BERLIN — A number of European manufacturers have unveiled new locomotive designs, several shown in public for the first time, at the InnoTrans trade fair.
Stadler presented the first of its new six-axle freight locomotives for the British market, the dual-mode Class 99, which will be used by the UK’s largest rail freight company, GB Railfreight. Leasing firm Beacon Rail has financed the new fleet and has an order for 30 locomotives to be used by GB Railfreight, with options for 20 more.
Described at the launch event by GB Railfreight CEO John Smith as “the new Class 66,” the locomotive is envisioned as the replacement for diesel traction for many freight flows. EMD supplied hundreds of Class 66 diesels to the UK from 1998 onward, but moves to reduce diesel operation and increase use of already electrified lines mean there is likely to be a growing market for bi-mode models like the Class 99.
The locomotive is a 6,170-kilowatt electric (25-kilovolt AC) and also a powerful 1,790-kW diesel, equipped with a Cummins 16-cylinder QSK50 engine. The first two units will be tested at the Velim test center in the Czech Republic later this year; the first locomotives should arrive in Britain in May 2025, with all of initial 30-unit order delivered by the end of 2026.
145-mph electric locomotives from Talgo
Spanish passenger train manufacturer Talgo is exhibiting one of the “Travca” locos it is building for German passenger operator Deutsche Bahn. The new 145-mph DB Class 105 locos are designed to work with brand new 17-car Talgo train sets, designated Intercity Express Low Level (ICE-L) by DB, and planned for operation in Germany plus neighboring Austria and The Netherlands. Operation on the Berlin-to-Amsterdam route was originally due to begin in 2024, but this will not be achieved because of production and testing delays, although the passenger cars may enter service temporarily hauled by alternative locos. DB has ordered 79 of the trains, each with one Class 105 loco.
Switchers with alternative traction
German-based Vossloh Locomotives, a wholly owned subsidiary of Chinese firm CRRC since 2020, has launched its new “Modula” locomotive family. At previous editions of Innotrans, the company has shown models of these proposed locomotives, but they now exist in several formats.
The Modula locomotive is available in four versions combining diesel, battery, and hydrogen energy sources in different configurations. The two on display are quite different. The EBB (Electric Battery Battery), is a 2,400-kW electric, equipped with a conventional pantograph, as well as batteries for operation away from overhead power sources. The other — the BFC (Battery and Fuel Cell) model for German industrial port operator Duisport Rail — has hydrogen fuel cells and batteries. Both have spacious off-center cabs on the roughly 18-meter-long locomotive.
A small three-axle switcher entirely powered by batteries has been unveiled built by Italian manufacturer IPE Railway Vehicles, working with German rail freight company Havelländische Eisenbahn AG and financed by leasing company Nexrail Lease. The new 750-kW loco, designated as the “e6,” has three traction motors and batteries which can store up to 1 megawatt-hour of power. While it is equipped with a pantograph, this cannot be used to pick up power while moving but instead is designed to allow the loco to be recharged when stationary. Similar systems are used by some electric buses.
On the electric + battery models, can the batteries be recharged when under wire?
The DB Kl. 105 Talgo motor is reminiscent of the legendary DB Kl 103
You are right. Imagine it in TEE colours