NS Class 1000

NS Class 1000 Electric loco

Prelude In 1908 the first electric train in the Netherlands ran from Rotterdam to Den Haag and Scheveningen. It was electrified with a 10,000 Volts AC powersupply. After World War I the Dutch governement decided to install a commitee to investigate electrification of the Dutch State Railways, Nederlandsche Spoorwegen, formed in 1917 but officially only instigated in 1937. For that, the commitee members traveled the world to visit existing electrified railways. In the early 1920's they came to the conclusion that a 1500 Volts DC system would be the best choice. Most Dutch electrified rolling stock where EMU's. During World War II the German occupiers used these EMU sets to haul heavy freighttrains for their war effort.

Origine of the Class 1000 NS management already had contact with the Swiss company Oerlikon about ordering a series of electric loco's before the war. They were to be based on the Swiss Ae 4/6 type. In 1942 the series was ordered, but the war prevented delivery. The order was subsequently changed to suit Dutch needs. The "Schweizerische Lokomotivenfabrik Winterthur" (SLM) would build 3 complete loco's and deliver the electrical equipment for the remaining 7. These 7 would be build in the Netherlands, by Werkspoor. The series would be numbered 1001-1010 and had 6 axles in a 2-2+2+2+2-2 or (1-A)+A+A+(A+1) configuration. This configuration was already used succesfully on the electrified railway network on Java, then a Dutch colony, but in the Netherlands it was a failure due to its complicated technology and high maintainance. The series was delivered in 1948 and stayed in use until 1982, despite it's high failure rate. One loco, 1010, build by Werkspoor, is preserved as a static object in the Dutch National Railway Museum.