Dispolok
Encyclopedia
Siemens Transportation Systems
Siemens Mobility is a division of the German Siemens AG conglomerate. The Mobility sub-division brings together Siemens competencies in rail, road, and air traffic solutions....
offering locomotives for hire to European rail operators. On the 21st of September 2006 it was bought by Mitsui Rail Capital Europe BV (MRCE) a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Mitsui & Co. Ltd.
Mitsui
is one of the largest corporate conglomerates in Japan and one of the largest publicly traded companies in the world.-History:Founded by Mitsui Takatoshi , who was the fourth son of a shopkeeper in Matsusaka, in what is now today's Mie prefecture...
.
On 24 January 2008 the organisation was renamed MRCE Dispolok Ltd..
History
Due to technical problems with different locomotives, including the diesel electric Locomotive ME26 (see NSB Di 6NSB Di 6
NSB Di 6 is a class of twelve diesel-electric locomotives built by Siemens for the Norwegian State Railways from 1995 to 1996. Twelve engines were built at the MaK plant in Kiel whilst it was part of Siemens Schienenfahrzeugtechnik, and numbered Di 6-661 to 6-672.-Construction:During the late...
) Siemens found itself with locomotives that had been returned from the original purchaser,
In order to avoid a total loss, and with the deregulation of rail transport in Europe taking place it was decided to offer these locomotives to private companies on a leased basis.
Since the new privately owned rail companies were almost all entirely new companies with no experience or infrastructure to deal with locomotive maintenance the leasing agreements included full servicing to be provided by Siemens (or its associates). In addition Siemens offer the leasers an option to buy the locomotives later if they so wished.
Since the concept of operation of the new company put it in competition with the main customers of Siemens Transportation Systems, Displok was created as an independent company with limited liability (see Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung
Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung
Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung is a type of legal entityvery common in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and other Central European countries...
) in order to avoid possible legal conflicts.
Mitsui acquisition and incorporation
Mitsui Rail Capital Europe (MRCE) became the owner of the Dispolok group of companies in 2006, with the acquisiation Mitsui committed itself to the purchase of 50 Siemens electric locomotives of the EurosprinterEuroSprinter
The EuroSprinter family of electric locomotives is a modular concept of locomotives for the European market built by Siemens. The internal Siemens product name is ES 64, with ES for EuroSprinter and the number 64 indicating the 6,400 kW power at rail.Additional information is given in the name...
type. Siemens will continue with its core business of manfucturing and selling locomotives but is no longer involved in leasing.
At the shareholders' meeting of 24 January 2008 the decision was made to rename the company MRCE Dispolok Ltd. The integration was completed on 1 April 2008 with all the shares of the subsidiary acquired; with the takeover the livery of the Dispolok locomotives has changed from the yellow and silver of Siemens to black under Mitsui, with the new name "MRCE Dispolok" on the sides of the locomotives.
Operations
MRCE Dispolok operated the leasing business from its site in 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...
-Allach; customers were national and private railway companies mainly in Germany, Austria and Italy, but also in other Central and Eastern European countries.
Since its founding on 2 January 2001 Dispolok it won a leading position in the locomotive leasing market, with a fleet of about 150 locomotives in mid 2007.
The locomotives come from the mass production of the Siemens company are the same as those sold to major rail companies throughout Europe.
The locomotives are equipped for use on many European rail networks, with the electric locomotives being able to take their power from different power systems (multi-system locomotives) for cross-border traffic, diesel engined locomotives are also offered for rent.
MRCE dispolok
With the acquisition, the well known dispolok name was kept. Before acquiring the Displolok organisation MRCE had a leasing business of its own - with diesel locomotives from VosslohVossloh
Vossloh AG is a German transport technology manufacturer based in the Westphalian town of Werdohl. The group has 4,700 employees , and generated sales of €1.2 billion, of which approximately 60% came from the rail infrastructure division, and the remainder from the motive power and components...
, electric locomotives from Bombardier
Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....
's TRAXX
TRAXX
Bombardier TRAXX is a modular product platform of electric and Diesel-electric mainline locomotives built by Bombardier Transportation, built in both freight and passenger variants...
family, as well as its own Siemens ES 64 F4 (see Eurosprinter
EuroSprinter
The EuroSprinter family of electric locomotives is a modular concept of locomotives for the European market built by Siemens. The internal Siemens product name is ES 64, with ES for EuroSprinter and the number 64 indicating the 6,400 kW power at rail.Additional information is given in the name...
) and diesel EMD Series 66
EMD Series 66
The Electro-Motive Diesel Class 66 is a series of Co-Co six axle diesel locomotives built by EMD for the European heavy freight market....
.
Fleet
- ES64 P (ES64 EuroSprinter prototype; DBAG Series 127)
- ES64 U2, (identical to DB Class 182, ÖBB 1016, 1116 (Taurus), MAV 1047)
- ES64 F4, (identical to DB Class 189, SBB Re 474)
- ER20 Euro Runner, (identical to ÖBB 2016)
- Former vehicles:
- ES64 F: sold to ITL in 2005 (identical to DB Class 152)
- ME26NSB Di 6NSB Di 6 is a class of twelve diesel-electric locomotives built by Siemens for the Norwegian State Railways from 1995 to 1996. Twelve engines were built at the MaK plant in Kiel whilst it was part of Siemens Schienenfahrzeugtechnik, and numbered Di 6-661 to 6-672.-Construction:During the late...
, sold in 2004, to VosslohVosslohVossloh AG is a German transport technology manufacturer based in the Westphalian town of Werdohl. The group has 4,700 employees , and generated sales of €1.2 billion, of which approximately 60% came from the rail infrastructure division, and the remainder from the motive power and components...
Literature
- Karl Gerhard Baur: EuroSprinter - Die erfolgreiche Lokomotivfamilie von Siemens. EK-Verlag, Freiburg, 2007 ISBN 3-88255-226-3