Roaring through the Rain

120 501 thunders through the falling rain, pulling InterCity 2410 from Cologne to Flensburg. And before you ask: I managed to stay halfway dry by attaching my umbrella's grip to the camera bag, while running the top of the tube through my shoulder strap. Yes, it must've looked hilarious.

You can just about make out the slogan on her side, which reads "Bahntechnik mit Kompetenz - DB Systemtechnik", as this locomotive isn't owned by DB Fernverkehr. It was bought by DB Systemtechnik back in 2005, along with 120 502, with both locos being used to haul track geometry cars throughout the country. Due to the fact that none of the usual 103s are available at the moment, they must've borrowed this locomotive to haul IC 2410.

See the previous shot for a more distant view.

I am actually a fan of the 120, as it looks quite good, despite being much more utilitarian than the beautiful 103. It's also the first ever production locomotive to utilize modern power electronics, allowing the use of asynchronous drive motors. This also made it possible to install regenerative brakes, which feed power back into the catenary when dynamic braking is used. The power heads of the famous ICE were also based almost entirely on the technology developed for the 120. In fact, just about all modern locomotives are based on this one, except for technologically retarded ones like the EMD Class 66.

For railfans in love with the old days (like myself) it also counts as one of the last locomotives that were proposed, planned, built and put into service during the reign of the Deutsche Bundesbahn, the former German Federal Railway. Less than five years after the last unit was delivered, the Bundesbahn ceased to exist.

Random fact: The price for just one of these locomotives was 5.5 million Deutsche Mark back in the 1980s! The development costs alone are estimated to be around 100 million D-Mark!