NS Class 1600

The NS Class 1600 is a type of electric locomotive built by Alstom between 1980 and 1983 for Nederlandse Spoorwegen, based on the SNCF Class BB 7200 and styled by the French industrial designer Paul Arzens. The class was ordered in 1978 after several types of locomotives were tested in the 1970s, one of which was the BB 7200. Forty-eight were delivered in 1980, followed by a further 10 between 1981 and 1983 fitted with push-pull equipment for DDM-1 double-deck carriages, and their delivery took the old Class 1000 and Class 1500 out of service. Thanks to electronic power control, they were the most economical and the most powerful locomotives Dutch Railways had. In 1999 the freight division, NS Cargo, was sold to Deutsche Bahn and became Railion Nederland, which kept locomotives 1601 to 1637, while those that went to the passenger company NS Reizigers were renumbered into the 1800 series. All the locomotives carry the names and crests of Dutch towns and cities.