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Israel Railways' Diesel Locomotives
 

Maker's Designation: ?

Numbers: 101-103

Nickname: Belgian
Original Purpose: Main Line, General Purpose

Service in Israel: 1952-1998
Builder: AFB, Belgium

Engine Maker: GM-EMD, USA
Wheel Arrangement: Bo'Bo' (0-4-4-0) Engine Output: 1250hp

Transmission: Electric

Notes: The first Diesel locomotives purchased by Israel Railways

 

Maker's Designation: G12

Numbers: 104-130

Nickname: GM
Original Purpose: Main Line, General Purpose

Service in Israel: 1954-Today
Builder: GM-EMD, USA

Engine Maker: GM-EMD, USA
Wheel Arrangement: Bo'Bo' (0-4-4-0) Engine Output: 1425hp

Transmission: Electric

Notes: Locomotives 127-130 were originally built for the Egyptian Republic Railways (ERR) and were captured in the 1967 Six-Day War.

 

Maker's Designation: T44/G22CW

Number: 131

Nickname: GM
Original Purpose: Main Line, General Purpose

Service in Israel: 1989-Today
Builder: Kalmar Verkstads, Sweden

Engine Maker: GM-EMD, USA
Wheel Arrangement: Bo'Bo' (0-4-4-0) Engine Output: 1650hp

Transmission: Electric

Notes: Currently used exclusively for shunting purposes.

 

Maker's Designation: G16W

Numbers: 161-163

Nickname: G16, Egyptian Jumbo
Original Purpose: Main Line Freight (according to the builder - General Purpose)

Service in Israel: 1967-Today
Builder: GM-EMD, USA

Engine Maker: GM-EMD, USA
Wheel Arrangement: Co'Co' (0-6-6-0) Engine Output: 1950hp

Transmission: Electric

Notes: Originally built for the Egyptian Republic Railways (ERR) and captured in the 1967 Six-Day War. At first carried the Israel Railways numbers 301-303, respectively.

 

Maker's Designation: ?

Numbers: 201-203

Nickname: Deutz
Original Purpose: Shunting

Service in Israel: 1958-Early 1970's
Builder: Deutz - KHD, Germany

Engine Maker: Deutz - KHD, Germany
Wheel Arrangement: B (0-4-0) Engine Output: 200hp

Transmission: Mechanical
 

 

Maker's Designation: ?

Numbers: 211-218

Nickname: Esslingen
Original Purpose: Shunting

Service in Israel: 1955-1998
Builder: Esslingen, Germany

Engine Maker: Maybach - MTU, Germany
Wheel Arrangement: C (0-6-0) Engine Output: 650hp

Transmission: Hydraulic

 

Maker's Designation: G8

Number: 251

Nickname: -
Original Purpose: Shunting

Service in Israel: 1967-1999
Builder: GM-EMD, USA

Engine Maker: GM-EMD, USA
Wheel Arrangement: Bo'Bo' (0-4-4-0) Engine Output: 950hp

Transmission: Electric

Originally built for the Egyptian Republic Railways (ERR) and captured in the 1967 Six-Day War

 

Maker's Designation:

GA-DE 900 AC

Numbers: 261-263

Nickname: YO-YO, GA900
Original Purpose: Shunting

Service in Israel: 1998-Today
Builder: Alstom, Spain

Engine Maker: MTU, Germany
Wheel Arrangement: Bo'Bo' (0-4-4-0) Engine Output: 1250hp

Transmission: Electric

 

Maker's Designation: G26

Numbers: 601-615

Nickname: G26, Jumbo
Original Purpose: Main Line Freight (according to the builder - General Purpose)

Service in Israel: 1971-Today
Builder: GM-EMD, USA

Engine Maker: GM-EMD, USA
Wheel Arrangement: Co'Co' (0-6-6-0) Engine Output: 2200hp

Transmission: Electric

Notes: Locomotives 610-615 are of an improved series with the desiganation G26CW-2

 

Maker's Designation: GT26CW-2

Number: 701

Nickname: GT26, Jumbo
Original Purpose: Main Line Freight (according to the builder - General Purpose)

Service in Israel: 1989-Today
Builder: GM-EMD, USA

Engine Maker: GM-EMD, USA
Wheel Arrangement: Co'Co' (0-6-6-0) Engine Output: 3300hp

Transmission: Electric

 

Maker's Designation: JT42CW

Numbers: 702-709

Nickname: COCO
Original Purpose: Main Line Freight

Service in Israel: 1998-Today
Builder: GEC-Alsthom, Spain

Engine Maker: GM-EMD, USA
Wheel Arrangement: Co'Co' (0-6-6-0) Engine Output: 3200hp

Transmission: Electric

Notes: Locomotives of this family are marketed internationally under the brand name 'Prima'

 

Maker's Designation: JT42BW

Numbers: 731-755

Nickname: BOBO
Original Purpose: Main Line Passenger

Service in Israel: 1998-Today
Builder: GEC-Alsthom/Alstom, Spain

Engine Maker: GM-EMD, USA
Wheel Arrangement: Bo'Bo' (0-4-4-0) Engine Output: 3200hp

Transmission: Electric

Notes: Locomotives of this family are marketed internationally under the brand name 'Prima'. More locomotives of this type are on order.

General Notes
In addition to the above mentined locomotives, Israel Railways owned at one time or another a few other locomotives, which never got IR numbers:
  • At least two German Army (Wehrmacht) Diesel-hydraulic locomotives, left over from the British Mandate period. These two locomotives, of the V36 type, were captured by the British Army during the Second World War along with several others. They got War Department numbers 70248 and 70249. At the foundation of Israel the two locmotives were inoperative and apparently remained this way despite Israel Railways' attempts of repairing one utilising parts from the other. This type's wheel arrangement is C (0-6-0) and its engine's output is 360hp. The original Wehrmacht type designation was WR360 C14 and the locomotives' original numbers were11465 and 11464 respectively.

Picture of No. 70249 taken by R.E. Tustin in Beirut, Lebanon, 1945.
  • A single Diesel locomotive built by Jung of Germany in 1955 for the Egyptian Republic Railways (ERR) and captured by the IDF during the 1956 war in the Sinai. The maker's number was 12174 and the ERR number was 4239. The locomtive's wheel arrangement was C (0-6-0) and it was used by Israel Railways for several years carrying the original ERR number. The locomotive's nickname in Israel was 'Abdul Nasser'.

Picture taken in Haifa by Hans Kohut.
The above list does not include several privately owned Diesel locomotives operated on Israel Railway's tracks and connected sidings.

Written and designed by Chen Melling

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