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      Super High Speed Ref. Manufacturers Rolling Stock Guide West European Electric > Re460 Traxx Diesel Class 66 East European Electric VL26/VL26M Diesel Tep60 Tep70 2Te116 North American Diesel GE ES44AC / ES44DC Asia Rest of the World Country RR. Reference EU and railroading         |
4rail.net - Reference - Rolling stock - Re460 / Re465 / EL18 / Sr2 | |
 Re460 is the one of the first truly multinational electric locomotives. The closely matching variants of the locomotive are owned by both SBB/CFF/FFS and BLS in Switzerland, NSB in Norway, Hong Kong Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation KCRC / KCR East Rail in Hong Kong on the normal 1435 mm gauge and VR-Yhtyma on the Finnish 1524 mm network. The development of the Re460 goes back to the Locomotive 2000 (Lok 2000) program for the Swiss Railways SBB/CFF. Being very successful the SBB/CFF ordered 119 locomotives, BLS its initial 8+ locomotive batch of the improved Re465 version, NSB in Norway 22, KCRC just 2 units and the VR-Yhtyma a total 43 units. If you take a closer look at the type Re460, you will find several reasons for the success. First the behavior of the locomotive is first class , in all environments. It's maximum speed of 230 km/h well exceeds the requirements of most railway operators. Using anvanced AC technology (the Swiss have long traditions in building AC locomotives) the locomotive is both powerful and needs a lot less maintenance than its DC counterparts. With powerful traction motors acting as generators Re460s can feed a lot of the movement energy back to the electric networks while slowing down (except for the Chinese units). This will also reduce the wear of the normal braking system. To reduce the wear on the track and wheels, at least the Norwegian locomotives have adjustable/steerable bogies. Re460s have apressurized cabins, similar to the newer super high speed trains to create more comfortable working environment for the engineer, plus their cabin is very quiet even on the road. To meet the eye of the public, Re460's outer appearance was designed by Pininfarina, the same people who design Porches! And last, the Re460 is very compact sized for all the features is packed with. Being economical and technological success it's no wonder the sales progressed well. Today, the same techonologies are used in many newer types of locomotives.  The Norwegian version of the Re460, EL18 number 2252, waiting for the departure in Oslo with an IC train. Notice the Norvegian specialty, a powerful bright yellow snow plow! Otherwise the locomotive look like a typical Re460. See below for technical details:  To the top of the page
Technical details Type: Swiss Re460, BLS Re465, Norwegian EL18, Finnish Sr2 Usage: Heavy electric road passenger and freight locomotive. Builder: Originally built by SLM/ABB, most current units by Bombardier Production dates: 1992 to 2004? Numbers built: ~200 Gauge: 1435 mm (4' 8.5") or 1524 mm (5 ft) Users: Swiss SBB/CFF/FFS, BLS, Norwegian NSB, Finnish VR-Yhtyma, KCRC Seen: The above countries. Energy Source: Electric according to country specifications Swiss: 15 kV 16 2/3 Hz Electric system: Adtranz - GTO thyristors and 3 phase AC traction motors. Power feed back to the network Power: SBB/CFF: 6100 kW, BLS 7000 kW (according to Jane's 6400kW (8575 hp)) + 10 units of the SBB/CFF batch Re460's 6100 kW, NSB 5880 kW, VR-Yhtyma 6000 kW Traction motors type: Tractive Effort: 300 kN start / ___ kN at __ km/h Wheel arrangement: Bo-Bo Wheel diameter: 1100/1125 mm Pantograph: According to the area specifications Maximum operational speed where possible: 230 km/h (143 mph), on some operators 200 km/h. Length: 18,5 m Heigth: Width: Weight: 82-84 metric tons (according to Jane's 81 tons) Axle weight max: 21 tons To the top of the page
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Sources: The Web, Eletrolok i Norge, Jane's Train Recognition Guide, John Whitby at tiscali.co.uk, Michael Blunck at ewetel.net, Ilkka Siissalo, John McKey, ... |
Click the pictures to see a larger version!  Norwegian NSB Re460/EL18 number 2252 locomotive stopping at Oslo. The Norwegian units are limited to 200 km/h speed online. Picture by Ilkka Siissalo 2007.  Here is an example of Re465, which is slightly longer than the Re460 to house more electrical equipment under cover. The locomotives are even more powerful tahn teh normal Re460's. Picture by Ilkka Siissalo 2002.  VR-Yhtyma Sr2 (type Re460) still in an old livery on the side in Tampere Finland year 2004. You may notice the Finnish version has spoilers removed to provide better access to serviceable parts. Otherwise the looks are identical with the rest of the Re460 family, Picture by John McKey 2004.  2 units of the original Locomotive 200 program Re460's for SBB/CFF pass the photographer in the Swiss alps. Picture by Lorenz Schmuckli 2003.  Numerous SBB/CFF Re460's seem to be used as an advertisement platform for so far about 30 different adds. |
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