History of Railways in Sweden (4a)

Swedish State Railways (SJ) - Locomotives (1)

A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. The term "engine" is often used as an alternative to locomotive. A motor coach (UK) or motorcar (US usage) is a powered rail vehicle able to pull several trailers and at the same time transport passengers or luggage. Locomotives may generate their power from fuel (wood, coal, petroleum, or natural gas), or they may take power from an outside source of electricity. It is common to classify locomotives by their source of energy. Although historically steam propulsion dominated, the most common types of locomotives are diesel and electric, the latter supplied by overhead wires or additional rails. Motive power for a train is provided by a separate locomotive or individual motors in self-propelled multiple units. A train is a form of rail transport consisting of a series of connected vehicles that generally run along a railway (or railroad) track to transport passengers or cargo (also known as "freight" or "goods"). Passenger trains include passenger-carrying vehicles and can often be very long and fast. Goods (Freight) trains use freight wagons (or cars/trucks) to transport goods or materials (cargo). It is possible to carry passengers and freight in the same train using a mixed consist. A train driver, engine driver, or locomotive driver is a person who drives a train. Most of the locomotives and carriages/wagons used on Swedish rails are also produced in Sweden. Prince August was the first locomotive (B-class) in the service of the Swedish State Railways, manufactured by Beyer, Peacock & Co, Manchester (UK). The locomotive was used to pull mixed trains on the Southern Main Line. Six locomotives were acquired from the UK in 1856. Three served on the Western Main Line and three on the Southern Main Line; Prince August, Prince Carl, Prince Oscar. However, a domestic locomotive-manufacturing industry was quickly established in Sweden. In total, 45 so-called B-class locomotives were acquired by SJ between 1856 and 1872, 23 manufactured in the UK and the rest in Sweden. The first B-class locomotive, Prince August, was in use until 1906 and remains in the Swedish Railway Museum in Gävle. However, the first locomotive manufactured in Sweden was Förstlingen (“The Firstling”), which was made by Munktell AB, Eskilstuna, in 1853. In 1925, the first electric locomotive (D-class) was introduced by SJ. It was manufactured by ASEA, Sweden. In total, 333 D-class engines were produced. Steam Locomotives, Electric Locomotives, Diesel Locomotives

Steam Locomotives

A steam locomotive is a type of railway locomotive that produces its pulling power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning combustible material—usually coal, wood, or oil—to produce steam in a boiler. Both fuel and water supplies are carried with the locomotive, either on the locomotive itself or in wagons (tenders) pulled behind. So, the water is kept in a tank in the locomotive tender, tender locomotive, or wrapped around the boiler in the case of a tank locomotive. Periodic stops are required to refill the tanks. Generally, the largest locomotives are permanently coupled to a tender that carries the water and fuel. Often, locomotives working shorter distances do not have a tender and carry the fuel in a bunker, with the water carried in tanks placed next to the boiler. The tanks can be in various configurations, including two tanks alongside (side tanks or pannier tanks), one on top (saddle tank), or one between the frames (well tank). The tank locomotives used in Sweden were usually equipped with side tanks. The Swedish B, E, F, and L-class locomotives were tender locomotives, while the N and S-class engines were tank locomotives. The flagship among the Swedish steam locomotives were the large F- class locomotives pulling trains on the Malmö - Stockholm route. In Sweden, coal was the obvious choice from the earliest days of the steam engine. The image shows a tender locomotive, the SJ TB 854, circa 1910. Coal and water supplies are carried in the tender pulled behind the locomotive. Image: Järnvägsmuseet, ID: JvmKDAJ07710. A steam locomotive can have several cylinders, usually two, three, or four cylinders. Early steam locomotives had two cylinders, one on either side. Later designs employed three or four cylinders, mounted both inside and outside the frames, for a more even power cycle and greater power output. In Sweden, steam locomotives were being used until the beginning of the 1950s. However, the last steam locomotives were not pulled out of service until 1963. A few hundred steam locomotives were kept as a strategic reserve until the 1990s when most steam locomotives were sold, scrapped, or placed in museums. Steam locomotives can be categorized depending on the application: • Express locomotives for speeds greater than 80/90 km/h • Passenger locomotives for speeds between 60/70 and 90 km/h • Goods locomotives for speeds between 50 and 70 km/h. • Shunting or switch locomotives were used on railway yards (switchyards) to move carriages and wagons. Locomotive Classes: In Sweden, depending on the construction, each series of produced locomotives was assigned a unique destination, class (Swe: Littera). Independently if a series was new or an upgrade of an existing one, they were assigned a new designation. The system of classification was introduced in Sweden by SJ in 1876. Each class designation consisted of at least one letter usually followed by one or two digits. The SJ steam locomotive classes: • A, C, F, H3s - Express locomotives. • B, E, H3, TB - Locomotives for mixed trains, pulling both passenger carriages and goods wagons. • G, R - Locomotives for goods trains • M, R - Locomotives for the iron ore trains. The R-class engines were later used for goods trains. • S - Locomotives for passenger and goods trains Below is a listing of the most common types of steam locomotives used in Sweden: A-class: The SJ A-class steam locomotives were built in two series, the First series, and the Second series. The 32 locomotives in the First series were manufactured between 1863–1873 and the 26 locomotives in the Second series between 1906–1909. These 26 locomotives were built to replace the earlier A-class. The second series of the A-class locomotives were later replaced by the B-class and F-class locomotives on the express train routes. When the electrification of the Swedish railways was completed, there was no further use for the A- class and most of them were scrapped in the 1930s. The A-class locomotives were the first of SJ with superheaters. The image shows an SJ A-class steam locomotive circa 1905-1910. Image: Vetlanda Museum, ID: VetM.F.E-L.00376. Loco length 19.5 meters (64 ft 7 in), loco weight 60.2 tons, driving wheel diameter 1880 mm (6 ft 2 in), maximum allowed speed 90 km/h (56 mph). B-class: The B-class designation was initially used for the early steam locomotives. These locomotives were acquired before the introduction of the SJ classification system in 1876 and the B-class stood for mixed trains. The six first B-class locomotives were delivered to SJ in 1856, three were used on the Southern Main Line and three on the Western Main Line. The three locomotives on the Southern Main Line were named: Prince Carl, Prince Oscar, and Prince August. The three locomotives on the Western Main Line were named: Stockholm, Göteborg (Gothenburg), and Norden (The Nordic). In 1876, when the classification system was introduced, these 6 locomotives were assigned the designation B- class. Of the 45 locomotives acquired by SJ, 23 were munufactured by Beyer & Peacock (UK), 5 by Nyköpings Mekaniska Verkstad, 8 by Motala verkstad, and 9 by Nydqvist & Holm. A brand-new series of B-class locomotives were introduced in 1909. The acquired 96 new B-class locomotives became the 4th most common steam locomotives in Sweden after the locomotive classes: Kd-class (139 locos), E- class (133 locos), and Ke-class (119 locos). The B-class locomotives (second series built in 1909) were being used on railways lines that weren’t electrified until the 1960s. The last B-class loco wasn’t pulled out of service until 1972. The image shows an SJ B-class steam locomotive (B 1382) in 1937 at Arvika train station. Image: Järnvägsmuseet. Loco length 19.5 meters (64 ft 7 in) with the A-tender, loco weight 70.2 tons, driving wheel diameter 1750 mm (5 ft 9 in), maximum allowed speed 90 km/h (56 mph). E-class: The E-class 0-8-0 locomotives (eight-coupled) were part of the development of modern superheated locomotives in Sweden that begun with the A-class in 1906. Fully 131 E-class locomotives were built for SJ between 1907 and 1920. [ 0-8-0 or eight-coupled represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and no trailing wheels.] The E-class locomotives were intended to haul passenger and goods trains (mixed trains) in northern Sweden (Norrland) and heavy goods train in southern Sweden. In the first decade of the 1900s, the rail transport in Norrland increased with longer and heavier trains, and SJ needed a replacement to the K-class and L-class locomotives that were used in Norrland, a replacement that was capable to pull heavier trains. The axle load of the T-class locomotives delivered in 1899 was too heavy for the Norrland tracks and the E-class locomotives were being developed. The E-class lighter axle load meant that they could be used on minor lines and industrial railways too. However, they were ill-suited for hauling express trains, due to their low speed. About 90 of the E-class locos were rebuilt to the 2-8-0 E2-class between 1935 and 1951, enabling a speed increase from 65 km/h (40 mph) to 70 km/h (43 mph). Both E and E2 class locomotives remained in service until 1972. Many of these steam locomotives were then kept as a strategic reserve. The image shows an SJ E-class steam locomotive, E 906, in 1907. Image: Järnvägsmuseet, ID: JvmKDAJ07739. Loco length over the buffers 16.6 meters (54 ft 8 in), and E2 17,6 m (57 ft 11 in), loco weight 50 tons (E2 57.5 ton), driving wheel diameter 1388 mm (4 ft 6.6 in), maximum allowed speed 65 km/h (40 mph), and E2 70 km/h (43.5 mph). F-class: The F-class steam locomotives were the largest and most powerful steam locomotives in regular service ever used in Sweden. Eleven locos were built by Swedish Nydquist & Holm (NOHAB) between 1914 and 1916. It was primarily used on the Southern Main Line between Stockholm-Malmö. When the electrification of the Southern Main Line was completed in 1933 the F-class locos were transferred to the Western Main Line on the Stockholm- Gothenburg route. The image shows an SJ F-class steam locomotive, F 1201, sometime between 1926 and 1936. Image: Järnvägsmuseet, ID: JvmKDAF04848. However, when the Western Main Line was electrified in 1936 the F-class locos became redundant on this route too. When all of the main lines in southern and central Sweden were electrified there was no further use of these powerful steam locos. The Danish Railways, DSB, had at this time no electrified railway lines. In 1937, Danish DSB purchased the eleven Swedish F-class locomotives where they were used until the end of the 1960s. The F-class were 4-cylindered superheated compound steam locomotives that could produce 1,140 kilowatts (1,529 hp). The F 1200 was the first produced F- class loco and the most famous one. On 1 October 1918, it was involved in one of the most serious railway accidents when it in Getå north of Norrköping city crashed off the embankment down a slope killing at least 41 people. The accident was caused by a landslide sweeping the tracks away from the embankment. The F 1200 locomotive was badly damaged but was repaired and reinstated in rail service. The many causalities weren’t foremost caused by the derailing itself but by live coal setting the carriages on fire killing trapped and jammed passengers. The locomotive fireman was scald to death. The F 1200 returned to Sweden from Denmark in 1963 is still today in running condition at the Swedish Railway Museum in Gävle. The image shows the derailed and crashed F 1200 steam locomotive in Getå, Sweden, in 1918. Image: Wikipedia. Loco length over the buffers 21.3 meters (69 ft 11 in), loco weight 142,8 tons, driving wheel diameter 1880 mm (6 ft 2 in), power output 1.550 hp, maximum allowed speed 90 km/h (56 mph) but built to run 127 km/h (79 mph). S-class: The S-class locomotives were tank locos and were mainly used to pull passenger trains. About 46 S-class locomotives were built between 1908 and 1916. When the main lines were electrified in the 1930s most of the S-class locos were sold to private railways in Sweden. However, when these private railways were nationalized the S-class locomotive once again ended up with SJ. In the 1950s, most of the S-class locos were replaced by railcars (Swe: rälsbuss). In 1916, the class designation was changed to Sa, however, in 1942 the class designation was again S. The image shows an SJ S-class steam locomotive, S 944, sometime between 1916 and 1942. Image: Järnvägsmuseet, ID: JvmKDAJ07777. Loco length 11.8 meters (38.7 ft), loco weight 60 tons, driving wheel diameter 1530 mm (5 ft), maximum allowed speed 80 km/h (50 mph). R-class (steam): The R-class steam locomotives were powerful locomotives used on the Iron Ore Line in North Sweden on the section Kiruna- Riksgränsen-Narvik. Five R-class ten-coupled steam locomotives were produced between 1908 - 1909. Before 1908, SJ used Ma-class locos on the Iron Ore Line but when the iron ore trains became longer and heavier more powerful locos were needed, the R-class locos. The R-class steam locomotives were Sweden’s most powerful steam engines. The electrification of the Iron Ore Line began in 1914 and when the electrification was completed there was no further need for the R-class locomotives on the line. Thereafter, they were serving on the Northern Main Line. The image shows an SJ R-class steam locomotive, R 977, at the time of delivery in 1909. Image: Wikipedia. Loco length 19.9 meters (65 ft), loco weight 95 + 45 tons, driving wheel diameter 1300 mm (4.3 ft), maximum allowed speed 50 km/h (30 mph). M-class (steam): The M-class (Ma, Mb, Mc/G7 och Md) locomotives used on the Iron Ore Line in North Sweden. When SJ took over the Iron Ore Line in 1890 ordered eight-coupled locomotives in two versions: the Ma-class locos to be used on the Kiruna-Riksgränsen route and the lighter Mb-class, to be used on the Gällivare-Luleå route. The difference between the two classes was the size of the steam boiler. In total, 20 Ma-class locos were acquired between 1902 and 1907. One Mb-class loco was rebuilt to Ma-class in 1910. When the Iron Ore Line was electrified (finished in 1922) the Ma-locos became redundant. Two Ma-locos were then rebuilt, equipped with over- heating and twin-cylinders and designated Md-class. In total, 14 Mb-class locos were acquired between 1901 and 1903. Two locos were rebuilt in 1920 and designated Mc-class. In 1937, the Mb/Mc-locos was sold to Swedish private railways. However, when these private railways were nationalized the Mb/Mc-class locomotive once again ended up with SJ. At the time, the M-class designation was used by SJ for electric locomotives. Instead, these steam locomotive were re-designated G7-class. In the 1950s, these locomotives were placed in the strategic reserve until 1970 when they were scrapped. The image shows an SJ Ma-class steam locomotive, Ma 703, in 1907. The locomotive was manufactured in 1902 in Falun for the Iron Ore Line (Swe: Malmbanan). Image: Järnvägsmuseet, ID: JvmKDAJ07639. Loco length over the buffers 17.3 m (56.7 ft), loco weight 105.3 tons, driving wheel diameter 1 300 mm (4.3 ft), maximum allowed speed 60 km/h (37 mph).

Swe dish

Source References

• Staten, järnvägarna och den regionala utvecklingen i Sverige 1840–1890, Agaton Sten, 2015, Umeå Universitet. • Den glade rallaren? Norrbottniska rallares syn på sina arbets- och levnadsvillkor, Per-Jonas Pihl 2016, Luleå Tekniska Universitet. • Boken “En rallares levnadsminnen”, av Samuel Magnusson Svanbäck; nedtecknade av Herbert Malmback, 1931. • Boken: “Banbrytare. Äventyr och upplevelser under ett 100-årigt järnvägsbyggande i Sverige”. Manne Briandt. Kristianstad 1959. • Sveriges järnvägars historia, Populär Historia, 13 september 2006 av Niklas Ingmarsson, publicerad i Populär Historia 7-8/2006 . • Rallarna i Sverige banade väg för industrialismen, av Mats Utbult, publicerad i Populär historia 11/2009. • Wikipedia • Järnvägsmuseet (Railway Museum in Gävle, Sweden) Top of page

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History of Railways in Sweden (4a)

Swedish State Railways (SJ) -

Locomotives (1)

Steam Locomotives

A steam locomotive is a type of railway locomotive that produces its pulling power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning combustible material—usually coal, wood, or oil—to produce steam in a boiler. Both fuel and water supplies are carried with the locomotive, either on the locomotive itself or in wagons (tenders) pulled behind. So, the water is kept in a tank in the locomotive tender, tender locomotive, or wrapped around the boiler in the case of a tank locomotive. Periodic stops are required to refill the tanks. Generally, the largest locomotives are permanently coupled to a tender that carries the water and fuel. Often, locomotives working shorter distances do not have a tender and carry the fuel in a bunker, with the water carried in tanks placed next to the boiler. The tanks can be in various configurations, including two tanks alongside (side tanks or pannier tanks), one on top (saddle tank), or one between the frames (well tank). The tank locomotives used in Sweden were usually equipped with side tanks. The Swedish B, E, F, and L-class locomotives were tender locomotives, while the N and S-class engines were tank locomotives. The flagship among the Swedish steam locomotives were the large F-class locomotives pulling trains on the Malmö - Stockholm route. In Sweden, coal was the obvious choice from the earliest days of the steam engine. The image shows a tender locomotive, the SJ TB 854, circa 1910. Coal and water supplies are carried in the tender pulled behind the locomotive. Image: Järnvägsmuseet, ID: JvmKDAJ07710. A steam locomotive can have several cylinders, usually two, three, or four cylinders. Early steam locomotives had two cylinders, one on either side. Later designs employed three or four cylinders, mounted both inside and outside the frames, for a more even power cycle and greater power output. In Sweden, steam locomotives were being used until the beginning of the 1950s. However, the last steam locomotives were not pulled out of service until 1963. A few hundred steam locomotives were kept as a strategic reserve until the 1990s when most steam locomotives were sold, scrapped, or placed in museums. Steam locomotives can be categorized depending on the application: • Express locomotives for speeds greater than 80/90 km/h • Passenger locomotives for speeds between 60/70 and 90 km/h • Goods locomotives for speeds between 50 and 70 km/h. • Shunting or switch locomotives were used on railway yards (switchyards) to move carriages and wagons. Locomotive Classes: In Sweden, depending on the construction, each series of produced locomotives was assigned a unique destination, class (Swe: Littera). Independently if a series was new or an upgrade of an existing one, they were assigned a new designation. The system of classification was introduced in Sweden by SJ in 1876. Each class designation consisted of at least one letter usually followed by one or two digits. The SJ steam locomotive classes: • A, C, F, H3s - Express locomotives. • B, E, H3, TB - Locomotives for mixed trains, pulling both passenger carriages and goods wagons. • G, R - Locomotives for goods trains • M, R - Locomotives for the iron ore trains. The R- class engines were later used for goods trains. • S - Locomotives for passenger and goods trains Below is a listing of the most common types of steam locomotives used in Sweden: A-class: The SJ A-class steam locomotives were built in two series, the First series, and the Second series. The 32 locomotives in the First series were manufactured between 1863–1873 and the 26 locomotives in the Second series between 1906–1909. These 26 locomotives were built to replace the earlier A-class. The second series of the A-class locomotives were later replaced by the B-class and F-class locomotives on the express train routes. When the electrification of the Swedish railways was completed, there was no further use for the A-class and most of them were scrapped in the 1930s. The A-class locomotives were the first of SJ with superheaters. The image shows an SJ A-class steam locomotive circa 1905-1910. Image: Vetlanda Museum, ID: VetM.F.E- L.00376. Loco length 19.5 meters (64 ft 7 in), loco weight 60.2 tons, driving wheel diameter 1880 mm (6 ft 2 in), maximum allowed speed 90 km/h (56 mph). B-class: The B-class designation was initially used for the early steam locomotives. These locomotives were acquired before the introduction of the SJ classification system in 1876 and the B-class stood for mixed trains. The six first B-class locomotives were delivered to SJ in 1856, three were used on the Southern Main Line and three on the Western Main Line. The three locomotives on the Southern Main Line were named: Prince Carl, Prince Oscar, and Prince August. The three locomotives on the Western Main Line were named: Stockholm, Göteborg (Gothenburg), and Norden (The Nordic). In 1876, when the classification system was introduced, these 6 locomotives were assigned the designation B-class. Of the 45 locomotives acquired by SJ, 23 were munufactured by Beyer & Peacock (UK), 5 by Nyköpings Mekaniska Verkstad, 8 by Motala verkstad, and 9 by Nydqvist & Holm. A brand-new series of B-class locomotives were introduced in 1909. The acquired 96 new B-class locomotives became the 4th most common steam locomotives in Sweden after the locomotive classes: Kd-class (139 locos), E-class (133 locos), and Ke-class (119 locos). The B-class locomotives (second series built in 1909) were being used on railways lines that weren’t electrified until the 1960s. The last B-class loco wasn’t pulled out of service until 1972. The image shows an SJ B-class steam locomotive (B 1382) in 1937 at Arvika train station. Image: Järnvägsmuseet. Loco length 19.5 meters (64 ft 7 in) with the A-tender, loco weight 70.2 tons, driving wheel diameter 1750 mm (5 ft 9 in), maximum allowed speed 90 km/h (56 mph). E-class: The E-class 0-8-0 locomotives (eight-coupled) were part of the development of modern superheated locomotives in Sweden that begun with the A-class in 1906. Fully 131 E-class locomotives were built for SJ between 1907 and 1920. [ 0-8-0 or eight-coupled represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and no trailing wheels.] The E-class locomotives were intended to haul passenger and goods trains (mixed trains) in northern Sweden (Norrland) and heavy goods train in southern Sweden. In the first decade of the 1900s, the rail transport in Norrland increased with longer and heavier trains, and SJ needed a replacement to the K-class and L-class locomotives that were used in Norrland, a replacement that was capable to pull heavier trains. The axle load of the T-class locomotives delivered in 1899 was too heavy for the Norrland tracks and the E-class locomotives were being developed. The E-class lighter axle load meant that they could be used on minor lines and industrial railways too. However, they were ill-suited for hauling express trains, due to their low speed. About 90 of the E-class locos were rebuilt to the 2-8-0 E2-class between 1935 and 1951, enabling a speed increase from 65 km/h (40 mph) to 70 km/h (43 mph). Both E and E2 class locomotives remained in service until 1972. Many of these steam locomotives were then kept as a strategic reserve. The image shows an SJ E-class steam locomotive, E 906, in 1907. Image: Järnvägsmuseet, ID: JvmKDAJ07739. Loco length over the buffers 16.6 meters (54 ft 8 in), and E2 17,6 m (57 ft 11 in), loco weight 50 tons (E2 57.5 ton), driving wheel diameter 1388 mm (4 ft 6.6 in), maximum allowed speed 65 km/h (40 mph), and E2 70 km/h (43.5 mph). F-class: The F-class steam locomotives were the largest and most powerful steam locomotives in regular service ever used in Sweden. Eleven locos were built by Swedish Nydquist & Holm (NOHAB) between 1914 and 1916. It was primarily used on the Southern Main Line between Stockholm-Malmö. When the electrification of the Southern Main Line was completed in 1933 the F- class locos were transferred to the Western Main Line on the Stockholm-Gothenburg route. The image shows an SJ F-class steam locomotive, F 1201, sometime between 1926 and 1936. Image: Järnvägsmuseet, ID: JvmKDAF04848. However, when the Western Main Line was electrified in 1936 the F-class locos became redundant on this route too. When all of the main lines in southern and central Sweden were electrified there was no further use of these powerful steam locos. The Danish Railways, DSB, had at this time no electrified railway lines. In 1937, Danish DSB purchased the eleven Swedish F-class locomotives where they were used until the end of the 1960s. The F-class were 4-cylindered superheated compound steam locomotives that could produce 1,140 kilowatts (1,529 hp). The F 1200 was the first produced F-class loco and the most famous one. On 1 October 1918, it was involved in one of the most serious railway accidents when it in Getå north of Norrköping city crashed off the embankment down a slope killing at least 41 people. The accident was caused by a landslide sweeping the tracks away from the embankment. The F 1200 locomotive was badly damaged but was repaired and reinstated in rail service. The many causalities weren’t foremost caused by the derailing itself but by live coal setting the carriages on fire killing trapped and jammed passengers. The locomotive fireman was scald to death. The F 1200 returned to Sweden from Denmark in 1963 is still today in running condition at the Swedish Railway Museum in Gävle. The image shows the derailed and crashed F 1200 steam locomotive in Getå, Sweden, in 1918. Image: Wikipedia. Loco length over the buffers 21.3 meters (69 ft 11 in), loco weight 142,8 tons, driving wheel diameter 1880 mm (6 ft 2 in), power output 1.550 hp, maximum allowed speed 90 km/h (56 mph) but built to run 127 km/h (79 mph). S-class: The S-class locomotives were tank locos and were mainly used to pull passenger trains. About 46 S- class locomotives were built between 1908 and 1916. When the main lines were electrified in the 1930s most of the S-class locos were sold to private railways in Sweden. However, when these private railways were nationalized the S-class locomotive once again ended up with SJ. In the 1950s, most of the S-class locos were replaced by railcars (Swe: rälsbuss). In 1916, the class designation was changed to Sa, however, in 1942 the class designation was again S. The image shows an SJ S-class steam locomotive, S 944, sometime between 1916 and 1942. Image: Järnvägsmuseet, ID: JvmKDAJ07777. Loco length 11.8 meters (38.7 ft), loco weight 60 tons, driving wheel diameter 1530 mm (5 ft), maximum allowed speed 80 km/h (50 mph). R-class (steam): The R-class steam locomotives were powerful locomotives used on the Iron Ore Line in North Sweden on the section Kiruna-Riksgränsen-Narvik. Five R-class ten-coupled steam locomotives were produced between 1908 - 1909. Before 1908, SJ used Ma-class locos on the Iron Ore Line but when the iron ore trains became longer and heavier more powerful locos were needed, the R-class locos. The R-class steam locomotives were Sweden’s most powerful steam engines. The electrification of the Iron Ore Line began in 1914 and when the electrification was completed there was no further need for the R-class locomotives on the line. Thereafter, they were serving on the Northern Main Line. The image shows an SJ R-class steam locomotive, R 977, at the time of delivery in 1909. Image: Wikipedia. Loco length 19.9 meters (65 ft), loco weight 95 + 45 tons, driving wheel diameter 1300 mm (4.3 ft), maximum allowed speed 50 km/h (30 mph). M-class (steam): The M-class (Ma, Mb, Mc/G7 och Md) locomotives used on the Iron Ore Line in North Sweden. When SJ took over the Iron Ore Line in 1890 ordered eight- coupled locomotives in two versions: the Ma-class locos to be used on the Kiruna-Riksgränsen route and the lighter Mb-class, to be used on the Gällivare-Luleå route. The difference between the two classes was the size of the steam boiler. In total, 20 Ma-class locos were acquired between 1902 and 1907. One Mb-class loco was rebuilt to Ma- class in 1910. When the Iron Ore Line was electrified (finished in 1922) the Ma-locos became redundant. Two Ma-locos were then rebuilt, equipped with over- heating and twin-cylinders and designated Md-class. In total, 14 Mb-class locos were acquired between 1901 and 1903. Two locos were rebuilt in 1920 and designated Mc-class. In 1937, the Mb/Mc-locos was sold to Swedish private railways. However, when these private railways were nationalized the Mb/Mc- class locomotive once again ended up with SJ. At the time, the M-class designation was used by SJ for electric locomotives. Instead, these steam locomotive were re-designated G7-class. In the 1950s, these locomotives were placed in the strategic reserve until 1970 when they were scrapped. The image shows an SJ Ma-class steam locomotive, Ma 703, in 1907. The locomotive was manufactured in 1902 in Falun for the Iron Ore Line (Swe: Malmbanan). Image: Järnvägsmuseet, ID: JvmKDAJ07639. Loco length over the buffers 17.3 m (56.7 ft), loco weight 105.3 tons, driving wheel diameter 1 300 mm (4.3 ft), maximum allowed speed 60 km/h (37 mph).