DB Class 120
Class of German electric locomotives
title: "DB Class 120" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["railway-locomotives-introduced-in-1979", "electric-locomotives-of-germany", "15-kv-ac-locomotives", "bo′bo′-electric-locomotives", "deutsche-bundesbahn-locomotives", "brown,-boveri-&-cie-locomotives", "henschel-locomotives", "krauss-maffei-locomotives", "krupp-locomotives", "standard-gauge-locomotives-of-germany"] description: "Class of German electric locomotives" topic_path: "geography/germany" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DB_Class_120" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Class of German electric locomotives ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox locomotive"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Deutsche Bundesbahn Baureihe 120 |
| powertype | Electric |
| image | 120 105-2 Ü-P und H, 2013.jpg |
| caption | 120 105-2 with an InterCity from Berlin to Cologne, 2013. |
| builder | BBC, Henschel, Krauss-Maffei, Krupp |
| builddate | 1979–1980 (120.0) |
| 1987–1989 (120.1) | |
| totalproduction | 65 |
| uicclass | Bo′Bo′ |
| gauge | |
| length | 19.20 m |
| locoweight | 84.0 t |
| tractionmotors | Four |
| maxspeed | 200 km/h |
| poweroutput | 5600 kW |
| tractiveeffort | 340 kN Max |
| 215 kN @92.6 km/h | |
| safety | Sifa, Indusi |
| locobrakes | KE-GPR, electric brakes |
| trainbrakes | Air |
| operator | Deutsche Bundesbahn |
| Deutsche Bahn AG | |
| operatorclass | 120 |
| withdrawndate | 2011 - 2023 |
| disposition | retired |
| electricsystem | 15 kV Hz AC Catenary |
| collectionmethod | Pantograph |
| :: |
|name=Deutsche Bundesbahn Baureihe 120 |powertype=Electric |image=120 105-2 Ü-P und H, 2013.jpg |caption=120 105-2 with an InterCity from Berlin to Cologne, 2013. |builder=BBC, Henschel, Krauss-Maffei, Krupp |builddate = 1979–1980 (120.0) 1987–1989 (120.1) |totalproduction = 65 |uicclass = Bo′Bo′ |gauge = |length = 19.20 m |locoweight = 84.0 t |tractionmotors = Four |maxspeed = 200 km/h |poweroutput = 5600 kW |tractiveeffort = 340 kN Max 215 kN @92.6 km/h |safety = Sifa, Indusi |locobrakes = KE-GPR, electric brakes |trainbrakes = Air |operator = Deutsche Bundesbahn Deutsche Bahn AG |operatorclass = 120 |withdrawndate = 2011 - 2023 |disposition = retired |electricsystem=15 kV Hz AC Catenary |collectionmethod= Pantograph The DB Baureihe 120 is a class of electric locomotives operated by DB Fernverkehr in Germany. In November 2023, the last locomotives of this series were decommissioned by Deutsche Bahn. A few were sold to private railway companies and are operational.
Background and design
The locomotives' prototypes, delivered in 1979 (Mark 120.0), were one of the first electric locomotives with three-phase motors controlled by thyristor-based power electronics. This principle, mainly devised by the German branch of Swiss-based Brown, Boveri & Cie lay the foundation for all current electric and diesel-electric rail engines. For this, the Mark 120 is often acclaimed as milestone in locomotive technology. They were based on experiments made in the 1970s with diesel-electric test platforms (Mark DE 2500/ DB Mark 202). In Norway, a new four-axle Locomotive, Mark El-17, was launched during 1983 with top speeds up to 93 mph.
The design was intended to be the first truly universal locomotive, capable of pulling fast passenger trains as well as heavy freight trains. While the electric equipment exceeded expectations, the mechanical part suffered from its lightweight construction necessitated by the heavy electronics of the time.
After extensive tests, a series of 60 locomotives (Mark 120.1) were ordered in 1984 and delivered in 1986–1988. Original plans to build up to 2,000 machines were ultimately ended by German reunification and the politically driven decision to support the economy in the former DDR by procuring the DR 243 (DB BR 143) instead. The 120s went to DB Fernverkehr, the other divisions of Deutsche Bahn ordered locomotives that featured technologies from the 120, but were not direct successors. However, the class 120 locomotive formed the foundation for the power cars of the German high-speed trains ICE 1 and ICE 2
Technical data
::data[format=table]
| 120.0 | 120.1 |
|---|---|
| General | |
| Operator | DB |
| Manufacturing year | 1979-19xx |
| Number of manuf. | 5 |
| Supplier mechanical part | Henschel, Krauss Maffei, Krupp |
| Supplier electrical part | BBC, Siemens, AEG |
| Axle arr | Bo-Bo |
| Weight | 84.0 t |
| Axle load | 21.0 t |
| Max tractive eff | 340 kN |
| Max speed | 280 km/h |
| Body | |
| Length | 19,200 mm |
| Bogie distance | 10,200 mm |
| Height over pantograph | 4,375 mm |
| Body width | 3,000 mm |
| Coupling | buffers and chain |
| Surface | smooth steel sheet |
| Colour | wine-red beige |
| Bogies | |
| Track width | |
| Wheel base | 2,800 mm |
| Wheel diameter, new | 1,250 mm |
| Primary suspension | coil |
| Secondary suspension | coil |
| Brake | shoe, rheostatic, regenerative |
| Bogie Weight | 15.96 t |
| Min hor radius | 100 m |
| Electrical equipment | |
| Catenary voltage | 15 kV |
| Catenary frequency | 16 Hz |
| Max cont power | 4.4 MW |
| Traction motor | QD646 |
| Max power trainheating | 900 kW |
| :: |
Gallery
Image:Dresden_Hbf_120_143.JPG|120 143 in Dresden Image:120-002.jpg|120 002 in Würzburg 1984 Image:120 502-0 DB Systemtechnik, Dresden Hbf.jpg|DB-AG BR 120 (DB Systemtechnik), Summer 2006 in Dresden Main Station Image:DB 120 134.JPG|120 134 arrives at Köln Hbf Image:DB 120 502.JPG|120 502 leaves Köln Hbf on a Bahntechnik train.
References
References
- Duffy, Michael C.. (2003). "Electric railways 1880-1990". [[Institution of Engineering and Technology]].
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::