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Renfe Mercancias S/253: Introduction |
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in short |
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order details |
 In November 2006, Spanish railoperator Renfe ordered 100 Traxx DC locomotives for its freight division, Mercancias. 55 machines will be completely assembled at the Bombardier site Vado Ligure. The latter 45 locomotives will be assembled in Villaverde, near Madrid, using Bombardier kits from the Bombardier factories. Appearantly the building plans changed between order and delivery, as initially the construction for the 10 machines was planned in Kassel. The body for S/253 001, the designation of the very first Spanish machine, arrived in Italy from Poland in July 2007 and was completed there. Except for its bogies, which had to modified for 1668 mm Iberian gauge used in Spain, new integrated auxiliary converters, and the air condition equipment on top of the cabin roofs, the S/253 is technical identical to the E483 series for Angel Trains Cargo. The S/253 001 is painted in the latest colour scheme of the freight division of Renfe, Mercancias; white cabs with a purple striping and dark gray sides.
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Renfe Mercancias S/253: First trials |
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At the end of November 2007 the S/253 001 was completed and ready for its first dynamic trials. It was transported by road trailer to Siemens test centre Wegberg-Wildenrath in Germany, where two 1435 mm normal gauge bogies were already waiting for the machine. With the cranes it was placed on its temporary feet and throughout December the S/253 001 was running in the various test tracks. On 29.11.2007 also S/253 002 left the factories in Vado Ligure, with destination Villaverde, Spain. In Villaverde this machine will be the first one that will be placed on actual 1668 mm wide gauge bogies. Starting in May 2008, 253 001 and 002 were subjected to numerous trials in Spain, concentrating around Madrid. It is expected that the first S/253 will be officially handed over to Renfe by the end of September 2008.
 During the test runs at Wegberg one could take a good look at the details of the Spanish Traxx machine for the first time. Its two central head lights are placed above the front windows and on top of the cabs extra powerful air conditioning equipment is available to cope with hot weather circumstances in Spain. Remarkable is that the frame at both cabin ends is repainted black again, although the first pictures from the factory in Italy show two all white painted cabs. The S/253 series also misses some features indicating it’s a Traxx 2E generation machine. Its sidewalls are smooth, no edges indicating where a ventilation grid could be and also the opening for a fuel tank is not there. These alterations where partly neccessary to meet the specific demands of Renfe and to be able to cope with the special wather conditions on the Iberic peninsula. On the other hand, such a large order volume makes it more easy to moderate a standard platform.
S/253 001 hoovers over the assembly area in Vado Ligure, July 2007. Note that the body has all white painted cabs.
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Renfe Mercancias S/253: Production and delivery |
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Batch production of the S/253 series started in March 2008. 55 machines were built in Vado Ligure, Italy, to be placed on their 1668 mm bogies when entering Spain. The remaining 45 machines will be sent to Villaverde Bojo as kits, of which the parts will come from various Bombardier factories from all over Europe.
On 20.01.2009, the first five units (253 001-005) were officially handed over to Renfe. 253 011 was the first locomotive to be completed in Spain. In July 2010 the handing over of the very last locomotive will take place. 253 100 will be a unit from the Spanish assembly line. |
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Renfe Mercancias S/253: Select your Locomotive: |
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SIEMENS
