DB Class 218
Encyclopedia
The DB Class 218 are a class of 4 axle, diesel hydraulic locomotives acquired by the Deutsche Bundesbahn
for use on main and secondary lines for both passenger and freight trains.
The class represents the final major revision of the DB V 160 family of locomotives
; having the preferred features of the antecedent locomotives, including a hydrodynamic brake, and a single engine providing electrical train heating
via a generator as well as tractive power. The class were also the most numerous of the family, providing the backbone of the Deutsche Bundesbahn's main-line diesel locomotive traction from the 1970s up to the reunification of Germany.
Despite being displaced from many workings by DMU
s, electrification, and inherited DR Class 130s, as of 2009 a significant number of the class still remain active throughout Germany.
(~1400 kW).
In 1966 an initial twelve prototype locomotives were ordered from Krupp
by the DB, for which the V 164 numbering was given, the main order came after the change to a 'computer compatible' UIC
numbering scheme (See DB locomotive classification) which gave the number 218 as the reporting code for this class of locomotives.
The main series of 398 machines was produced between 1971 and 1979, by Krupp, Henschel, Krauss-Maffei
and MaK
. Additionally the engine DB 215 112, after being badly damaged in 1975 was repaired to Class 218 specification, and renumbered 218 399.
With a power of 2500 to 2800 hp and a top speed of 140 km/h, and the ability to work in multiple with related classes 215,216,217 and 218 as well as other classes, and coupled with electric heating and a low speed gear for heavier freight trains the locomotives became the main source of motive power in West Germany
on both passenger and freight trains outside electrified sections.
The turn of the second millennium and the preceding few years saw a change from locomotive hauled trains to increasing use of 'diesel railcars' (or DMUs, diesel multiple units). This led to a reduction in the demand for these locomotives on passenger services, with many falling out of use, or only finding work pulling freight trains, nevertheless, in 2000 the locomotives were still in use on mainline long distance trains.
By January 2008 there were approximately 220 copies still active.
The tractive and braking forces are transmitted to the main mass of the locomotive via transverse beams attached to the main longitudinal supporting beams, the superstructure is made from sheet steel, forming a shell.
The framework supported on coil springs on the bogies, from 218 299 onwards flexicoil suspension
was used, per bogie side and from the bogies.
There are two walkways connecting the cabins inside the body.
Because of the available power at rail being reduced when operating at full electric heating power some machines were fitted with a French 16 Pielstick PA4 V200 engine with around 2700 hp built under license by KHD.
MTU
developed from the TB10 engine a TB11 with greater power of 2800 hp which was fitted to more than half the class.
With the introduction of more stringent emission requirements
, as well as the original engines being badly worn, or in an attempt to improve efficiency, a number of upgrades have been investigate or fitted, including:
Following the upgrades most of the class have either emission impoved TB11 engines or MTU 4000 engines.
Since 1985, the locomotives have had additional engine exhaust devices fitted on the roof with a scoop like appearance - the purpose of these is to direct the exhaust flow, preventing overhead wire being coated by any particulate or condensed emissions. The 'scoops' also increase the exhaust flow speed, by reducing the diameter of the exhaust - thus launching the combusted vapours higher in the air, and reducing the likelihood of passengers being coated with engine smoke.
Originally the electrical power from the generator for the carriages was controlled with a simple Cycloconverter
, later GTO
Thyristor controlled supply circuits that had an intermediate DC circuit were used to create the AC carriage supply. (see Inverter
)
red and beige (RAL 1001/3004).
The turquoise/cream colour became a new standard for the 218, whilst the 218 217 in the burgundy and beige remained a loner, for almost thirty years, until 753 001 (ex 217 001) became the second locomotive from the V160 family to receive this colour scheme.
By the late 2000s the turquoise/cream colour had virtually, the last representative being DB AutoZug 218 320.
In 1984 for the City-Bahn
railway on the Cologne
- Gummersbach
ten locomotives were painted in pure orange (RAL 2004) with a grey stripe, after the project ended they retained the livery until the 1990s when they received the orientrot scheme of the 'oriental red' color (RAL 3031) with a white markings, the last 218 135 being repainted in 1996
The remaining Class 218 locomotives are almost entirely in the current traffic-red colour scheme.
As an oddity 218 473 was, for four years from April 2005 onwards, painted in a dark blue "King Ludwig" in model train manufacturer Märklin
sponsored dark blue "King Ludwig" livery.
via Berlin
to Hamburg
with non powered driving trailers
, on which the original Class 120
was used.
Between the stations of Nauen
and 'Berlin Zoological Gardens'
the route was only partially electrified; in this electrification gap the train (complete with a DB Class 120
E-Lok) was towed by the diesels.
In1996 the machines for this task were created from locomotives 218 430 to 434 and 218 456 to 462 which were stationed in Lübeck
and were in particularly good condition. For this task the locomotives needed to be approved for running at 160 km/h (the same maximum speed at which the original Class 210 had run). The original hydraulic transmission was rated in its upper gear to 160 km/h, but the drive shafts needed to be uprated for the increased speed.. The individual locomotive numbers were preserved - thus DB 218 430 became DB 210 430.
Following the full electrification of the line the locomotives returned to normal stock duties, in December 1998 the locomotives were rebuilt again and became Class 218 machines once again.
) for towing and shunting tasks - being fitted with a Scharfenberg coupler for modern coaching stock, they are used on the S-Bahn
networks; found in all the major train stations.
218 228 is found in the S-Bahn area of Frankfurt
, 218 191 in the S-Bahn around Stuttgart
, others at Darmstadt
and Plochingen (218 191).
Some of this sub-class were equipped for towing ICE trains, and used in multiple on the new (rebuilt) lines of Cologne
-Rhine Main
and Nuremberg
-Ingolstadt
.
These 15 locomotives are based at the locomotive depots at Frankfurt/Main (nine locomotives) and Berlin-Rummelsburg (six locomotives).
with which they operated well past the year 2000.
Furthermore, after the dissolution of the GDR, and the merging of the two German railway systems they proved useful again on non-electrified sections of the former Deutsche Reichsbahn, however in the former West Germany some intercity services began to be operated by the DB Class 232 and 234 locomotives.
The locomotives were stationed in the depots of Regensburg
, Stendal
, Lübeck
, Brunswick
, Ulm
, Hagen
, Mühldorf
, Karlsruhe
, Rostock
Hbf, Kempten
, Halting and Kaiserslautern
.
In 2000 there were 415 active machines, at this time also began the first decommissioning of machines that shown to be were in a bad state of repair on their scheduled inspections. At this time DBAG began to economise its fleet:
In March 2008 were 235 active machines, or about 60% of the total Serienloks.
, Trix
, Roco
, Piko
, Fleischmann
, and many other international companies have made models of the BR 218 and its other classes.
Deutsche Bundesbahn
The Deutsche Bundesbahn or DB was formed as the state railway of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany on September 7, 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft '...
for use on main and secondary lines for both passenger and freight trains.
The class represents the final major revision of the DB V 160 family of locomotives
DB V 160 family
The DB V 160 locomotive family comprises several classes of closely related 4 axle diesel-hydraulic locomotives built in the 1960s and 1970s for the Deutsche Bundesbahn which take the moniker from the earliest built model: the 'DB Class V 160'....
; having the preferred features of the antecedent locomotives, including a hydrodynamic brake, and a single engine providing electrical train heating
Head end power
Head end power or electric train supply is a rail transport term for the electrical power distribution system on a passenger train. The power source, usually a locomotive at the front or “head” of a train or a generator car, generates all the electricity used for lighting, electrical and other...
via a generator as well as tractive power. The class were also the most numerous of the family, providing the backbone of the Deutsche Bundesbahn's main-line diesel locomotive traction from the 1970s up to the reunification of Germany.
Despite being displaced from many workings by DMU
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
s, electrification, and inherited DR Class 130s, as of 2009 a significant number of the class still remain active throughout Germany.
Background, history and design
The locomotives of series 218 were the last of the V 160 family to be developed; the main new feature was the use of a single engine to provide tractive power as well as electrical train heating when required (via an attached generator), the simplification over the two engined DB Class 217 was preferred, and was made possible by the availability of a higher powered (~1840 kW) engine compared to the original DB Class V 160DB Class V 160
The Class V 160 is a class of diesel-hydraulic locomotives of the German railways. It is the first variant of the V160 family, built for the Deutsche Bundesbahn for medium/heavy trains....
(~1400 kW).
In 1966 an initial twelve prototype locomotives were ordered from Krupp
Krupp
The Krupp family , a prominent 400-year-old German dynasty from Essen, have become famous for their steel production and for their manufacture of ammunition and armaments. The family business, known as Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp, was the largest company in Europe at the beginning of the 20th...
by the DB, for which the V 164 numbering was given, the main order came after the change to a 'computer compatible' UIC
Unit Identification Code
The Unit Identification Code is six digit alphanumeric code which uniquely identifies each United States Department of Defense entity.The first character is the Service Designator:* A: US Department of Agriculture...
numbering scheme (See DB locomotive classification) which gave the number 218 as the reporting code for this class of locomotives.
The main series of 398 machines was produced between 1971 and 1979, by Krupp, Henschel, Krauss-Maffei
Krauss-Maffei
The Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co KG or simply Krauss-Maffei is an injection molding machine manufacturer and defence company based in Munich, Germany...
and MaK
Mak
Mak is a Chinese surname. It is commonly transliterated as Mak in Hong Kong, based on the Cantonese pronunciation of the Chinese character; and is commonly transliterated as Mai in China, based on the Mandarin pronunciation. Other transliterations of the surname include Mack, Mark, Mac, and Mach...
. Additionally the engine DB 215 112, after being badly damaged in 1975 was repaired to Class 218 specification, and renumbered 218 399.
With a power of 2500 to 2800 hp and a top speed of 140 km/h, and the ability to work in multiple with related classes 215,216,217 and 218 as well as other classes, and coupled with electric heating and a low speed gear for heavier freight trains the locomotives became the main source of motive power in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
on both passenger and freight trains outside electrified sections.
The turn of the second millennium and the preceding few years saw a change from locomotive hauled trains to increasing use of 'diesel railcars' (or DMUs, diesel multiple units). This led to a reduction in the demand for these locomotives on passenger services, with many falling out of use, or only finding work pulling freight trains, nevertheless, in 2000 the locomotives were still in use on mainline long distance trains.
By January 2008 there were approximately 220 copies still active.
Technical information
The design of the series as fundamentally the same as the rest of the V 160 family: all four axles are driven via cardan shafts by a Voith two speed hydraulic transmission which in turn is driven by a diesel engine, fuel and oil are located between the bogies under the main frame, on either side of the centrally located transmission, there are two cabs (which have slightly different windows). Externally the machines are very similar to the other members of the class, being of the longer variant at 16.4mThe tractive and braking forces are transmitted to the main mass of the locomotive via transverse beams attached to the main longitudinal supporting beams, the superstructure is made from sheet steel, forming a shell.
The framework supported on coil springs on the bogies, from 218 299 onwards flexicoil suspension
Flexicoil suspension
Flexicoil suspension is a wear-resistant and maintenance-free suspension system, used in railway vehicles. It is a secondary suspension, installed between the body and the bogie of the locomotive, passenger car or wagon so fitted....
was used, per bogie side and from the bogies.
There are two walkways connecting the cabins inside the body.
Engines
Over time, several diesel engines have been used as propulsion; the first series received the MA MTU 12V 956 TB10 with 2500 hpBecause of the available power at rail being reduced when operating at full electric heating power some machines were fitted with a French 16 Pielstick PA4 V200 engine with around 2700 hp built under license by KHD.
MTU
MTU Friedrichshafen
MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH is a manufacturer of commercial internal combustion engines founded by Wilhelm Maybach and his son Karl Maybach in 1909...
developed from the TB10 engine a TB11 with greater power of 2800 hp which was fitted to more than half the class.
With the introduction of more stringent emission requirements
Emission standard
Emission standards are requirements that set specific limits to the amount of pollutants that can be released into the environment. Many emissions standards focus on regulating pollutants released by automobiles and other powered vehicles but they can also regulate emissions from industry, power...
, as well as the original engines being badly worn, or in an attempt to improve efficiency, a number of upgrades have been investigate or fitted, including:
- TB11 engines fitted with emission reducing kit.
- Electronic engine management fitted to TB11 engines.
- Testing of entirely new engines, leading to:
- Procurement of numerous 16 V R40/41 MTU engines as replacements
- 4 locomotives fitted with Caterpillar Inc engines
Following the upgrades most of the class have either emission impoved TB11 engines or MTU 4000 engines.
Since 1985, the locomotives have had additional engine exhaust devices fitted on the roof with a scoop like appearance - the purpose of these is to direct the exhaust flow, preventing overhead wire being coated by any particulate or condensed emissions. The 'scoops' also increase the exhaust flow speed, by reducing the diameter of the exhaust - thus launching the combusted vapours higher in the air, and reducing the likelihood of passengers being coated with engine smoke.
Electrical equipment
The Indusi safety system is usually a Lorenz Indusi I-60. The original 36-pin inter-unit electrical connectors allows double traction control, auto door locking when not at a standstill, and can transmit driver announcements when attached to a passenger train, in addition to equipment for passenger information systems.Originally the electrical power from the generator for the carriages was controlled with a simple Cycloconverter
Cycloconverter
A cycloconverter or a cycloinverter converts an AC waveform, such as the mains supply, to another AC waveform of a lower frequency, synthesizing the output waveform from segments of the AC supply without an intermediate direct-current link . They are most commonly used in three-phase...
, later GTO
Gate turn-off thyristor
A gate turn-off thyristor is a special type of thyristor, a high-power semiconductor device. GTOs, as opposed to normal thyristors, are fully controllable switches which can be turned on and off by their third lead, the GATE lead.-Device description:...
Thyristor controlled supply circuits that had an intermediate DC circuit were used to create the AC carriage supply. (see Inverter
Inverter (electrical)
An inverter is an electrical device that converts direct current to alternating current ; the converted AC can be at any required voltage and frequency with the use of appropriate transformers, switching, and control circuits....
)
Liveries
The first locomotives were delivered in the usual 'crimson' (RAL 3004) of that time. In 1974 218 217 and 218 218 were used as test vehicles for new colour schemes : 218 218 was the first locomotive in the new ocean blue-beige (turquoise/cream) finish (RAL 5020/1001). 218 217 received an experimental livery in the TEETrans Europ Express
The Trans Europ Express, or Trans-Europe Express, is a former international railway service in Europe. At its maximum extent, in 1974, the network comprised 45 trains, connecting 130 different cities.-Origin:...
red and beige (RAL 1001/3004).
The turquoise/cream colour became a new standard for the 218, whilst the 218 217 in the burgundy and beige remained a loner, for almost thirty years, until 753 001 (ex 217 001) became the second locomotive from the V160 family to receive this colour scheme.
By the late 2000s the turquoise/cream colour had virtually, the last representative being DB AutoZug 218 320.
In 1984 for the City-Bahn
City-Bahn
The City-Bahn was a German train category introduced by the Deutsche Bundesbahn in 1984 for local train services, in order to make secondary routes more attractive. Old Silberling coaches were modernised and a more frequent fixed-interval service introduced. As its use spread the DB changed the...
railway on the Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
- Gummersbach
Gummersbach
Gummersbach is a city in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, being the district seat of the Oberbergischer Kreis. It is located 50 km east of Cologne. In the past it was nicknamed "the Lime Tree Town", because lime trees lined the main street...
ten locomotives were painted in pure orange (RAL 2004) with a grey stripe, after the project ended they retained the livery until the 1990s when they received the orientrot scheme of the 'oriental red' color (RAL 3031) with a white markings, the last 218 135 being repainted in 1996
The remaining Class 218 locomotives are almost entirely in the current traffic-red colour scheme.
As an oddity 218 473 was, for four years from April 2005 onwards, painted in a dark blue "King Ludwig" in model train manufacturer Märklin
Märklin
Gebr. Märklin & Cie. GmbH or Märklin is a German toy company. The company was founded in 1859 and is based at Göppingen in Baden-Wurttemberg. Although it originally specialised in doll house accessories, today it is best known for model railways and technical toys...
sponsored dark blue "King Ludwig" livery.
Variants
A number of locomotives have been rebuilt and/or reclassified due to changing requirements:DB Class 218.9
The DB Class 218.9 resulted from the Deutsche Bundesbahn's flirtation with diesel locomotives boosted by gas turbine engines in the 1970s. Problems with gas turbine engine lifespan, and reduced fuel efficiency, coupled with two turbine failures resulted in the small class of eight Class 210 machines being rebuilt as class 218.9 at the beginning of the 1980s. This subclass was number 218-901 to 218-908. They were decommissioned and scrapped between 2004 and 2006.DB AG Series 210.4
A second set of locomotives designated Class 210 was created by the Deutsche Bahn AG in 1996 for the inter-city line from MunichMunich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
via Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
to Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
with non powered driving trailers
Control car (rail)
A control car is a generic term for a non-powered railroad vehicle that can control operation of a train from the end opposite to the position of the locomotive...
, on which the original Class 120
DB Class 120
The DB Baureihe 120 is a class of electric locomotives operated by DB Fernverkehr in Germany.-Background and design:The locomotives' prototypes, delivered in 1979 , were one of the first electric locomotives with three-phase motors. They were based on experiences made in the 1970s with...
was used.
Between the stations of Nauen
Nauen
Nauen is a town in the Havelland district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated 38 km west of Berlin and 26 km northwest of Potsdam.-History:...
and 'Berlin Zoological Gardens'
Berlin Zoologischer Garten railway station
Berlin Zoologischer Garten station was the central transport facility in West Berlin during the division of the city, and thereafter for the western central area of Berlin until opening of the new Berlin Central Station on 28 May 2006...
the route was only partially electrified; in this electrification gap the train (complete with a DB Class 120
DB Class 120
The DB Baureihe 120 is a class of electric locomotives operated by DB Fernverkehr in Germany.-Background and design:The locomotives' prototypes, delivered in 1979 , were one of the first electric locomotives with three-phase motors. They were based on experiences made in the 1970s with...
E-Lok) was towed by the diesels.
In1996 the machines for this task were created from locomotives 218 430 to 434 and 218 456 to 462 which were stationed in Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
and were in particularly good condition. For this task the locomotives needed to be approved for running at 160 km/h (the same maximum speed at which the original Class 210 had run). The original hydraulic transmission was rated in its upper gear to 160 km/h, but the drive shafts needed to be uprated for the increased speed.. The individual locomotive numbers were preserved - thus DB 218 430 became DB 210 430.
Following the full electrification of the line the locomotives returned to normal stock duties, in December 1998 the locomotives were rebuilt again and became Class 218 machines once again.
DB AG Series 218.8
15 locomotives were converted (in BremenBremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
) for towing and shunting tasks - being fitted with a Scharfenberg coupler for modern coaching stock, they are used on the S-Bahn
S-Bahn
S-Bahn refers to an often combined city center and suburban railway system metro in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Denmark...
networks; found in all the major train stations.
218 228 is found in the S-Bahn area of Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, 218 191 in the S-Bahn around Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, others at Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
and Plochingen (218 191).
Some of this sub-class were equipped for towing ICE trains, and used in multiple on the new (rebuilt) lines of Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
-Rhine Main
Rhine-Main S-Bahn
The Rhine-Main S-Bahn system is an integrated rapid transit and commuter transport system for the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main region, which includes the cities Frankfurt am Main, Wiesbaden, Mainz, Offenbach am Main, Hanau and Darmstadt...
and Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
-Ingolstadt
Ingolstadt
Ingolstadt is a city in the Free State of Bavaria, in the Federal Republic of Germany. It is located along the banks of the Danube River, in the center of Bavaria. As at 31 March 2011, Ingolstadt had 125.407 residents...
.
These 15 locomotives are based at the locomotive depots at Frankfurt/Main (nine locomotives) and Berlin-Rummelsburg (six locomotives).
DB AG Series 225.8
Class 215 and Class 218 locomotives transferred to DB Railion for freight work were renumbered as Class 225, with the Class 218 locomotives forming the sub-series 225.8.Operations
The Class 218 was a successful design made with the most modern and sophisticated components that were available in 1968. With a relatively high speed of 140 km/h, the locomotives proved useful on TEE, and with n-wagonsSilberling
Silberling is the colloquial name for the n-coaches of the Deutsche Bundesbahn, a type of regional passenger coach of which more than 7,000 units were built from 1958 to 1981...
with which they operated well past the year 2000.
Furthermore, after the dissolution of the GDR, and the merging of the two German railway systems they proved useful again on non-electrified sections of the former Deutsche Reichsbahn, however in the former West Germany some intercity services began to be operated by the DB Class 232 and 234 locomotives.
The locomotives were stationed in the depots of Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
, Stendal
Stendal
Stendal is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is the capital of Stendal District and unofficial capital of the Altmark. Its population in 2001 was 38,900. It is located some west of Berlin and around east of Hanover...
, Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
, Brunswick
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
, Ulm
Ulm
Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and...
, Hagen
Hagen
Hagen is the 39th-largest city in Germany, located in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the eastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne, Volme and Ennepe meet the river Ruhr...
, Mühldorf
Mühldorf
Mühldorf am Inn is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and the capital of the district Mühldorf on the river Inn. It is located at , and had a population of about 17,808 in 2005.-History:...
, Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
, Rostock
Rostock
Rostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...
Hbf, Kempten
Kempten
Kempten can refer to:* Kempten im Allgäu, a town in Bavaria, Germany* Kempten ZH, a district of the town of Wetzikon in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland* Kempton Park, Gauteng, a city in South Africa which was named after Kempten in Bavaria...
, Halting and Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern is a city in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate forest . The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, and from Luxembourg.Kaiserslautern is home to 99,469 people...
.
In 2000 there were 415 active machines, at this time also began the first decommissioning of machines that shown to be were in a bad state of repair on their scheduled inspections. At this time DBAG began to economise its fleet:
- The locomotives with serial numbers 101 to 399 were to be kept until 2003, but then be either retired, transferred for internal use, or sold to DB AutoZug.
- The 218.4 locomotives capable of push pull operation were to be used with double decker passenger coaches.
- The prototypes locomotives were reclassified as Class 225.8 and transferred to DB Cargo for freight use.
- The 218.8 sub-class modified for towing ICE trains remained in service.
In March 2008 were 235 active machines, or about 60% of the total Serienloks.
Models
Many model train engines have been made of the BR 218. The german companies MarklinMärklin
Gebr. Märklin & Cie. GmbH or Märklin is a German toy company. The company was founded in 1859 and is based at Göppingen in Baden-Wurttemberg. Although it originally specialised in doll house accessories, today it is best known for model railways and technical toys...
, Trix
Trix
Trix may refer to:* Trix , a breakfast cereal* Trix , the German company that produced Trix construction and model train sets* Trix , originally produced in Germany and later in the UK...
, Roco
Roco
Roco, based in Salzburg, Austria, is a manufacturer of model railway equipment.-History:The company was founded in 1960 by Ing. Heinz Rössler and started with a plastic Minitanks series. After export to the USA became successful, the model line was expanded with model trains in H0 scale and the...
, Piko
Piko
PIKO is one of the largest and best-known model train brands in Europe and also enjoys a wide following in the United States and other parts of the world...
, Fleischmann
Fleischmann
Fleischman and Fleischmann are common family names which mean "butcher" in German. Other names which have the same meaning include Fleischer, Boucher, Metzger and Resnick...
, and many other international companies have made models of the BR 218 and its other classes.
Other sources
- Die V 160 familie The V 160 family deutsche-lokomotiven.de - Technical, livery, and basic deployment information.
- V162 / V164 dbtrains.com Construction information (English)
- V160 Familie V160 family privat-bahn.de Brief technical information, information on museum and infrastructure (Deutsche Bahn Gleisbau GmbH) locomotives.
- Die V 160 The V 160 v160.de detailed information on engines, transmission, individual locomotive service history etc. With comprehensive image gallery.