Slovakia - electric locomotives

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The newest and finest electric locomotives of today's Slovakia are Siemens Vectron machines of the class 383. Ten locomotives were ordered via the leasing company S Rail Lease. The first ones arrived in Slovakia in November 2017. These are multiple electric systems versions which can cross borders, for example to CZ, A or SLO.
Picture from Košice main station 3.7.2018 by Ilkka Siissalo.

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A Slovakian class 350 electric locomotive in front of an InterCity train. These are among the best locomotives in today's Slovakia. It is a dual electric systems electric locomotive made by Škoda Plzeň. They were built 1973-1975 and there were only 20 of them, now divided between the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It is a 4000 kW strong and 160 km/h fast machine which can operate both on 3 kV DC as well as 25 kV AC. They are used on four main lines, two of which are coming to Kosice. The two lines include Bratislava-Kosice and Kosice to Budapest. This one was heading an InterCity to Bratislava. This is the very newest Slovakian painting of the class.
Picture from Košice main station 2.7.2018 by Ilkka Siissalo.

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Another Slovakian class 350 electric locomotive but with a bit different new painting. The driver had to climb out to try to wipe flies and mosquitoes away from the windscreen.
Picture from Košice main station 2.7.2018 by Ilkka Siissalo.

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ZSSK class 350 locomotives are nicknamed "Gorila" because of their power. They were built 1973-75. It is a 160 km/h fast 4000 kW machine built by Škoda Plzeň. It can work both under 3kV DC as well as 25 kV AC.
The blue and white machine behind it is a Czech state railways class 163 machine.
Picture from Praha (Prag) main station in Czech republic 15.7.2018 by Ilkka Siissalo.

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Another class 350 "Gorila" in its newest livery.
Picture from Bratislava 20.3.2022 by Markku Salo.

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This double locomotive of the class 131, also known as the type E479.1 is a rarity. It is basically two class 163 locomotives coupled together and geared down for heavy haul cargo use. This double locomotive unit has a top speed of only 100 km/h and a power rating of 4480 kW (which of course compared with modern four axle locomotives like the TRAXX or Vectron, which are half this size and still have a power rating of 6400 kW seems modest). These are rare machines, built by Škoda Plzeň 1980-82. In practise they are often used for bringing Polish coal into Slovakia and abroad eastwards.
Picture from Košice main station 2.7.2018 by Ilkka Siissalo.

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A tank container train led by a double locomotive of the class 131 on the normal gauge line between Slanek and Kalša.
Picture 6.9.2020 by Petr Štefek.

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Yet another coal train led by a double locomotive of the type class 131, but this type the locomotive pair is already painted in a new livery. This is the locomotive pair 131 numbers 031+032.
Picture from the station of Kalša 6.9.2020 by Petr Štefek.

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Yet another class 131 led coal train and now again in the newest ZSSK Cargo livery. This is the locomotive pair 131 095+096.
Picture from the station of Kalša 6.9.2020 by Petr Štefek.

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A class 163 locomotive in the now common red and white painting. The old Czechoslovakian name for these locomotives was class E499.3. They were built by Škoda in 1984. This is a pure 3 kV DC version of the locomotive family. These machines have a power rating of 3480 kW and a top speed of 120 km/h. These are purely passenger train locomotives. Note that it is typical in Slovakia that locomotives use both pantographs up at the same time when running with just 3 kV DC.
Picture from Košice main station 2.7.2018 by Ilkka Siissalo.

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ZSSK locomotive of the class 163 in older green painting.
Picture from Košice main station 2.7.2018 by Ilkka Siissalo.

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This Slovakian ZSSK locomotive of the class 263 is otherwise the same machine than the 163 shown above, but this version was built to run under 25 kV AC exclusively. 163 runs only with 3kV DC. These date back to the year 1988.
Picture from Nové Zámky 18.3.2022 by Markku Salo.

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Old ZSSK class 240 locomotive. These machines were built 1966-69 by Škoda. Their nickname is "Laminatka" because most of the body shell is made of glass fiber laminate. It's a 25 kV AC machine with a power rating of 3080 kW and a top speed of 120 km/h. In Slovakia ZSSK has 48 of these for passenger and 49 for freight traffic.
Picture from Kúty 14.7.2018 by Ilkka Siissalo.

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ZSSK locomotive of the class 361 looks to the outside very much like class 163. Both are made by Skoda and actually the class 361 machines were previously class 163 machines, but they were rebuilt for dual voltage and uprated to 3600/3200kW and a top speed of 160km/h by ZOS Vrutky. They are originally from the year 1980.
Picture from Košice main station 3.7.2018 by Ilkka Siissalo.

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Another view of a class 361 locomotive.
Picture from Košice main station 3.7.2018 by Ilkka Siissalo.

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Yet another class 361 machine, but this one has been recently rehauled and it has received a new livery.
Picture from Bratislava 23.6.2023 by Markku Salo.

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A Slovakian class 362 locomotive. These 362s are basically the same class 163 machines just like the class 361, but these are the result of modernisations performed in the 1990s, where the top speed of these machines rose to 140 km/h. There was a plan to modernise 30 locomotives but money ran out and the project had to be stopped, so this is actually a rarity by now.
Picture from Bratislava 19.3.2022 by Markku Salo.

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An old electric shunter locomotive of the class 110. They were taken in service in what then was Czechoslovakia in 1971. In Slovakia only two are left in 2018. It has a power rating of 800 kW and a top speed of 80 km/h. They are used for fetching passenger train coaches from railyards to stations. They were bult by Skoda as Skoda type 33E. 52 of them were built.
Picture from Košice main station 2.7.2018 by Ilkka Siissalo.

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The same class 110 shunter as in the picture above. From the looks of the poor old machine it's easy to guess that Slovakia will very soon have not even the two now remaining class 110 machines left.
Picture from Košice main station 2.7.2018 by Ilkka Siissalo.

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There is a Russian broad gauge (1520 mm gauge) rail line from Ukraine deep into Slovakia from the Ukrainian border running to to Haniska pri Košiciach near the city of Košice. This picture of a really long coal train is from that line. The two double locomotives are of the class 125 of Slovakian state railways cargo division ZSSKC and they are the locomotive pairs of class 125 numbers 812+811 and 838+837. Class 125 is a very rare old former Czechoslovakian double locomotive type made by Škoda.
This picture is taken along the line between Slančík and Slivnik in Slovakia 6.9.2020 by Petr Štefek.
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