DB Class 111

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Baureihe 111
Technical data
Class number	111
Put into service	1974-1984
Retired	111 109 (1981)
Number built	227
Manufacturers	Krauss-Maffei, Henschel, Krupp, Siemens, AEG and BBC
Wheel arrangement	Bo' Bo'
Maximum speed	160 km/h
Gauge	1435 mm
Length from buffer to buffer	16,750 mm
Service weight	83 t
Number of motors	4
Power at rail	3,720 kW
Tractive effort	274 kN
Safety systems	Sifa, PZB90
Brakes	Knorr airbrake, electric brake

The Baureihe 111 is a class of electric locomotives owned by Deutsche Bahn AG.

Contents 1 History 2 Accidents 3 Trivia 4 External links

[edit] History

Class 111 is the successor of the Class 110 express Einheitslokomotive. Since demand for fast electric locomotives was high even after production of the 110 ended, the Deutsche Bundesbahn decided to commission a new batch in the 1970s. The bogies were replaced with a different type, significantly improving the locomotive's behaviour at higher speeds. The engineer's workplace also was significantly improved, the DB-Einheitsführerstand, jointly developed by the Bundesbahn-Zentralamt München and Krauss-Maffei and designed under ergonomic aspects, found its first use in the Class 111 and is nowaday used in many DB locomotives and cab cars.

The first locomotive, 111 001, left the Krauss-Maffei workshop in December 1974. Up to 1984, 226 more engines were produced, not only at Krauss-Maffei but also including parts from Henschel, Krupp, Siemens, AEG and BBC. 111 227 originally was supposed to be the last newly built conventional AC locomotive of the Bundesbahn, as the Baureihe 120, using three-phase AC motors, was already being produced.). However, after the German reunification it was decided to commission another batch of the Class 112, which had been developed by the East German railways. This decision was made mainly for political purposes.

In 1979 it was decided to use the Class 111 for the S-Bahn trains of the Rhein-Ruhr S-Bahn. Hence, the engines 111 111 to 111 188 were repainted in S-Bahn colours and equipped with S-Bahn gear to be controlled from a cab car. In the same year, the InterCity was reformed under the InterCity '79 scheme and the network was enlarged. As it was foreseeable that the Class 103 engines would be stressed with that workload, the 111's licence was extended to a speed of 160 km/h, and from May 1980 onwards, the units could be found doing InterCity services.

[edit] Accidents

• 111 109 was involved in an accident in the station of Wels, Austria, crashing with the ÖBB 1042.560. The engineer suffered only slight bruises, however 111 109 was dismantled on-site on August 29, 1981 and not rebuilt later.

• On July 22, 2001, a RegionalExpress train pushed by 111 088 crashed into a car that was unlawfully crossing a railroad crossing. Two cars of the train derailed, the four passengers in the automobile were killed. 111 088 suffered minor damage.

[edit] Trivia

• The locomotive 111 111 carries the checksum 1. This is widely believed to be for cosmetic purposes (leading to a smooth looking 111 111-1 inscription) only, however the checksum is correct.

• 111 030 was the first of the series featuring an advertising livery, advertising the musical Tanz der Vampire (Dance of the Vampires) in 2002.

[edit] External links

• Fan site (in German)
• European Railway Server