VR Class Sm1
Encyclopedia
The electric multiple unit
Sm1 is the oldest type of commuter train equipment still in active use by the VR
Group (Finnish Railways). Fifty Sm1 units were built between years 1968 and 1973 at Valmet airplane factory
in Tampere
. It was put into use on the first electrified Finnish railway line between Helsinki and Kirkkonummi on January 26, 1969 with five units in operation. Nowadays all Sm1 units have been thoroughly renovated and they bear the red-and-white VR livery introduced in the 1990s.
Six Sm1 units can be coupled together, but trains in commercial traffic are limited to five units, because of the length of the station platforms. It is possible to see six Sm1 units coupled together during switching duties between the Ilmala depot and the Helsinki railway station. The units use Scharfenberg couplers.
The maximum speed of the unit is 120 km/h (74.6 mph). They are numbered between 6001/6201 and 6050/6250 (Sm1 car / Eio(b) driving trailer). The electric systems were developed and built by Strömberg at their plant in Pitäjänmäki
, Helsinki
.
The Sm1 is technically very similar to the newer Sm2 class EMU
, although there are also some differences, such as the Sm1 having steel spring suspension and strengthening creases on the sides.
Electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
Sm1 is the oldest type of commuter train equipment still in active use by the VR
VR Group
VR or VR Group is a state-owned railway company in Finland. Formerly known as Suomen Valtion Rautatiet until 1922 and Valtionrautatiet / Statsjärnvägarna until 1995...
Group (Finnish Railways). Fifty Sm1 units were built between years 1968 and 1973 at Valmet airplane factory
Valmet
' was a Finnish state-owned conglomerate. Valmet was formed in 1951, when the state of Finland decided to group their various factories working on war reparations to the Soviet Union under one company...
in Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
. It was put into use on the first electrified Finnish railway line between Helsinki and Kirkkonummi on January 26, 1969 with five units in operation. Nowadays all Sm1 units have been thoroughly renovated and they bear the red-and-white VR livery introduced in the 1990s.
Technical information
Each Sm1 unit consists of two cars, Sm1 actually being the class of the motored carriage in the two-car unit. The other car is called a driving trailer and its class is Eio (units 6201 to 6240) or Eiob (6241 to 6250). The two-car unit has 191 seats combined, including fourteen foldable seats. There is a driver's cabin at either end of the unit, which enables the train to be driven in both directions without turning it around. This is a major advantage compared to locomotive-pulled trains in commuter traffic.Six Sm1 units can be coupled together, but trains in commercial traffic are limited to five units, because of the length of the station platforms. It is possible to see six Sm1 units coupled together during switching duties between the Ilmala depot and the Helsinki railway station. The units use Scharfenberg couplers.
The maximum speed of the unit is 120 km/h (74.6 mph). They are numbered between 6001/6201 and 6050/6250 (Sm1 car / Eio(b) driving trailer). The electric systems were developed and built by Strömberg at their plant in Pitäjänmäki
Pitäjänmäki
Pitäjänmäki is a district located on the westernmost district of Helsinki, Finland, near the border with Espoo. There are many IT and machine manufacturing companies in the area, especially around the Valimo railway station. Such companies include Nokia, Nokia Siemens Networks, ABB, Fujitsu...
, Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
.
The Sm1 is technically very similar to the newer Sm2 class EMU
VR Class Sm2
The Sm2 is a class of electric multiple units in use by the VR Group in commuter traffic in the Helsinki area. 50 Sm2 units were built between 1975 and 1981 by Valmet airplane factory in Tampere. The electric systems were built by Strömberg in Pitäjänmäki, Helsinki. The Sm2 units have undergone a...
, although there are also some differences, such as the Sm1 having steel spring suspension and strengthening creases on the sides.