The NMBS/SNCB Class 77 (also known as HLD 77 or HLR 77) is a class of 4 axle B'B'

road switcher A road switcher is a type of railroad locomotive designed to both haul railcars in mainline service and shunt them in railroad yards. Both type and term are North American in origin, although similar types have been used elsewhere. A road ...

diesel hydraulic locomotive designed for shunting and freight work manufactured at the beginning of the 2000s by

Siemens Schienenfahrzeugtechnik Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad. The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', ''E ...

and later by

Vossloh Vossloh AG is a rail technology company based in Werdohl in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The SDAX-listed group has achieved sales of around €930 million in 2016 with more than 4,000 employees (as of 2017). Vossloh is a global ...

at the

Maschinenbau Kiel Maschinenbau Kiel GmbH designed, manufactured and marketed marine diesel engines, diesel locomotives and tracked vehicles under the MaK brand name. The three primary operating divisions of Maschinenbau Kiel GmbH were sold to different companies ...

plant in

Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland ...

, Germany for the

National Railway Company of Belgium french: Société nationale des chemins de fer belgesgerman: Nationale Gesellschaft der Belgischen Eisenbahnen , type = Statutory corporation , industry = Rail Transport , foundation = 1926 , founder = Government o ...

(SNCB/NMBS).

Background and design

The initial order for 90 locomotives was given to Siemens in 1997 to replace an aging diesel fleet; the railway opted for a locomotive suitable for both shunting and mainline use, rather than separate classes. The locomotives were variants of the standard MaK G1200 series design, and are considered a development of the MaK G1205 type. The locomotive is an off-centre cab design with a two-speed voith hydraulic transmission driving all axles via

cardan shaft A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft (Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power (physics), power and torque and rotation, usually ...

s. Auxiliary electrical supply is provided by an engine mounted alternator. Unlike many other MaK locomotives which use a MTU or

CAT The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...

12-cylinder V engine the locomotive has an

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

6-cylinder inline engine. The first locomotive was delivered in October 1999, and worked satisfactorily; a second order for 80 locomotives was given in June 2001.

Operations

The first locomotive entered service in February 2004. All 170 units were operational by June 2005. Due to its relatively low power the locomotives work in multiple on heavy freight trains.

Equipment variations

Sets of the class vary in the type of equipment they carry:

References

External links

* Images
SNCB série 77
''www.rail.lu'' * Images

''www.railfaneurope.net'' {{MaK-Vossloh locomotives NMBS SNCB Class 77 Diesel locomotives of Belgium B-B locomotives Vossloh locomotives MaK locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1990 Standard gauge locomotives of Belgium Diesel-hydraulic locomotives Freight locomotives

Background and design

Operations

Equipment variations

See also

References

External links