The Dm11 was a
diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...
built by
GEC-Alsthom in Spain for
VR Group
VR-Group Plc ( fi, VR-Yhtymä Oyj, sv, VR-Group Abp), commonly known as VR, is a government-owned railway company in Finland. VR's most important function is the operation of Finland's passenger rail services with 250 long-distance and 800 co ...
. A total of 16 units were ordered in 1995, with an option of 16 more,
at a price of 80 million
Finnish mark
The markka ( fi, markka; sv, mark; sign: Mk; ISO code: FIM, typically known outside Finland as the Finnish mark) was the currency of Finland from 1860 until 28 February 2002, when it ceased to be legal tender. The mark was divided into 100 pe ...
s. The first units arrived in Finland in February 1997 and testing started in
Central Finland
Central Finland ( fi, Keski-Suomi; sv, Mellersta Finland) is a Regions of Finland, region ( / ) in Finland. It borders the regions of Päijät-Häme, Pirkanmaa, South Ostrobothnia, Central Ostrobothnia, North Ostrobothnia, Northern Savonia, No ...
a month later. However, VR cancelled the deal at the end of the same year.
By that time, six units had been delivered.
The trains left Finland in 1999. One of the units was later seen in
Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
, Lithuania in 2000 before they were sold to
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
.
The train was unofficially called the ''Mandolino'', which rhymed with the then-new ''
Pendolino
Pendolino (from Italian ''pendolo'' "pendulum", and ''-ino,'' a diminutive suffix) is an Italian family of tilting trains used in Italy, Spain, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Finland, Russia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, the UK, the US, ...
''.
VR did not accept the Dm11 in regular traffic for multiple reasons. It was claimed to weigh during ordering, but the final units were overweight.
This caused a problem, as the units were expected to run on lower quality tracks. The noise level in the passenger compartments was also measured to be 12 dB louder than expected. Furthermore, the windows of the train froze during winter service.
The black ends of the train were seen as a hazard for drivers, and yellow was added to the nose of unit 4401 to increase visibility.
VR started a new tender in December 1997, asking for 12–20 trains and a maximum of 20 options. However, the winner of the bid could not deliver trains that fitted the specifications, which meant that VR had to start from scratch once again at the end of the year 1998. Only three bids were entered, none of which interested the company. It started a new tender at the end of the year 1999 with the same requirements. Finally,
CKD Vagonka (later Å koda Vagonka) won the bid in 2001 with a DMU that was to be called the
Dm12.
The unit numbers of the Dm11 (4401 to 4406) were reused on Dm12 trains.
References
External links
Pictures of the Dm11 at Vaunut.org
{{Finnish locomotives
Dm11
Alstom multiple units
Train-related introductions in 1997