and 1970s DB Class V 160 family. British Rail introduced a number of diesel hydraulic designs during it 1955 Modernisation Plan, initially license built versions of German designs (see ). In Spain RENFE used high power to weight ratio twin engined German designs to haul high speed trains from the 1960s to 1990s. (see RENFE Classes 340, 350, 352, 353,
New Zealand DL class locomotive eight would be ordered to replace the EF class electric locomotives on the NIMT. This will result in an intended class total of 71 DL units. The DLs were the first new-build diesel-electric mainline locomotives on New Zealand's rail network since the DF class was introduced in 1979. The order marked one of the first steps of considerable investment in KiwiRail, and the first order for a Chinese-built locomotive from a western country. The acquisition of new locomotives was first proposed by Toll NZ after they purchased Tranz Rail in 2003. When Toll assumed responsibility for the rail operation, the