The SJ Class Ra (or Rapid) is an
electric locomotive
An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or on-board energy storage such as a battery or a supercapacitor. Locomotives with on-board fuelled prime movers, such as diesel engines or g ...
operated by
Swedish State Railways
The Swedish State Railways ( sv, Statens Järnvägar) or SJ, originally the Royal Railway Board ( sv, Kungl. Järnvägsstyrelsen), was the former government agency responsible for operating the state-owned railways in Sweden.
It was created i ...
( sv, Statens Järnvägar, SJ). Ten units were built by
ASEA
''Allmänna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget'' (English translation: General Swedish Electrical Limited Company; Swedish abbreviation: ASEA) was a Swedish industrial company.
History
ASEA was founded in 1883 by Ludvig Fredholm in Västerås a ...
, two in 1955 and eight in 1961. Ra was used on express trains until the 1990s.
History
During the 1940s SJ had a need for quicker locomotives for their express trains. In 1953 two
bogie-locomotives were ordered from ASEA. Inspiration for the appearance came from North America, with round shapes and a
bulldog nose. The two first units were successful and SJ ordered additional eight units from ASEA, delivered in 1961. Though never being used for more than 130 km/h, it was capable for 150 km/h, and served mainly on Stockholm - Göteborg and Stockholm - Oslo. They were mainly taken out of service in the late 1980s, though two remained in service until 1996. Most have been preserved, including at the
Swedish Railway Museum
The Swedish Railway Museum, ( sv, Sveriges Järnvägsmuseum), in Gävle, Gästrikland, Sweden is the national museum for Sweden's railway history.
The Swedish Railway Museum is tasked with acquiring, preserving and supplying knowledge about Swedis ...
and at
Nässjö Railway Museum. In 2012, Ra 988 was sold by the Swedish Railway Museum in 2012 and was sold to Svensk Tågkraft and is still in service.
External links
Järnväg.net on Ra
{{Swedish railway stock
Railway locomotives introduced in 1955
Ra
ASEA locomotives
Bo′Bo′ locomotives
15 kV AC locomotives
Standard gauge locomotives of Sweden