DELIVERY of the first of 75 high performance Taurus electric locomotives to Austrian Federal Railways is scheduled for January. Ordered in 1997 from Siemens Austria at a cost of ASch2·7bn, the Bo-Bo Class 1016 locos are the first fruits of a major locomotive replacement programme. Options exist for 325 more, and the first of these, for 100 units, has already been exercised.
While many other European railways are contracting out design and manufacture of rolling stock using performance specifications, ÖBB has stepped up its manufacturing involvement with the Taurus contract. The first four locos are being assembled and fully fitted at the München works of Krauss-Maffei, but the rest will be fitted out in ÖBB’s Linz workshops, with many components coming from other ÖBB workshops such as Knittelfeld. The arrangement is covered in a contract between Siemens and ÖBB’s Technical Services division worth ASch2m per loco.
Although the Taurus can haul passenger trains at 230 km/h, it will be used extensively on heavy freight duties to help meet rapidly rising demand - last year ÖBB carried 78 million tonnes compared with just 60 million four years ago. Much of this is transit traffic, and 25 of the first 75 units will be dual-voltage with 15 kV 16 2/3Hz and 25 kV 50Hz capability to allow the locos to run into Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The dual-voltage units are designated Class 1116 or Taurus II. Mechanical parts are identical so that a single-system loco can be easily converted to a dual-system unit. The initial batch of dual-system locos will have a third pantograph with a wider pan for use in Hungary, as well as MAV’s EVM120 train protection equipment.
The first Taurus loco was rolled out in München-Allach in July at a ceremony attended by ÖBB General Manager Dr Helmut Draxler, Herbert Steffen of Siemens Verkehrstechnik and Albert Hochleitner of Siemens Austria.
Developed from the Eurosprinter design and German Railway’s Class 152, the Taurus has asynchronous drives with three-phase traction motors, each with a continuous rating of 1600 kW. These develop a starting tractive effort of 300 kN.
CAPTION: First of a fleet that may eventually number 400 units, this Taurus locomotive is due to enter service with Austrian Federal Railways in January
A technical description of the Taurus locomotives was published in
RG 4.98 p241.
