RENFE Class 252
Encyclopedia
The RENFE class 252 are a series of Bo'Bo' electric locomotives, built by CAF
, Meinfesa, Siemens
and Krauss-Maffei
for RENFE
. 15 units were built for the NAFA (Nuevo Acceso Ferroviario a Andalucía) line between Madrid - Sevilla (standard gauge version), and 60 units constructed for general use to Iberian gauge
(1668mm).
, 277 and 278 which were of some age, and incapable of speeds of 200 km/h; the order coincided with the construction of the first standard gauge high speed line in Spain, and was won in 1989 by a consortium of Swiss and German companies led by Siemens including Krauss-Maffei
, Thyssen-Henschel
, ABB.
The locomotives design was a development of that used in DB Class 120
, which eventually led to the Siemen's Eurosprinter
family of locomotives; of which the Class 252 can be considered a predecessor. The first 15 locomotives were built to 1435mm gauge in Germany, a further 60 locomotives were manufactured to 1668mm gauge by CAF and Meinfesa in Spain.
31 locomotives were dual voltage machines operating on 3kV DC and 25kV AC, the remaining 44 operated on 3kV DC only. Subsequent to their introduction some of the locomotives have been re-bogied to both standard and Iberian gauge to meet operational requirements.
Locomotives built for the standard gauge high speed lines carried a white/grey 'AVE' livery, whilst the Iberian gauge machines were delivered in 'Taxi'/'Amarillo' (Yellow/Grey) livery, later some carried 'Arco' and 'Altaria' branding. In 2005 all locomotives became part of RENFE Operadora.. These locomotives can be seen today throughout the Spanish territory of electrified railway lines.
In 1995, 252 054 was seriously damaged in an accident in El Paso Despeñaperros, being scrapped later in Villaverde Bajo. In 2003 252 062 was involved in an accident in Zuera
and scrapped.
In 2010 four locomotives were modified for freight work on standard gauge lines from Barcelona to Le Soler
(nr. Perpignan) in France. The vehicles were fitted with ERTMS compatible train safety devices, standard gauge bogies; they will also operated from 1.5kV DC on some sections of the route.
Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles
Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles is a rail equipment manufacturer based in Beasain in the Basque Country, Spain. Equipment manufactured by CAF includes light rail vehicles, rapid transit trains, railroad cars and locomotives, as well as variable gauge axles that can be fitted on any...
, Meinfesa, Siemens
Siemens
Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
and 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...
for RENFE
RENFE
Renfe Operadora is the state-owned company which operates freight and passenger trains on the 1668-mm "Iberian gauge" and 1435-mm "European gauge" networks of the Spanish national railway infrastructure company ADIF .- History :The name RENFE is derived from that of the former Spanish National...
. 15 units were built for the NAFA (Nuevo Acceso Ferroviario a Andalucía) line between Madrid - Sevilla (standard gauge version), and 60 units constructed for general use to Iberian gauge
Iberian gauge
Iberian gauge is the name given to the track gauge most extensively used by the railways of Spain and Portugal: namely ....
(1668mm).
Background, design, construction and history
The series of locomotives were ordered to modernise RENFE's fleet and to provide traction on the new standard gauge Madrid to Seville line, on Iberian gauge lines they were to replace RENFE Classes 276RENFE Class 276
The RENFE Class 276 is a class of DC electric locomotive used by the Spanish rail operator RENFE.-History:Originally classified by RENFE as 76xx and 86xx , the 276 series was based on the French SNCF Class CC 7100...
, 277 and 278 which were of some age, and incapable of speeds of 200 km/h; the order coincided with the construction of the first standard gauge high speed line in Spain, and was won in 1989 by a consortium of Swiss and German companies led by Siemens including 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...
, Thyssen-Henschel
Thyssen-Henschel
Thyssen Henschel was a German industrial firm and defense contractor. Its products include the TAM medium tank for Argentina, the Mexican Henschel APC and the Marder infantry fighting vehicle....
, ABB.
The locomotives design was a development of that used in 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...
, which eventually led to the Siemen's 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...
family of locomotives; of which the Class 252 can be considered a predecessor. The first 15 locomotives were built to 1435mm gauge in Germany, a further 60 locomotives were manufactured to 1668mm gauge by CAF and Meinfesa in Spain.
31 locomotives were dual voltage machines operating on 3kV DC and 25kV AC, the remaining 44 operated on 3kV DC only. Subsequent to their introduction some of the locomotives have been re-bogied to both standard and Iberian gauge to meet operational requirements.
Locomotives built for the standard gauge high speed lines carried a white/grey 'AVE' livery, whilst the Iberian gauge machines were delivered in 'Taxi'/'Amarillo' (Yellow/Grey) livery, later some carried 'Arco' and 'Altaria' branding. In 2005 all locomotives became part of RENFE Operadora.. These locomotives can be seen today throughout the Spanish territory of electrified railway lines.
In 1995, 252 054 was seriously damaged in an accident in El Paso Despeñaperros, being scrapped later in Villaverde Bajo. In 2003 252 062 was involved in an accident in Zuera
Zuera
Zuera is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2010 census, the municipality has a population of 7510 inhabitants....
and scrapped.
In 2010 four locomotives were modified for freight work on standard gauge lines from Barcelona to Le Soler
Le Soler
Le Soler is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.-References:*...
(nr. Perpignan) in France. The vehicles were fitted with ERTMS compatible train safety devices, standard gauge bogies; they will also operated from 1.5kV DC on some sections of the route.
See also
- CP Class 5600CP Class 5600Class 5600 are a series of electric locomotives built by Siemens in association with Sorefame of Portugal for Comboios de Portugal, the state owned railway company of Portugal....
similar locomotives built at the same time for the Portuguese railways, operating only on 25kV AC
Further reading
- RENFE 252. La tracción eléctrica , Author: Josep Miquel , Reserva Anticipada Ediciones S.L. , ISBN 84-95493-26-8
External links
- Locomotives Reference List , "High-Performance Universal Locomotive S 252" , p. 22 , www.transportation.siemens.com
- Renfe Operadora - 252 List of individual units with service information , via www.listadotren.es
Images
- 252 Images of locomotives of class 252 , via www.railwaymania.com
- Spanish electric class 252 Images of class 252 , via www.railfaneurope.net