| BR103.1 |
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| Class 103.1 (101-245 : 145 locomotives) |
| In September 1971, IC network was built. DB needed many locomortives
for this service, and DB mass-produced class 103. The locomotives of class
103 which were mass-produced were called 103.1. 145 locomotives of class
103.1 were built from 1970 to 1974 by AEG, Siemens, BBC, Henschel, Krauss-Maffei,
and so on. Some improvements were made, but in many points 103.1 was similar
to 103.0. There were some difference between 103.0 and 103.1 in their appearances and liveries. For example, The air filters in the cab side of 103.0 were lined in a row, but in the cab side of 103.1 in double rows. Please compare these figures. |
103.0 |
103.1 |
| The weight of class 103.1 is 114t, max speed 200km/h, power output
7780kW, wheel arrangement Co-Co. The lemgth of 115 locomotives (101-215)
is 19,500mm. The livery of 103.1 was beige/red - `TEE livery` (Epoch.III). Only 103 109 which was delivered first had a special livery. Please check the figure. |
103 109-5 |
| The driver`s rooms of 41 locomotives (216-245) built in 1973 and 1974
were enlarged, so their lemgth is 20,200m. (103 173 has longer cab, too.
At first 103 173 has shorter cab, but after it met with an accident, this
locomotive was reconstructed with longer cab.) From 1971 class 103 was mainly operated for fast passenger trains especially for TEE and IC trains. In 12th September 1973, 103 118 ran at 252,9km/h (German railway record) in its test run. And some improvements are made in class 103 to prepare for high speed running. For inatance, the pantographs were changed from lozenge type to single-arm type, SBS65. (The locomotives built in 1973 and 1974 were equipped with SBS65 from their birth. |
103.1 with SBS65 pantographs |
103.1 built in 1973 and 1974 |
| In 1979 IC network improved. Until 1979 all IC trains were operated only by 1st class coaches, but after the year 2nd class coaches were coupled to all IC trains. And 200km/h runnig area was expanded. From these days TEE trains started being changed to IC. The famous TEE, `Beethoven`, `Prinz Eugen`, `Erasmus`, and so on, became IC. Then the skirts of locomotives of class 103 started being taken away. And some locomotives had new livery.(Epoch IV). |
103.1 without the skirts |
103.1 with the new livery (Ep.IV) |
| In 1987 summer, the German last TEE `Rheingold` was abolished. From 1987, the liveries of some 103s were changed. The new livery was orient-red and white (Epoch V). This livery was not as popular as old one In 1988, class 120 was entered in service. DB planed to replace class 103 by class 120. But class 103 was better than class 120 in high speed performance, so class 103 continued its service. From 1991, class 103 was operated for `Lufthansa Airport Express` between Frankufurt Airport and Stuutgart Airport. BR103 101 was painted in `Lufthansa Airport Express` livery. Since `Lufthansa Airport Express` was abolished, 103 101 was repainted to the livery of epoch V. After the unification of West and East Germany, class 103 was operated for trains which went to former East Germany area, too. |
103 with the new red livery (Ep.V) |
103 with `Lufthansa Airport Express` livery |
| Because they met accidents, No.106 (in 1972), No.125 (1981), No.198
(1993) were scrapped. 103 222 and 235 were out of normal operaton, and now used for DB`s private business, and their numbers are now 750 003 and 750 003. The livery of 103 220 was changed to 'Touristikzug' livery to haul touristic trains. 103 245 was earmarked for museum-loco. In July 1996, the successor of class 103 - class 101 - was appeared, and the retire of class 103.1 was started. But it still takes an important part. Locomotives of class 103.1 are allocated at Bw Hamburg 1, Bw Frankfurt (Main) 1 and Bw München 1, and are mainly operated for EC, IC and IR. After the ICE accident, class 103 was operated for "Ersatzzug", too. In 1999 about 100 locomotives were used, and about 50 locomotives were used for the Expo 2000 in Hannover. |
103 220 with 'Touristikzug' livery |
| Toshio Ota made a interesting computer graphics of class 103. |
Computer Graphic "DB103"
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| Pictures of class 103 |
| E03 (BR103.0) Page |
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