Veertje Express

1289, the green SJ class B of ZLSM, was wearing this rather strange and ugly hood ornament. No idea what was up with that, or what Veertje Express could possibly mean. Either way, here it was standing in the depot section (which was also opened and also housed a second-hand model railroad trading section where I had nearly bought a Delaware & Hudson Alco FA, but had not enough cash on me, so I settled on a Illinois Central box car instead... OK, I'll shut up now) and had just taken water.

The design of the locomotive is rather peculiar. It was inspired by the prussian P8, the same type the german class 23 was meant to replace, so using both together certainly fits. The angular cab was often seen in Germany on Länderbahn (pre-1924) pacifics, to improve aerodynamics. That the cab here is far more closed than those in many other european countries should not come as a big surprise to anyone, but the doors to the walkways are an interesting touch.

Interestingly, this locomotive was built in Trollhättan (also seat of SAAB, and if I may add, one of the funniest place names I know) by Nydovist & Holm AB, short NoHAB. The name is often seen as synonymous with the EMD diesel locomotives they built in license, altered for service in europe, but this swedish company has a far longer history than that.

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