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Bernese Oberland Railway HGe 3/3 No. 21 to 29
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Switzerland | 1914
9 produced
No. 23 on a works photo of Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon
No. 23 on a works photo of Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon
Bilddatenbank Nostalgie der Jungfraubahnen
Variant21-2829
General
Built1914, 1926
ManufacturerSLM, BBC, Oerlikon
Wheel arr.C 
Gauge3 ft 3 3/8 in (Meter gauge)
Dimensions and Weights
Length27 ft 0 7/16 in
Wheelbase11 ft 5 13/16 in
Rigid wheelbase11 ft 5 13/16 in
Service weight78,484 lbs80,469 lbs
Adhesive weight78,484 lbs80,469 lbs
Axle load26,162 lbs26,824 lbs
Boiler
Variant21-2829
Power Plant
Power
Power sourceelectric - DC
Electric system1,500 V
Hourly power396 hp (295 kW)416 hp (310 kW)
Top speed25 mph
Calculated Values
electric locomotive
rack railway
passenger
freight
Stadler Rail He 4/4
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Brazil | 2012
7 produced
No. 901503 double-headed with another one in March 2017 near Santo André, São Paulo
No. 901503 double-headed with another one in March 2017 near Santo André, São Paulo
Mike Peel / www.mikepeel.net

The line between Santos, the largest port in Southern America, and São Paulo is being operated by MRS Logistica and includes the 10.3 percent ramp between Raiz da Serra and Paranapiacaba. It is electrified with 3,000 V DC and has an Abt rack system. After some rack locomotives designed by Hitachi in the seventies, MRS received seven new locomotives which were delivered by Stadler from Switzerland in 2012. Now these carry the title of being the most powerful rack locomotives in the world.

They have an axle load of 30 tonnes and need a larger loading gauge than that of the rest of the line. Each locomotive has eight traction motors, four for the adhesion wheels and four for the cog wheels. Together these provide a power of 5,000 kW and a starting tractive effort of 760 kN or around 170,000 pounds. The cabs are mounted relatively high to provide better view over the train that is being pushed uphill.

The company operates seven of these locomotives which are being designated He 4/4 by Stadler, since this would be their type designation in Switzerland. Due to the high price, these locomotives are being dubbed “Rolex” by the employees of MRS Logistica. Usually two locomotives are working together, what allows for train weights of up to 850 tonnes. After the rack section, diesel locomotives are taking over the trains.

General
Built2012
ManufacturerStadler
Wheel arr.B-B 
Gauge5 ft 3 in (Irish broad gauge)
Dimensions and Weights
Length61 ft 5 in
Wheelbase43 ft 7 5/8 in
Rigid wheelbase16 ft 4 7/8 in
Service weight266,759 lbs
Adhesive weight266,759 lbs
Axle load66,690 lbs
Boiler
Power Plant
Power
Power sourceelectric - DC
Electric system3,000 V
Hourly power6,705 hp (5,000 kW)
Top speed37 mph
Starting effort170,855 lbf
Calculated Values
electric locomotive
freight
rack railway
three-phase AC
last changed: 07/2025
Swiss Locomotive and Machine Factory He 2/2
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Switzerland | 1898
65 produced
He 2/2 of the Chemin de Fer de la Rhune in the French Pyrenees
He 2/2 of the Chemin de Fer de la Rhune in the French Pyrenees
Petr S.
Variantsmallest variantbiggest variant
General
Built1898-1957
Manufacturermechanical part: SLM, electrical part: Alioth, BBC, CIE, Oerlikon, Rieter
Wheel arr.2 
Dimensions and Weights
Length12 ft 9 15/16 in20 ft 6 1/16 in
Service weight29,983 lbs39,904 lbs
Adhesive weight0 lbs
Axle load14,991 lbs20,062 lbs
Boiler
Variantsmallest variantbiggest variant
Power Plant
Power
Power sourceelectric - three-phase/DC
Hourly power180 hp (134 kW)622 hp (464 kW)
Top speed5 mph20 mph
Calculated Values
electric locomotive
passenger
freight
rack railway
Swiss Locomotive and Machine Factory HGe 4/4II
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Switzerland | 1986
21 produced
HGe 4/4 II of the Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn with a Glacier Express in August 2006 near Randa, Visp
HGe 4/4 II of the Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn with a Glacier Express in August 2006 near Randa, Visp
Markus Giger
VariantZentralbahnFurka-Oberalp, Brig-Visp-Zermatt
General
Built1986, 1989-1990
Manufacturermechanical part: SLM, electrical part: BBC, ABB
Wheel arr.B-B 
Gauge3 ft 3 3/8 in (Meter gauge)
Dimensions and Weights
Length48 ft 6 11/16 in48 ft 5 3/4 in
Service weight138,891 lbs141,096 lbs
Adhesive weight138,891 lbs141,096 lbs
Axle load34,833 lbs35,274 lbs
Boiler
VariantZentralbahnFurka-Oberalp, Brig-Visp-Zermatt
Power Plant
Power
Power sourceelectric - AC
Electric system15.000 V 16⅔ Hz11.000 V 16⅔ Hz
Hourly power2,591 hp (1,932 kW)
Continuous power2,514 hp (1,875 kW)
Top speed62 mph
Starting effort62,947 lbf
Calculated Values
electric locomotive
passenger
freight
rack railway
Vipp-Zermatt Railway HGe 4/4
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Switzerland | 1929
5 produced
No. 11 in September 2010 in St. Nicholas
No. 11 in September 2010 in St. Nicholas
Markus Giger

When the Visp-Zermatt-Bahn electrified their network with the same system as the RhB, they had five “fake” crocodile locomotives built with combined adhesion and rack drives. All machinery were thus mounted on the main frame. There was also a luggage compartment between the driver's cabs. The locomotives were of lightweight construction throughout in order to be able to comply with the weight limit of the VZ. The operator changed its name to “Brig-Visp-Zermatt-Bahn” in 1962 and joined the Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn in 2003. Today only one locomotive has been preserved, this was used for snow clearing until 2015. So far there is only a short text for this vehicle. In the future it will be described in more detail.

General
Built1929-1930
ManufacturerSLM, Oerlikon, SWS
Wheel arr.B-B 
Gauge3 ft 3 3/8 in (Meter gauge)
Dimensions and Weights
Length46 ft 3 1/8 in
Wheelbase28 ft 7 5/16 in
Rigid wheelbase6 ft 7 1/8 in
Service weight103,617 lbs
Adhesive weight103,617 lbs
Axle load25,904 lbs
Boiler
Power Plant
Power
Power sourceelectric - AC
Electric system11.000 V 16⅔ Hz
Hourly power987 hp (736 kW)
Top speed28 mph
Calculated Values
electric locomotive
passenger
freight
rack railway
last changed: 03/2023
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