NS Class 1600

NS Class 1600 NS Class 1800
Railion 1612 at Amersfoort
Power type	Electric
Builder	Alsthom-Atlantique, MTE Creusot-Loire
Build date	1981-1983
Total produced	58
AAR wheel arr.	Bo-Bo
Gauge	1435 mm
Length	17.60 m
Locomotive weight	83 t
Electric system	1500V DC
Current collection method	Pantograph
Top speed	180 km/h
Power output	4540 kW
Tractive effort	260 kN
Career	Railion Nederland, NS Reizigers
Class	1600/1800
Number in class	1600=23, 1800=34
Number	In the ranges 1601-1622, 1823-1824, 1625, 1826-1858
Disposition	Active

The NS Class 1600 is a type of B-B electric locomotive built by Alsthom between 1980 and 1983 based on the SNCF Class BB 7200, and in use by the Dutch Railways since 1981.

The Class 1600 was ordered in 1978, after several types of locomotives were tested in the 1970s. One of those was the SNCF BB 7200, on which the 1600 is based. The 58 locomotives were delivered between 1981 and 1983. As a result of their delivery, the old Class 1000 and Class 1500 units were taken out of service.

Thanks to the electronic power control, these locomotives were not only the most economical but also the most powerful locomotives that Dutch Railways had.

NS/Railion Class 1600

In 1999 the freight division of NS, NS Cargo, was sold to Deutsche Bahn became part of Railion as Railion Nederland. The locomotives that became the property of Railion kept their old number (1601–1637). Loco 1637 was repainted red as an advertisement for the Dutch brewery Heineken and was repainted in NS Yellow in 2004.

Currently, Railion Nederland is looking to replace the 1600 loco's with new multi-current loco's type BR 189 from Germany. In early 2008 these started running into the Netherlands from Germany.

NS Class 1800

The locomotives that went to NS-Reizigers (1638–1658) had their numbers raised by 200, thus keeping their number but now in the 1800 series. In later years 10 more of the 1600 loco's where sold to NS-Reizigers and subsequently renumbered to the 1800 series. The 1800 series was now 1823, 1824 and 1826 to 1858. Retaining the last 2 digits of their number. Loco 1838 was involved in a heavy but non-fatal traincrash at Amsterdam Central Station in 2005 and due to the extensive damage later scrapped.

Names

All the 1600s and 1800s carry names & crests of Dutch towns and cities.

1601t - Amsterdam 1602 - Schiphol 1603t - Zutphen 1604 - Dordrecht 1605 - Breda † 1606 - Harderwijk 1607t - Vlissingen 1608t - 's-Hertogenbosch 1609 - Hoofddorp 1610t - Hengelo 1611 - Venlo 1612 - Goes 1613 - Roermond 1614 - Schiedam 1615 - Zandvoort 1616 - Oldenzaal 1617t - Assen 1618t - Almelo 1619 - Maastricht 1620t - Arnhem

1621 - Deventer 1622 - Haarlem † 1823t - Hilversum 1824t - Alkmaar 1625 - Sittard † 1826 - Meppel † 1827t - Gouda 1828t - Apeldoorn 1829t - Ede 1830t - Zwolle 1831t - Voorburg 1832t - Nijmegen 1833t - Bergen op Zoom 1834t - Lelystad 1835t - Enschede 1836t - Heerenveen 1837t - Amersfoort 1838 - Groningen † 1839 - Leiden 1840t - Steenwijk

1841 - Almere † 1842 - Weert 1843 - Heerlen 1844 - Roosendaal 1845 - Middelburg 1846 - Leeuwarden 1847 - Delft 1848t - Valkenburg 1849 - Oss 1850 - Den Haag 1851 - Tilburg 1852 - Utrecht † 1853 - Den Helder 1854t - Geleen 1855 - Eindhoven 1856m - Hoogeveen 1857 - Rotterdam 1858 - Zaandam

• ^t = These engines have been taken out of service and are not expected to return in service in the near future.
• † = These engines have been scrapped, due to an accident or because they were taken out of service.
• ^m = This engine is now part of the Railway Collection from the Railway Museum in Utrecht.

See also

Class 1700, similar to the 1600/1800 class. Some of the Class 1700 has automatic couplers (so they can quickly couple the DD-AR double-decker trains they are used for), which is missing on the 1600/1800 (which have never been used for these trains). The Class 1700 is a modernised version, is heavier than the 1600/1800 and has different (i.e. more modern) systems for braking and Automatische Trein Beinvloeding ATB (Automatic Train Control).

External links

• http://www.railfaneurope.net/ns/rl_1600.html
• http://somda.nl/nieuws/165/#1