NSB El 18

NSB El 18 is a class of 22 electric locomotives built by Adtranz and Swiss Locomotive & Machine Works (SLM) for the Norwegian State Railways (NSB). The class is a modification of the Swiss Federal Railways Re 460 locomotive and built at Adtranz Strømmen in 1996 and 1997. The class remains the only mainline electric locomotive used by NSB, and is predominantly used on some intercity services and all night trains on the Bergen Line, Dovre Line and Sørland Line, as well as some regional trains. The locomotives are long and weigh . They have three-phase asynchronous motors with a maximum power output of , giving a tractive effort of and a maximum speed of . They have a Bo'Bo' wheel arrangement and regenerative brakes. The exterior was designed by Pininfarina and the cabs have pressurization. The units are numbered 2241 through 2262. During the early 1990s, NSB was in need of new electric haulage for their passenger trains, as both classes El 11 and El 13 were in need of replacement. El 17, the latest purchase, had proved unreliable, and NSB wanted to remove them from mainline service. In 1993, Re 460 and EuroSprinter locomotives were tested in Norway, with the Re 460 being tested from 28 August through 8 October. NSB was satisfied with both units, and stated that it would be possible to increase the train weight on the intercity services from . During the first half of 1994, NSB leased two Re 460s to have sufficient locomotives for operation during the 1994 Winter Olympics. When the deadline for bids for the units was reached on 8 May 1994, five bids had been received. GEC Alsthom offered a modification of the French SNCF Class BB 36000 and AEG offered a variation of the German prototype 12X. Siemens offered two models, the EuroSprinter and an adaptation of the Austrian ÖBB Class 1014. Siemens' proposal for the former was branded Dovresprinter and was a cooperation between Kværner and NSB's workshop at Sundland in Drammen. Siemens would deliver the overall design and electrical components, Kværner would build the mechanical components and the assembly would occur in Drammen.