Electric Locomotive BR 242 Pressnitztalbahn

Info about the original

Capable of transporting 700-ton express trains up 10 % gradients at 90 km/h – this was the requirement issued by the Technical Central Office of the East German Deutsche Reichsbahn in its specifications for a new electric locomotive. This requirement was based very closely on the specifications for the prototypes of the E10 series under construction at the Deutsche Bundesbahn (West German Federal Railway). In cooperation with Lokomotivbau Elektronisch Werke (LEW), the Deutsche Reichsbahn began developing the universal locomotive E11 in the mid-1950s. As with Deutsche Bahn, however, it soon became clear that there was no getting around the need to derive an independent freight locomotive. The mechanical part of the new series was very much based on the U4 developed by LEW for the Polish State Railways. In addition, the construction principles of the electric locomotives without running axles, which were put into service at BLS and SBB in the 1940s, served as the basis for the development. For the electrical systems, the plan was to acquire West German licences, however this was ultimately not possible and so these systems had to be developed internally. The development work culminated in the two test locomotives E11 001 and 002, which were handed over by LEW to the Deutsche Reichsbahn in 1960 for testing. After completion of the test drives, the knowledge thus gained flowed into the series production of the E11 and E42. The two test locomotives entered regular service and were technically adapted to match the series locomotives by 1966. With the service number 211 001-3, the GDR’s first new electric locomotive has survived to this day and can be seen in the DB Museum in Halle/Saale.