Electric Locomotive BR 103 of the DB AG, Era VI

DB AG electric locomotive, number 103 113 in TEE livery, Era VI
Prototypical condition around 2020

LokSound, pantograph, DC/AC

MODEL VARIANT

• Metal body and chassis
• Multi-part bogie covers with real springs and numerous applied details
• Separately mounted brake system with brake shoes in wheel plane
• Separately mounted grab handles
• Coupler in a standard shaft with guide rails
• Powerful five-pole ESU motor with two balanced flywheels
• Drive via cardan/worm gear drive on three axles, four traction tires
• LokSound 5 decoder for DCC, Motorola®, M4, and Selectrix operation
• Automatic registration with central stations with RailComPlus® or mfx® functionality
• PowerPack storage capacitor for uninterrupted power supply Power supply
• Two high-quality speakers for the best sound experience
• Universal electronics with a plug-in pickup for switching between two-wire and center-wire operation
• Two individually digitally raising and lowering pantographs
• Digitized original sounds of a Class 103.1
• Sensor-controlled sounds when cornering and braking shortly before coming to a stop
• Direction-dependent white/red headlight change, switchable headlights on the train side, shunting, driver’s cab, driver’s panel, and engine room lighting
• Brake sparks during sharp braking
• Minimum radius for operation = 360 mm
• Length over buffers = 224.1 mm

The E03, introduced in 1965 as four pre-production units, and its 145 sister locomotives built in series from 1970 onwards, were already legends during their lifetimes. Deutsche Bundesbahn developed the E03 primarily with Henschel and Krauss-Maffei to haul lightweight TEE trains at high speeds on flat terrain. High-speed trials for scheduled passenger trains at 200 km/h began in 1965 with E03 001. The spherical front ends, developed in wind tunnel tests, and the elegant TEE livery defined the image of high-speed rail in Germany for more than 30 years. In 1969, DB changed the requirements profile for the E03 and increased the train weight for the production locomotives to 480 t at 200 km/h and 800 t at 160 km/h. Therefore, the engine power was increased to 7780 kW. Externally, the series locomotives, designated BR 103.1, differed significantly from the pre-series by the second ventilation band in the side walls and the simplified paint scheme without the silver trim between the purple and beige areas. Since trains with top speeds over 140 km/h always had to be manned by two drivers, the crew on the last series locomotives were given somewhat more space by extending the driver’s cabs. Pre-series locomotive 103 004 was given single-arm pantographs and an umber gray roof in the 1970s instead of the silver one. Initially working to pull regular trains, it soon found itself primarily used for measurement and test work, for example in preparatory operations for the introduction of the ICE. The opening of the IC train system to second-class carriages in 1979 made the 103 a very hard worker. Although the express locomotives were now constantly pushed to the limits of their performance, they still impressed with their high reliability and remained indispensable to DB AG well beyond the turn of the millennium. The DB Museum maintains several 103 locomotives in operational condition for special operations, including 103 113.