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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. [1] Two 16 engines were lost when burnt up by fire during cargo services across the Swedish border.
The Norwegian railway system comprises 4,109 km of 1,435 mm track of which 2,644 km is electrified and 274 km double track. There are 697 tunnels and 2,760 bridges.
Vygruppen, branded as Vy, formerly 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. Its sub-brands include Vy Buss coach services, CargoNet freight trains 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 as Vy.
The Bergen Line, or the Bergen Railway, is a 371-kilometre (231 mi) long scenic standard gauge railway line between Bergen and Hønefoss, Norway. The name is often applied to the entire route from Bergen to Oslo, including the Randsfjord and Drammen lines between Hønefoss and Oslo, covering a total distance of 496 kilometres (308 mi). It is the highest mainline railway line in Northern Europe, crossing the Hardangervidda plateau at 1,237 metres (4,058 ft) above sea level.
The Rc class is the most used electric locomotive in Sweden. Built by Allmänna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget (ASEA), the Rc is a universal locomotive used both in freight and passenger trains. The largest operator is Green Cargo, although SJ, Tågab, Hector Rail and Banverket operate it as well. Previous operators include Veolia Transport.
The Ofoten Line is a 43-kilometre (27 mi) railway line in Narvik Municipality, Norway. It runs from the Port of Narvik to Riksgränsen on the Norway–Sweden border, where the line continues as the Ore Line via Kiruna and Gällivare to Luleå. The Ofoten Line is single track, electrified at 15 kV 16.7 Hz AC and has seven stations. The line only connects to the rest of the Norwegian railway network via Sweden. The main traffic is up to 12 daily freight trains operated by Malmtrafik that haul iron ore from Sweden to Narvik. In addition, CargoNet operates container trains, branded as the Arctic Rail Express (ARE), and Vy Tåg operates passenger trains, including a night train to Stockholm.
NSB El 18 is a class of 22 electric locomotives built by Adtranz and Swiss Locomotive & Machine Works (SLM) for the Norwegian State Railways (NSB). The class is a modification of the Swiss Federal Railways Re 460 locomotive and built at Adtranz Strømmen in 1996 and 1997. The class remains the only mainline electric locomotive used by NSB, and is predominantly used on some intercity services and all night trains on the Bergen Line, Dovre Line and Sørland Line, as well as some regional trains.
The NSB El 17 is a class of twelve electric locomotives built by Thyssen-Henschel and Norsk Elektrisk & Brown Boveri (NEBB) for the Norwegian State Railways (NSB). The class was built in two batches, the first delivered in 1982 and numbered 2221–2226, and the second delivered in 1987 and numbered 2227–2232. The traction system of the El 17 was based on the DB Class 120 of Germany and were among the first in the world to feature three-phase asynchronous motors. The units were ordered to be used on the intercity Bergen, Dovre and Sørland Lines, but were plagued with technical faults. The unreliability and lack of sufficient power forced NSB to instead use them in the regional Vestfold and Gjøvik Lines. With the delivery of the El 18, the first series was retired or used as shunters. The second series has been used on the Flåm Line since 1998.
NSB El 15 is a class of electric locomotives which are now operated by the Norwegian company Grenland Rail. The locomotives were originally built for the Norwegian State Railways (NSB) in 1967 to replace the NSB El 3 and NSB El 4 engines on Ofoten Line. The main task there is to pull heavy iron ore freight trains, and the El 15 is the most powerful engine which NSB has ever used.
NSB Di 6, later designated ME 26 and DE 2700, is a class of twelve diesel-electric locomotives built by Siemens for the Norwegian State Railways (NSB). The prime mover provides a power output of 2,650 kilowatts (3,550 hp), a starting traction effort of 400 kilonewtons (90,000 lbf) and a maximum speed of 160 kilometres per hour (99 mph). They have a Co′Co′ wheel arrangement. The bidirectional locomotives were designed for use with both passenger and freight trains.
NSB El 14 is a Norwegian electric locomotive operated by CargoNet for freight trains hauling. Built between 1968 and 1973 by Thune as a general purpose engine for the Norwegian State Railways (NSB), they were seen hauling passenger trains until the 1980s. Of the 31 units numbered 14 2164 to 14 2190 and 14 2197 to 14 2200, 11 remain in service.
NSB El 13 is a Norwegian electric locomotive which was used by Norwegian State Railways (NSB) for both passenger and freight trains.
NSB Di 3 is a class of 35 diesel–electric locomotives built by NOHAB for the Norwegian State Railways (NSB). The class was built between 1954 and 1969, and delivered in two series, Di 3a and Di 3b. They are based on the Electro-Motive Division F7 and are equipped with EMD 567 engines. They have a distinct bulldog nose and were numbered 602–633 (a-series) and 641–643 (b-series). The locomotives had a prime mover that gives a power output of 1,305 kilowatts (1,750 hp). The a-series has a Co′Co′ wheel arrangement, while the b-series has (A1A)(A1A). The b-series has higher top speed, but lower tractive effort.
CargoNet AS is the primary operator of freight trains on the Norwegian railway system.
The NSB Di 8 is a class of diesel-electric locomotives built by Maschinenbau Kiel (MaK), while it was part of Siemens Schienenfahrzeugtechnik, for the Norwegian State Railways (NSB). The locomotives are equipped with a Caterpillar 3516 DI-TA prime mover, which provides a power output of 1,570 kilowatts (2,110 hp) and a starting tractive effort of 270 kilonewtons (61,000 lbf).
The Iron Ore Line is a 398-kilometre (247 mi) long railway line between Riksgränsen and Boden in Norrbotten County, Sweden, owned by Trafikverket. The line also contains two branches, from Kiruna to Svappavaara and from Gällivare to Koskullskulle. The term is often colloquially used to also include the Ofoten Line, from Riksgränsen to Narvik in Norway, and the northernmost part of the Main Line Through Upper Norrland from Boden to Luleå. The railway from Narvik to Luleå is 473 kilometres (294 mi) long.
The Hardanger Line was a 27.45-kilometre (17.06 mi) railway between Voss and Granvin in Hordaland, Norway. The line connected to the Bergen Line in Voss and ran to the Hardangerfjord and the district of Hardanger. Construction started in 1921, but the line did not open until 1 April 1935. Owned and operated by Norwegian State Railways (NSB), passenger transport was provided by three NSB Class 64 electric multiple units. They remained in use until 1985 when passenger transport was terminated. All transport ceased in 1988, and 21 kilometres (13 mi) of the line was demolished in 1991. The 3 kilometres (2 mi) from Voss to Palmafoss is still intact and is owned by the Norwegian National Rail Administration. The line featured six stations, fourteen halts and four tunnels and was one of Norway's steepest railways. It was NSB's first line to be electrified. The line was known as the Granvin Line until February 1936. In 2016, Palmafoss established an emergency freight terminal and the tracks were re-established.
T44 is a Swedish diesel-electric locomotive built by Nydqvist & Holm (NOHAB) and Kalmar Verkstad (KVAB) in 123 units between 1968 and 1987. It was the successor of T43, and used both for hauling and shunting. It is the most common diesel locomotive in Sweden, with state-owned Green Cargo as the largest operator. Other operators include Israel Railways (one), Malmtrafik (two) and formerly Norwegian State Railways and Inlandsbanan AB.
NSB El 1 is the first electric locomotive series used by the Norwegian State Railways, from 1922 until 1973. Twenty-four engines were delivered from ASEA and Thune, twenty-two in 1922 and two in 1930. Based on the German DB E 71 and Swedish SJ Oc it has two two-axle bogies with one motor in each.
NSB Class 88 was a class of six three-car diesel-hydraulic multiple units built by Strømmens Værksted for the Norwegian State Railways. Derived from the German DRG Class SVT 877, the trains were the diesel counterpart of Class 66. The trains were built as express trains on the Bergen Line and the Dovre Line, serving the routes from Oslo to Bergen and Trondheim. The first four units were delivered in 1945 and 1946, but mechanical failures caused them to highly unreliable until 1950. Two more units were delivered in 1958. Retirement started in 1963 and from 1965 the trains were moved to the Røros Line. They left regular service from 1970 and were chopped three years later.
Rb is an electric locomotive operated by Swedish State Railways. Six locomotives were built by ASEA, in three series designated Rb1, Rb2 or Rb3.
