NSB El 4

Last updated
NSB El 4
NSB El 4 in Narvik 2.jpeg
Type and origin
Power typeElectric
Builder NEBB/Thune/Hamar
Build date1925–1929
Specifications
Configuration:
   UIC 1′C+C1′
Length19.6 m (64 ft 3.7 in) (triple)
Loco weight134.5 tonnes (132.4 long tons; 148.3 short tons)
Electric system/s 15 kV 16.7 Hz catenary
Current pickup(s) Pantograph
Performance figures
Maximum speed60 km/h (37 mph)
Power output2,088 kW (2,800 hp)
Career
Operators Norwegian State Railways
Number in class5 (triple sections)
Numbers4 2033 4 2034
4 2044 4 2046
First run1925
DispositionReplaced by NSB El 15 from 1960s

NSB El 4 was a class of electric locomotive used by the Norwegian State Railways (NSB) to transport iron ore on the Ofoten Line. NSB had a total of five triple-locomotive sets.

Contents

History

El 4-hauled train on the Norddal Bridge in 1930 NSB El 4 on Norddalsbroen.jpeg
El 4-hauled train on the Norddal Bridge in 1930

In 1923, Ofoten Line and the Swedish Iron Ore Line were electrified and NSB had to acquire electric locomotives to haul the trains. NSB chose to order five double-engine El 3 units and five triple-engine El 4 units for the purpose. The El 4 were built at NEBB, Thune and Hamar Jernstøberi.

After World War II, the production of iron ore in Kiruna and Malmberget increased dramatically and the train length was increased, with the consequence that each train needed more propulsion. NSB chose to order eight new El 12 locomotives at the same time it combined the ten El 3 locomotives to make three triple-engine sets with one reserve.

When the El 15 locomotives were delivered in 1967, the El 3 and El 4 units were taken out of service. None of the locomotives have been preserved. One engine, 4.2046, is buried under gravel and soil below the railway near Katterat, where it ended up at a derailment in 1959. Heavy rainfall had caused flooding that damaged the line in Sørddalen. 4.2046 was hauling an inspection train when the embankment that carried the track failed and the engine tipped over. Usable parts were stripped from the engine before it was buried when the embankment was rebuilt. [1] [2]

Related Research Articles

Rail transport in Norway

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Vy (transport operator) state-owned railway operator of Norway since 1996

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Ofoten Line railway line in Narvik, Norway

The Ofoten Line is a 43-kilometre (27 mi) railway line in Narvik, 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 SJ operates passenger trains, including a night train to Stockholm.

NSB El 18 locomotive class

NSB El 18 is a class of 22 electric locomotives built by Adtranz and Swiss Locomotive and 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.

NSB El 17 locomotive class

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 Di 4 locomotive class

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NSB El 16 locomotive class

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.

NSB El 15 locomotive class

NSB El 15 is a class of electric locomotives which are now operated by the Swedish company Hector Rail as Class 161 locomotives. 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 Class 93 class of DMUs of Norway

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NSB El 13 locomotive class

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

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.

Iron Ore Line railway line in northern Sweden and Norway

The Iron Ore Line is a 398-kilometre (247 mi) long railway line between Riksgränsen and Boden in Norrbotten County, Sweden. The line 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.

Iore class of 34 Co′Co′ electric locomotives used for hauling iron ore in Norway and Sweden

Iore, often stylized IORE, is a class of 34 electric locomotives built by Adtranz and its successor Bombardier Transportation for the Swedish mining company LKAB's railway division Malmtrafik. The class is a variation of Adtranz's Octeon modular product platform, thus related to Bombardier's later TRAXX platform. The locomotives haul iron ore freight trains on the Iron Ore Line and Ofoten Line in Sweden and Norway, respectively. The 8,600-tonne 68-car trains are hauled by two single-ended Co′Co′ locomotives, each with a power output of 5,400 kW (7,200 hp). Each operates with 600 kilonewtons tractive effort and has a maximum speed of 80 km/h (50 mph). Delivery of the first series of 18 locomotives was made from 2000 to 2004, and they replaced some of the aging Dm3 and El 15 units. In 2007, eight more vehicles were ordered, with production to be completed by 2011, by which time, another four double units were ordered. These units are scheduled to be delivered from 2013 to 2014.

LKAB Malmtrafik Swedish railway company

LKAB Malmtrafik, earlier Malmtrafik i Kiruna AB (MTAB), is a Swedish railway company which operates the iron ore freight trains on the Iron Ore Line and the Ofoten Line. MTAB is a wholly owned subsidiary of the mining company Luossavaara–Kiirunavaara (LKAB). In Norway, operations are handled by the subsidiary Malmtrafikk AS (MTAS). Malmtrafik hauls ore from LKAB's mines in Kiruna, Malmberget and Svappavaara to the ports of Luleå and Narvik, the latter located in Norway. The company owns 28 Iore locomotives and 750 hopper cars. Each train is 68 cars long and weighs 8,600 tonnes, allowing the company to transport 33 million tonnes per year.

NSB El 12 class of Norwegian electric locomotives

NSB El 12 was an electric locomotive used by the Norwegian State Railways (NSB) to haul iron ore trains on Ofoten Line between 1957 and 1990. The locomotives were based on the Swedish Dm that was used with success on the connecting Iron Ore Line. The eight units were always operated in pairs or in triples and were numbered 12 2113 - 12 2120. Four double sets remain as heritage locomotives.

NSB El 3 was an electric locomotive used by the Norwegian State Railways (NSB) to transport iron ore on the Ofoten Line. Five twin-locomotive sets were in service from 1925 to 1967.

SJ T44 locomotive class

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.

SJ Dm3 locomotive class

Dm and Dm3 is a series of locomotives used by Swedish State Railways and later Malmtafik i Kiruna (MTAS) for pulling iron ore trains on the Iron Ore Line in Sweden and Ofoten Line in Norway. A total of 39 double-locomotives (Dm) were delivered between 1954 and 1971, built by ASEA. A further 19 center locomotives (Dm3) were later delivered. Norwegian State Railways also operated 12 similar locomotives, designated NSB El 12. The Dm is a articulated, freight-optimized version of the Da-locomotive.

SJ U locomotive class

U is a class of 152 electric shunter locomotives operated by the Swedish State Railways and Trafikaktiebolaget Grängesberg–Oxelösunds Järnvägar (TGOJ) of Sweden, and the Norwegian State Railways (NSB), LKAB and Norsk Jernverk of Norway. They were built by ASEA, Nyqvist och Holm, Motala, ASJ Falun and Thune between 1926 and 1956. NSB gave the class the designation El 10.

Timeline of railway electrification in Norway

The Norwegian railway network consists of 2,552 kilometers (1,586 mi) of electrified railway lines, constituting 62% of the Norwegian National Rail Administration's 4,114 kilometers (2,556 mi) of line. The first three mainline systems to be electrified were private ore-hauling lines. The Thamshavn Line opened in 1909, and remained in revenue use until 1973, after which it was converted to a heritage railway. It is the world's oldest remaining alternating-current railway and the only narrow gauge railway in the country to have been electrified. It was followed by Norsk Transport's Rjukan and Tinnoset Lines two years later, and Sydvaranger's Kirkenes–Bjørnevatn Line in 1922. The Norwegian State Railways' (NSB) first electrification was parts of the Drammen Line in 1922 and the ore-hauling Ofoten Line in 1923, which connects to the Iron Ore Line in Sweden. The use of El 1 locomotives on the Drammen Line proved a large cost-saver over steam locomotives, and NSB started electrifying other lines around Oslo; from 1927 to 1930, the remainder of the Drammen Line, and the continuation along the Randsfjorden and Sørlandet Lines to Kongsvinger were converted, along with the first section of the Trunk Line. In 1935, the Hardanger Line became the first section of new NSB track to be electrified. From 1936 to 1940, NSB electrified the Østfold Line as well as more of the Sørland Line and the Bratsberg Line, connecting all electric lines west of Oslo.

References

  1. Aspenberg, Nils Carl (2001). Elektrolok i Norge (in Norwegian). Baneforlaget. p. 55-56. ISBN   82-91448-42-6.
  2. Ofotbanen, Narvik - Riksgränsen (headline Elektroloken)