, , Locomotive Diesel
Express № 603 (Thessaloniki – Athenai) led by the A.494 locomotive leaves one of the tunnels ahead of the Stirfaka station and heads around the flowering oleanders to the portal of another tunnel in this attractive track section in central Greece. But the new corridor track goes around these places through a long tunnel.
This is one of 26 Adtranz DE2000 diesel-electric locomotives delivered in 1998 and marked A.471 – A.496 (A.494 has s / n 33271/1997). They have a Bo’Bo’ axle arrangement, 2 diesel engines type MTU 12V396TC13 with a total output of 2100 kW, weight 81.6 t, length 19400 mm, top speed 160 km / h and maximum tractive effort of 260 kN. Later, an order for ten copies of 6-axle meter gauge variant for the Pelopónnesos network were converted to an order for ten standard gauge 4-axle locomotives. This raised the total to 36 locomotives. An interesting capability is that these locomotives are convertible to straight electric 5500 kW locomotives with maximum speed of 200 km / h (the running gear can already accomodate the higher speed and horsepower), by replacing the machine room.
April 30, 2003
