Handover of First of 240 DLoco Locomotives with Voith Final Drives
30 January 2007
The first of a total of 240 electric goods locomotives, built by Chinese rail vehicle manufacturer DLoco with Voith Turbo final drives, was recently handed over to the Chinese Ministry of Railway in a festive ceremony.
Voith Turbo supplies a total of 1,440 final drives and drive components for six-axle goods locomotives capable of maximum speeds of 120km per hour.
Each of the installed final drives weighs over 1,200 kg; the diameter of the largest gear wheel measures nearly 1m. As all six axles of the locomotive are driven, each locomotive will be fitted with six final drives. The co-operation with DLoco represents one of the largest orders in China for the Voith Turbo Market Division Rail. The DLoco contract covers the production of the individual final drive components in Heidenheim; the final assembly will be carried out by DLoco in Dalian, China.
Lars Kräft, sales manager for final drives at Voith Turbo said, "Our intentions are clear: we will carry out this order with maximum professionalism, here and in China, and anticipate to be rewarded by follow-on orders from this growth market."
DLoco was founded as early as 1899 and builds some 500 locomotives per year. The locomotives with Voith Turbo final drives will be used primarily for transporting coal on the "Mainline", one of the major rail links between the North East and the South East of China.
