TCDD E 4000
| Company type | Electric locomotive |
|---|---|
| Industry | Railway transport |
| Founded | 1955 |
| Founder | Alsthom and Jeumont |
| Products | Electric locomotives |
| Owner | Turkish State Railways (TCDD) |
Number of employees | 3 (units produced) |
TCDD E4000 represents the inaugural electric locomotive deployed by the Turkish State Railways (TCDD). Manufactured in 1955 by the French companies Alsthom and Jeumont, three units were produced, bearing the numbers E4001 through E4003. These locomotives have since been retired from active use.
History
The year 1955 marked the commencement of Turkey's first electrified rail service on the Istanbul commuter rail segment connecting Sirkeci and Halkalı in Istanbul. To replace steam-powered engines on longer routes leading into Istanbul, TCDD introduced the E4000 locomotives alongside a fleet of 18 electric multiple units.
Engineered specifically for a level, low-speed track, the E4000 incorporated a straightforward and conservative design, utilizing a single-phase AC motor that was powered directly through a transformer. Nonetheless, by 1957, technological progress such as rectifier-fed AC motors made this approach obsolete. The locomotives drew inspiration from designs created by Paul Arzens at Alsthom and bore resemblance to other Alsthom models from the same era.