Power type Electric UIC class Bo'Bo' | Total produced 22 Wheel diameter 1,250 mm (49.21 in) | |
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Build date delivery:
EA 3001 to 3010 : 1984-86
EA 3011 to 3022 : 1992-93 Gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ⁄2 in) | ||
The DSB Class EA was the first electric locomotive in Denmark, introduced in 1984. In total, 22 units were built for the DSB, about half were acquired by Deutsche Bahn in 2001 when it took over the freight business of DSB.
Contents
Between 2007 and 2010 many of the locomotives began freight services in Bulgaria, as of 2017 only five units remain with the Danish state railways.
Background, design and construction
The first stretch of railway in Denmark was electrified in March 1986; DSB needed an electric locomotive that could be used as a combined freight/passenger unit. The locomotive was based on the German Class 120. The customisation included a re-designed body (adapted to DSB's new locomotive design first used on the Class ME), and adaption to the Danish overhead wire voltage (25 kV 50 Hz, as opposed to the 15 kV 16 2⁄3 Hz voltage used in Germany and other Scandinavian countries).
The locomotives were manufactured by a consortium of companies led by BBC: BBC (after 1998 ABB, Siemens Henschel (after 1990 ABB Henschel), Thyssen-Henschel, EB Strømmen and ABB Scandia. The locomotives can work in push pull mode and in multiple.
The bodies of the first two locomotives were manufactured by Henschel in Germany, the remaining units Scandia.
Locomotive history
Initially the locomotives worked on passenger trains in Zealand, after the opening of the Great Belt Fixed Link in 1997 the locomotives were used on services on Funen and Jutland. After the introduction of the IR4 trains the locomotives were mostly used on passenger services.
In 2001 the freight arm of DSB (DSB Gods) was acquired by Railion and ten locomotives, numbers 3011 to 3019 and 3021 became the property of Railion Denmark.
In 2007 5 locomotives were sold to private Bulgarian gas firm Bulmarket for use on its liquified gas trains.
In 2010 DB Schenker Bulgaria began running trains in Bulgaria, using ex DSB EA locomotives it had inherited from Railion; the locomotives received class number 86 whilst retaining the original locomotive number.
List of locomotives
The 22 class EA locomotives are named after scientists, engineers and railway people as follows: