A big American diesel halts to stand still at the end of the Kristinestad rail yard in Sweden. It has in tow about 30 log cars with pulpwood from the vast Swedish and Norwegian forests, mainly pine, spruce tree but also some aspen and birch. Although central to Tåg AB (English: Train Corporation), Kristinestad is only an intermediate point for the wood and they will be processed most likely in one of the huge pulp factories by the Swedish coast. The Tåg AB TMZ is uncoupled and you can hear the low diesel trundle from the distance as it pulls first to the station and then slowly navigates its way through a network of switches heading for the local locomotive service area.
Here at the locoworks the TMZ number 109 is being refuelled and then turned real old fashioned way to an empty storage track at the side of the turntable. For some reason this happened to be just the one where I was standing and the only empty one, all others being filled with all kinds of diesels and DMUs of several companies and brand names. The just arrived TMZ will wait for the next assignment where some of the units of the Tåg AB Tmy, Tmx, Tmz and T43 Nohab fleet will be needed. Some of these are always in use while others are either in reserve or being services.
As said, this TMZ is not here alone. Other nearby sister locomotives include:
The Three-T (now owned by Railcare which in turn was recently purchased by Captrain) owned sister TMZ number 1405 (manufacturing batch 1) is sitting nearby waiting for assignments. This is actually an operator that might well be easier to spot in Malmbana than here in the middle of Sweden.
Similar TGOJ (owned by Green Cargo since 2012) colored TMZ number 1410 is also sitting next to the turntable. As this loco is not part of the Green Cargo fleet simplification strategy, the unit is most likely either for sale or already sold.
Baneservice owned TMZ number 1411 is also one of the bunch, here seen much more north in Narvik, Norway. This unit was recently retired and is likely to be for sale until the new economic upturn starts. (It looks like in European Euro currency zone many more banes would be needed for this as European politicians only seem to have gotten the economy worse and worse tangled year after year)
Next, our constant picture target, the MTAB operated TMZ number 1413 (manufacturing batch 2) seen in Svappavaara, a branch line of Malmbana. It has been here now (since the T46-3 main engine fire) for several years assigned as a switcher for ore car loading. The adapter car is always need needed to speed things up because the TMZ is not equipped with here standard SA3 coupler. The couplers also might give an indication that the STT text at the side might actually mean that the unit is still owned by Svensk Tågkraft leasing company, not MTAB at whose facilities it can normally can be found. As you see, working with powdered ore and pellets it is hard to avoid getting the locomotive sides dirty, especially since the nearest washing machine is some 100 kilometers / 65 miles away in Kiruna.
It would appear that at the time of manufacturing of the TMZ series Nohab was still using welded bogies, unlike the American style where bogies are cast. And you can notice the Danish Manufacturer Frics plate on one of the bogies.
As usual, not every unit has been so fortunate, and here are three MZ/TMZ units used as source for spare parts due to accident. All are still in the original owner DSB (Danish railways) paint schemes.
And finally, four pictures of DSB TMZ number 1456 (batch 4) acting as a Thunderbird for a broken down class EG loco at Ringsted, Denmark. Pictures here by Ilkka. Hope you enjoyed the article! And if interested, there are more Nohabs coming later...
More and much larger pictures can be found on 4rail.net Swedish, Danish and Norwegian galleries and locopages.
I believe that around 16 of the DSB units were sold for service to Independent Railways of Australia, numbered in the 1400 series.
This is highly interesting, and looks like the units are actually painted somewhat like the Tåg AB ones.
Any word how the Tmz/Mz are faring the extreme heat of Australia?
CSSHEGEWISCH I believe that around 16 of the DSB units were sold for service to Independent Railways of Australia, numbered in the 1400 series.
These units are almost identical to the RENFE Class 333s. Interestingly these were not NOHABs, but Macosas.
McKey A big American diesel halts to stand still at the end of the Kristinestad rail yard in Sweden. It has in tow about 30 log cars with pulpwood from the vast Swedish and Norwegian forests, mainly pine, spruce tree but also some aspen and birch. Although central to Tåg AB (English: Train Corporation), Kristinestad is only an intermediate point for the wood and they will be processed most likely in one of the huge pulp factories by the Swedish coast. The Tåg AB TMZ is uncoupled and you can hear the low diesel trundle from the distance as it pulls first to the station and then slowly navigates its way through a network of switches heading for the local locomotive service area\
A big American diesel halts to stand still at the end of the Kristinestad rail yard in Sweden. It has in tow about 30 log cars with pulpwood from the vast Swedish and Norwegian forests, mainly pine, spruce tree but also some aspen and birch. Although central to Tåg AB (English: Train Corporation), Kristinestad is only an intermediate point for the wood and they will be processed most likely in one of the huge pulp factories by the Swedish coast. The Tåg AB TMZ is uncoupled and you can hear the low diesel trundle from the distance as it pulls first to the station and then slowly navigates its way through a network of switches heading for the local locomotive service area\
Kristinestad? Google maps claims that the only place with that name is in Finland, but do show a Kristinehamn just east of Karlstad. Since you mentioned lumber from Norway and Sweden, I would expect the pictues to have been taken somewhere in Värmland (my grandfather was from Gunnarskog, just north of Arvika).
- Erik
You are absolutely right, this can be tricky. There are Kristinestad Sweden and Finland, both named after the unusual queen Christina whom they honor: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina,_Queen_of_Sweden
Kristinestad here is indeed in/near Värmland, so you can enjoy the hilly and green landscape there in many pictures and subjects at 4rail.net and I will try to post here many more pictures from the area too, since this seems to be for now one of the interesting railroading spots of Sweden.
erikem Kristinestad? Google maps claims that the only place with that name is in Finland, but do show a Kristinehamn just east of Karlstad. Since you mentioned lumber from Norway and Sweden, I would expect the pictues to have been taken somewhere in Värmland (my grandfather was from Gunnarskog, just north of Arvika). - Erik
This was a surprising find! The series 1 and 2 of Renfe 333 indeed look almost identical externally and it would appear the same components as with Mz were used inside. Looking at the wikipedia pictures the loco looks quite a bit smaller, Renfe loading gauge being huge and gauge 1668 mm.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RENFE_Class_333
But looking at this rebuilt (as far as I read right) class 333 batch 3, you would not imagine it is about the same loco.
NorthWest These units are almost identical to the RENFE Class 333s. Interestingly these were not NOHABs, but Macosas.
McKey CSSHEGEWISCH I believe that around 16 of the DSB units were sold for service to Independent Railways of Australia, numbered in the 1400 series. This is highly interesting, and looks like the units are actually painted somewhat like the Tåg AB ones. Any word how the Tmz/Mz are faring the extreme heat of Australia?
While IRA purchased sixteen of the twenty MZ 3 units, two were damaged in a storm during the delivery voyage and these were stripped to provide spares. One other unit was damaged in a switching incident in Sydney, but the remaining thirteen are still operating.
It isn't always hot in Australia. These locomotives are used in the south east which is similar in climate to the south eastern USA. IRA has been absorbed into QUBE (a transport and stevedore organisation formerly called P&O Trans Australia) along with another company Southern and Silverton. This has given the MZ 3s a wider range of duties.
I saw 1429 and 1440 which were being serviced yesterday in Goulburn. I think all of them are still lettered for IRA. As you said they are painted silver grey and black. They have no buffers and are fitted with a special AAR type F coupler connected to the original draft gear but with a joggled shank to lower the coupler height.
The MZ 3 look like the MZ 1 and MZ 2 but have an EMD 20-645E3 rather than the 16 cylinder in the older units. They retain the original cab windows with the corner panels blanked out, so they look different to the older units still operating that have new cab windows.
M636C
Funny, the sea going still seems to be tricky when shipping rolling stock after all these years of practice. I remember some of Finnish (in North Europe) Pendolinos were damaged on their voayge from Italy so this still keeps happening, even on the smaller seas like the Baltic sea.
And thank you for the looks on the MZ3 units and their opearator! The coupler height issue was totally new to me.
M636C While IRA purchased sixteen of the twenty MZ 3 units, two were damaged in a storm during the delivery voyage and these were stripped to provide spares. One other unit was damaged in a switching incident in Sydney, but the remaining thirteen are still operating. It isn't always hot in Australia. These locomotives are used in the south east which is similar in climate to the south eastern USA. IRA has been absorbed into QUBE (a transport and stevedore organisation formerly called P&O Trans Australia) along with another company Southern and Silverton. This has given the MZ 3s a wider range of duties. I saw 1429 and 1440 which were being serviced yesterday in Goulburn. I think all of them are still lettered for IRA. As you said they are painted silver grey and black. They have no buffers and are fitted with a special AAR type F coupler connected to the original draft gear but with a joggled shank to lower the coupler height. The MZ 3 look like the MZ 1 and MZ 2 but have an EMD 20-645E3 rather than the 16 cylinder in the older units. They retain the original cab windows with the corner panels blanked out, so they look different to the older units still operating that have new cab windows. M636C
Picture:
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=323660&nseq=4
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