Railcare’s locomotive workshop in Långsele has started a collaboration with Grenland Rail to upgrade eight class 1144 locomotives, formerly in service with the Austrian ÖBB, for use in freight traffic in both Sweden and Norway:
The contract awarded to Lokverkstaden in Långsele involves upgrading eight locomotives in three stages. First, an audit of the main components will ensure that the locomotives are in good condition, while the driver’s environment will be upgraded with a more ergonomic and modern cabin. The locomotives are then adapted to cope with the harsh Nordic climate, including overhauling pantographs and installing climate protection. They are also painted in Grenland Rail colours.
Finally, modern onboard systems are installed. Four of the locomotives will have ATC (Automatic Train Control), while the other four will be equipped with the European safety system ETCS. All locomotives will also have radio control. Railcare is responsible for the entire process—from design and integration to handling approval at the ERA (European Railway Authority).
‘By adapting the locomotives for the Scandinavian market, where winter climate and high demands on reliability are standard, a circle is closed between the history of the 1144 locomotive and its future role on the Nordic tracks,’ says Patrik Söderholm, Operations Manager at Railcare Lokverkstad.
Railcolor: The four-axle class 1144 locomotive was manufactured in Austria from the late 1970s until the mid-1990s. The machines of this contract (1144 003, 010, 018, 019, 020, 023, 024, 045) have been used in Austria until 2023 and were selected to be scrapped in Romania. At the last minute, the locomotives managed to escape the cutting torch.
Railcare explains that of the current batch, seven machines will be modernized, and 023 will serve as a spare parts donor. For the eight machines, another locomotive needs to be bought in Austria; this has not been decided yet. Works on the first machine, 019, have started, and Railcare expects the machine to be ready for initial testing in six months.
The plan is to repaint them in blue and red, similar to Grenland’s EL15 design.
Pictures from January 2024, the transport of the eight machines in Sweden:
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