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Twice the Fun

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Description

One of the very practical things of EMUs is their high power to weight ratio. They can usually accelerate way faster than a locomotive-hauled train with the same number of seats. That's awesome, except when the EMUs go missing. Such as the Bombardier Talent 2 EMUs, that are meant to be used on the RE 9 between Aachen and Siegen since december 2010, but will probably not appear here before the second half of 2011 due to problems with first manufacturing and now getting official approval for the type.

That's annoying, but as long as the old double-decker carriages are available, not much of an issue. However, to keep the new, more ambitious schedules, DB Regio Rheinland had to get creative, and their solution was this: Each train now has two class 111 electric locomotives, one at each end, in what the british call a top-and-tail configuration, although I prefer the german term "Sandwich traction". The result is a continuous power output of 7200 kW, almost reaching high-speed train regions. By the way, the cab car remains in the train, partly as insurance in case one of the locomotives fails, partly because it isn't needed anywhere else, but also because it includes the wheelchair compartment.
Image size
2547x1698px 1.42 MB
Make
Canon
Model
Canon EOS 1000D
Shutter Speed
1/256 second
Aperture
F/8.0
Focal Length
135 mm
ISO Speed
200
Date Taken
Jan 9, 2011, 2:39:27 PM
Sensor Size
14mm
Comments1
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HerrDrayer's avatar
Amtrak does this too; however, one of the locomotives has had its prime mover removed and serves as both a cab car and a baggage car. To the untrained eye though, the train looks like "Sandwich traction." :)