NSB El 7
| Industry | Transport |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1911 |
| Headquarters | Norway |
NSB El 7
NSB El 7 refers to a class of electric locomotives produced between 1911 and 1918 for Norsk Transport, which operated on the Rjukan Line and the Tinnoset Line. These units were identified as RjB.1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 8. The locomotives were manufactured with motors by AEG and chassis by Skabo.
The initial trio of locomotives arrived for service on the Rjukan Line alongside two smaller models, RjB 4 and 5, later classified as El 6 by NSB. Essentially, the El 7 was a double version of the El 6, featuring dual transformers and four motors instead of two, a Bo'Bo' wheel arrangement replacing the Bo configuration, two pantographs, maintaining the same maximum speed but capable of hauling twice the load. In 1911, each unit cost NOK 52,090.
Following NSB's acquisition of the Tinnoset Line in 1920, two locomotives (numbers 1 and 3) were transferred to Norwegian State Railways, receiving the designation El 7 and fleet numbers 2501 and 2502. Locomotive number 1 was sold back to Norsk Transport in 1932, while number 3 underwent conversion from a 10 kV to a 15 kV system and was relocated to Narvik in 1927. It later returned to Drammen in 1936, remaining operational until its retirement in 1956. RjB number 6 was withdrawn from service in 1960, whereas the remaining units continued with Norsk Transport until replaced by NSB El 1 models numbered 14 and 15 in 1966. The locomotive numbered 2501 is preserved at the Norwegian Railway Museum.