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 Tågkompaniet train type El16 24, Sundsvall, Sweden (Image taken by Henrik Sendelbach). | |||||||||||||||||
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NSB El 16 is an electric locomotive which is used on the Norwegian railway system by CargoNet to haul freight trains. Until it was replaced by the El 18, the El 16 engines also pulled passenger trains on the Norwegian State Railways.
In the 1970s NSB was faced with a challenge on the steep and wintry Bergen Line and the El 14 was not adequate for the task. The solution seemed to be thyristor locomotive that had successfully been tested by ASEA and Canadian Pacific Railway with possibilities to pull 50% heavier trains than equivalent diesel electric locomotives were capable of. This was partly due to a system of dynamic slip control, where speed of traction motors was controlled and adjusted to avoid slippage and loss of adhesion. The Swedish Rc4 locomotives were tested on the Northeast Corridor with success and NSB also chose to try the units on the Bergen Line. In 1976 NSB ordered six units of a modified Rc4 design, with dynamic brakes, increased traction power (from 4x900 kW on Rc4 to 4x1100 kW on El16) and a pointed nose which is able to force through the occasional snowdrifts. In 1980 another four units were delivered and the final seven in 1984. The sets were numbered 16 2201 to 16 2217.
The engines were used throughout the electrified rail network, both passenger and freight trains, with the exception of the northern section of the Gjøvik Line and the Sørland Line west of Kristiansand, due to too weak power supply systems. But the systems have since been upgraded.
Retirement from passenger service started with the fissioning of Norwegian State Railways. 8 engines were transferred to the CargoNet freight company. In 2002, a further six engines were sold to the Swedish operator Tågkompaniet and the remaining three engines were purchased by CargoNet. In 2007 all engines from Tågkompaniet were sold back to Norway. Two 16 engines were lost when burnt up by fire during cargo services across the Swedish border.
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The Norwegian railway system comprises 4,087 km of 1,435 mm track of which 2,622 km is electrified and 242 km double track. There are 696 tunnels and 2,760 bridges.
Vygruppen, branded as Vy, formerly Norges Statsbaner (NSB) and formerly branded internationally as the Norwegian State Railways, is a government-owned railway company which operates most passenger train services and many bus services in Norway. The company is owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications. Its sub-brands include Vy Buss coach services, CargoNet freight trains through and the Swedish train transport company Tågkompaniet. In 2009 NSB carried 52 million train passengers and 104 million bus passengers. On 24 April 2019, passenger train and bus services were rebranded by as Vy.
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The Rc class is the most used electric locomotive in Sweden. Rc is a universal locomotive used both in freight and passenger trains. The largest operator is Green Cargo, although SJ, Veolia Transport, Tågåkeriet, Hector Rail and the Swedish Transport Administration operate it as well.
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