DB Br 101 - Finally...

[coppo]

It's taken a while, but finally there is some pictorial proof - DB BR101 on a freight train:

http://bahnamateurbilder.startbilder.de ... 148500.jpg

and

http://bahnfotokiste.startbilder.de/102 ... 178387.jpg
and a couple more at:
http://www.elektrolok.de/news/estories/ ... n_2009.php


So, now we can actually use them - in game!

[dwagency]

You live in Germany?

BR 101 is used more often for freight trains in the past. It has build as universal locomotive (passenger/freight trains) between 1996 and 1999. But it's right, the main scope of duties were directly the express passenger services because these locomotives had to replace the time-worn German class 103 locomotives.
But from time to time you could see a class 101 hauling a freight train (not only in the present):

BR 101 026 at Mühlacker 01.08.1998 [bahnbilder.de]:
http://www.bahnbilder.de/bilder/br-101-244343.jpg

BR 101 065 at Tamm 13.03.1999 [bahnbilder.de]:
http://www.bahnbilder.de/bilder/br-101-244345.jpg

BR 101 013 at Geislingen-West 17.07.1999 [bahnbilder.de]:
http://www.bahnbilder.de/bilder/br-101-244336.jpg

BR 101 022 at Amstetten 27.04.2004 [bahnbilder.de]:
http://www.bahnbilder.de/bilder/br-101-244340.jpg

There are many more pictures in the worldwideweb where you can see the German class 101 in front of a freight train. So it's nothing new and you can set up such a scenario for RailWorks in the time from 1996 (perhaps better 1997 - first rollout was in summer 1996) until the present time.
In the future this class will be used more often for freight tasks because the engine is still good at work and many express trains will/should be replaced by multiple units in the near future.

So, now we can actually use them - in game!

Why not using this engine for express passenger services - the main task of this engine and you have the needed coaches directly in your RW folder.

[radu1972]

Hello gentlemen,
Two things I have learned from this post:
1. Db Br 101 can haul freight - great news
2. The future of locomotive hauled expresses is really bleak, not that great of news, There is something inspiring in the way a locomotive handles a train, something you can't see in the efficient MU's

[coppo]

@DWAgency - I used to live in Frankfurt for about 18 months, but never got to see the 101 on a freight train.
I wanted to post the links because when RS first came out comments were made that the 101 couldn't be used on freights, which I challenged, but could not provide the evidence to back it up...

As to Radu's comment on the demise of loco hauled expresses. This is not such a surprise, in the UK they're almost extinct. The advantages of the D or EMU for turnaround at end stations is clear, as is the desire to reduce the number of staff needed to couple/ uncouple the engine.

The advantage of a loco hauled train is that, in times of need, you could add extra coaches to cope with demand. Operators are less likely to keep spare sets of MU's sitting around, not earning money, on the off chance that there might be a crowd once in a while.

Besides, a loco hauled train just looks good, as if it is something with a purpose, whereas the MU (and this includes the lovely ICE trains) is a bit like a ping-pong ball - just going back and forth, all day long.

However, if DB were to paint an ICE-T in Rheingold livery....

I wonder what will happen to all the express coaches..