VR Class Dr16
Three Dr16s heading a freight train at Hangas, near Pikkarala, northern Finland, 2001
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| Type and origin | |
|---|---|
| Power type | Diesel-electric |
| Builder |
Valmet Oy, Tampere (numbers 2801–2809) Transtech Oy, Otanmäki and Taivalkoski (numbers 2810–2823) Oy Strömberg Ab, inverters, generator and motors |
| Build date | 1985–1992 |
| Total produced | 23 |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Configuration: |
|
| • UIC | Bo′Bo′ |
| Gauge | 1,524 mm (5 ft) |
| Wheel diameter | 1,250 mm (49.21 in) |
| Length | 17.60 m (57 ft 9 in) |
| Width | 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in) |
| Height | 4.73 m (15 ft 6 in) |
| Axle load | 20.5 t (20.2 long tons; 22.6 short tons)/21 t (21 long tons; 23 short tons) |
| Loco weight | 82 t (81 long tons; 90 short tons)/84 t (83 long tons; 93 short tons) |
| Fuel type | Diesel |
| Prime mover | Pielstick 12PA4-V-200VG Wärtsilä Vaasa 8V22 (2803/2804) |
| Transmission | Inverter-driven three-phase AC induction motors |
| Performance figures | |
|---|---|
| Maximum speed | 140 km/h (87 mph) |
| Power output | 1,677 kW (2,249 hp) (1,500 kW (2,000 hp) 2803/2804) |
| Tractive effort | 270 kN (61,000 lbf) |
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Operators | VR |
| Class | Dr16 |
| Number in class | 18 |
| Numbers | 2805–2813, 2815–2823 |
| Nicknames | Iso Vaalee (the Big Blonde) |
| Locale | northern and eastern Finland |
| Current owner | VR |
| Disposition | In Service |
The Dr16 is a class of diesel-electric locomotives used by VR (Finnish Railways). The 23 locomotives have a single, off-centre cab and are currently VR's most powerful diesel locomotives. Their nickname is "Iso Vaalee" (Big Blonde). They are presently mainly used on heavy freight services in northern Finland; their main passenger duty is the haulage of trains on the non-electrified line between Kemi and Kolari in Lapland. Dr16 locomotives were also used extensively on the line between Oulu and Rovaniemi, prior to the completion of the electrification of the line in 2004.
In the beginning of the 1980s, Valtionrautatiet needed new locomotives to replace its aging Dr12 and Dv12 class diesel locomotives. The company had installed a bigger engine on a Dr12 (which became the Dr15) and modified one Dv12 to run on electricity instead of diesel. However, the company wanted a totally new locomotive, and finally chose Valmet's type M in 1983, with Strömberg providing the electrical components. VR originally ordered 23 locomotives, with an option of 20 more when the first series were delivered.
It was originally planned that two locomotives would be first built as prototypes, the first of them being fitted with a Wärtsilä engine and the second one with the Pielstick. When the first prototype ran on its own on 22 April 1985 for the first time, there was a Pielstick engine under its engine cover, because the Wärtsilä one had proved three tons too heavy. When completion of the Wärtsilä engine was delayed a second time, the second prototype was also fitted with a Pielstick. Due to these engine problems, the number of prototypes was extended to four on January 1986. The locomotives, numbered 2801–2804, were taken into service in 1985–1987: the first two had a Pielstick engine, the latter two a Wärtsilä. On 13 March 1989 VR confirmed that Pielstick engines would be fitted on all the upcoming locomotives. The Wärtsilä engines were kept on the two prototypes, as refitting them would have been too costly.
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