Norwegian railway carriages

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There are three basic types of Norwegian railway carriage used commonly by NSB on the Norwegian railway system, the B3, B5 and B7 series. As of 2005, the carriages are hauled by NSB El 18 engines on the main electrified stretches and NSB Di 4 engines on non-electrified lines.

1 Coding
2 B3 series
3 B5 series
4 B7 series
5 References

[edit] Coding

In general the preceding letter of the carriage type indicates what the carriage is used for. For example

A indicates a first class carriage.
B indicates a second class carriage, this is the most common.
AB indicates a carriage with both first class and second class seating.
C indicates some sort of "special" carriage, such as one with a playing room for families with children.
F indicates a luggage carriage.
R indicates a restaurant carriage.
WL indicates a sleeping carriage.

A B5 carriage is thus the "typical" second-class carriage in the B5 series, while an A5 carriage is a first class version of it.

[edit] B3 series

These carriages were built between 1947 and 1974 by Strømmen and are the oldest carriages in common use. They have four slam doors, two in each end. The carriages are split into two sections, the second class carriage usually has 60 seats. B3 carriages with a higher passenger density are also used on Flåmsbana where they are hauled by NSB El 17 engines. A B3 carriage is 23.5 metres long and weighs 36.4 to 42 tonnes.

The WLAB carriages were the older sleeping carriages used on night trains. The cabins had three bunks stacked on top of one another. They were retired from service in January 2006.

[edit] B5 series

These carriages are visually quite similar to the B3 series. The doors are sliding rather than conventional slam doors, and on most carriages, all the seating is in one section. The B5s were built by Strømmen between 1977 and 1981. They are slightly larger than the B3, the specifications are 25.3 m long, 42 tonnes heavy and seat up to 68 passengers. They are used mostly on mid-distance trains to supplement the NSB BM70 trainsets.

The BF13 and BF14 are versions of the B5 with cabins for families with small children and people with physical disabilities. They also have a small cabin for the conductor.

[edit] B7 series

These carriages are the longest ones operated by NSB. They are used mostly for express trains on Bergensbanen, Dovrebanen and Sørlandsbanen. They were built by Strømmen between 1982 and 1989. The B7 is considerably more modern than the B3 and B5, with a more futuristic appearance. Most of the B7s have two sections, one small section with 24 seats, and a larger one with 46 seats. The cars are 26.1 m long and weigh about 40 tonnes. Most trains with B7 carriages have one car with a playroom for families with children.

The WLAB2 is the newest, and since the retirement of the old WLAB carriages, the only type of sleeping carriage which is used on night trains on Bergensbanen, Dovrebanen, Sørlandsbanen and Nordlandsbanen. The cabins have one or two bunks depending on the fare the passenger pays.