Help bring Class 1012 back home!
Austrian Rail Team is a passionate team of railway experts who unite enthusiasts of all ages to create, share, and realise exciting railway projects. Roland Reichart, Renate Obadigbo, and Ana Ilieva lead the team, which brings expertise, energy, and heart to every endeavour.
Austrian Rail Team has a dream: to bring class 1012 back home to Austria, restore its power with care and craftsmanship, and reinstate it as a living piece of history.
Your support will help make this dream a reality. Whether through donations, sponsorship, or sharing our mission, every helping hand brings us closer to seeing this proud locomotive roll through her homeland again. Find out more about how you can help — every contribution, big or small, makes a difference.
About Class 1012
Once envisioned as the future of Austrian rail transport, the ÖBB Class 1012 locomotives were designed as powerful 15 kV AC universal engines to replace older models such as the iconic Class 1044. Sadly, SGP-Verkehrstechnik and the ARGE consortium (Siemens, ELIN, ABB) could only produce three of these machines, which made their first test runs in 1996. A change in corporate direction at ÖBB meant that the dream of a full production run never came to life. No further technical updates were implemented, and high-speed 230 km/h equipment was not installed. ÖBB closed a deal with Siemens instead, and since 1999, the Taurus locomotive has been the king of Austria.
In 2007, their journey of 1012 001, 002, and 003 took a new turn when sold to the Swedish rail operator Hector Rail. These machines quickly captured hearts in Sweden, earning the proud title “Queen of the Track.” With minor technical modifications, the locomotives began a second life in Sweden in the summer of 2007, each bearing a name inspired by legendary cinematic heroines:
- 1012 001 became 141 001 (Ripley) – Named after Ellen Ripley from Alien
- 1012 002 became 141 002 (Kiddo) – Named after Beatrix Kiddo from Kill Bill
- 1012 003 became 141 003 (Starling) – Named after Clarice Starling from The Silence of the Lambs
They served in freight and passenger operations, reaching the Swedish top speed limit of 160 km/h. Yet, time caught up with these iron queens: Starling was dismantled to provide vital spare parts (it had an accident in 2011). Ripley and Kiddo heroically reached nearly one million kilometres before being retired.
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