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update 2012|05|10
[DE] history: 145 018 and 019 piloting for the new 146 series
DB Schenker 145 series is a freight locomotive, but it is a freight locomotive because the operator wants it to be. It is a result of splitting up the former German railways in different divisions. And it would be best as one serie is property of one division. So the 145 series ended up at DB Cargo.
However, the original demands were different. When the development of this concept started, it had to become a platform for light and medium-heavy mixed services. Hence the 14x-service number. Until this day, the freight-145 is still used for passenger services on a regular basis. At this moment they help out in Nordrhein-Westfalen.
 The history of 145 series locomotives in passenger services started on 19.06.1999. That day, 145 018-8 and 145 019-6 were officially presented at the work shops in Ludwigshafen. They both got a provisorial 'Nahverkerhs-Package' so they could be used with double deck rakes. On both sides they carried the 'Umweltfeundlich - Energiesparend - Leistungsstark' markings. The 018 and 019 were then used to gather expertise with this type of machines in everyday practice. At the day they were presented, DB Regio also signed a letter of intent for the delivery of two prototypes of the final regio-version of the 145 with a top speed of 160 kph, now better known as the 146 series.
145 018 and 019 were used for regional services between Koblenz and Mannheim. This ended in 2000, when they both were re-allocated from Rheinland-Pfalz to Hannover, where they were needed for the EXPO2000-services. Because of this, also the special inscriptions were removed. - Baur, Die Baureihen 145/146 und 185, EK-verlag / MF / MW / EL
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