ČSD Class ES 499.1 is a class of

electric locomotive An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or on-board energy storage such as a battery or a supercapacitor. Locomotives with on-board fuelled prime movers, such as diesel engines or ga ...

s used primarily for passenger trains in

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. Th ...

and

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...

. Now classified as Class 363, these locomotives passed to

České dráhy České dráhy (English: ''Czech Railways''), often shortened to ČD, is the major railway operator in the Czech Republic providing regional and long-distance services. Overview The company was established in 1993, after the dissolution of Czec ...

, rail operator in the

, and to ZSSK, rail operator in Slovakia. Class 363 is also used by

ČD Cargo ČD Cargo, a.s. (VKM: ČDC) is a state-owned Czech railway operator focused on freight operations. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the passenger railway operator České dráhy. History During the 1990s and 2000s, there were substantial effo ...

and ZSSK Cargo for hauling freight trains. ES 499.1 locomotives operate both on the 3,000 V DC system and the

25 kV 50 Hz AC Railway electrification systems using alternating current (AC) at are used worldwide, especially for high-speed rail. It is usually supplied at the standard utility frequency (typically 50 or 60Hz), which simplifies traction substations. The dev ...

system.

History

In 1980 Škoda produced ES 499.1001 and 1002 as prototype locomotives for the replacement of the existing ČSD fleet. Production series locomotives started to be delivered in 1984. Two single system derivatives were also created S 499.2 (AC) and E 499.3 (DC). During 1990 further development to run at 140 km/h lead to the ČD Class 362, but an order for 30 locos was canceled due to financial problems. Some ČD Class 363 and ŽSR Class 363 locomotives are being rebuilt as 362s. Since 2011, they have also been operated with control trailers.

Power regulation

In 1980, these locomotives were the world's first multisystem locomotives with power thyristor pulse regulation. This regulation has minimal losses compared to older resistive regulation with much higher losses. This gave the locomotive its characteristic sound in three frequencies (the first is 33,3 Hz, the second is 100 Hz and the third is 300 Hz) when locomotive accelerating.

Usage

363s are currently used to haul these services *ČD **

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

Břeclav Břeclav (; german: Lundenburg) is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 24,000 inhabitants. Administrative parts Town parts of Charvátská Nová Ves and Poštorná are administrative parts of Břeclav. Etymol ...

**Prague -

České Budějovice České Budějovice (; german: Budweis ) is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 93,000 inhabitants. It is located in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše. České Budějovice is ...

**Prague - Plzeň **

Ústí nad Labem Ústí nad Labem (, , ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 92,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of its eponymous region and district. It is a major industrial centre and, besides being an active river port, is an important railway ju ...

Cheb Cheb (; german: Eger) is a town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. It lies on the river Ohře. Before the 1945 expulsion of the German-speaking population, the town was the centre of the German-s ...

**Břeclav -

Petrovice u Karviné (1920–1952 ''Petrovice''; pl, , german: Petrowitz bei Freistadt) is a municipality and village in Karviná District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,900 inhabitants. Administrative parts Villages of Doln ...

** Brno -

Bohumín Bohumín (; ; pl, , german: Oderberg) is a town in Karviná District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. Administrative parts Bohumín is made up of town parts and villages of Nový Bohumín ...

** Brno -

Olomouc Olomouc (, , ; german: Olmütz; pl, Ołomuniec ; la, Olomucium or ''Iuliomontium'') is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 99,000 inhabitants, and its larger urban zone has a population of about 384,000 inhabitants (2019). Located on th ...

Šumperk Šumperk (; german: Mährisch Schönberg) is a town in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 26,000 inhabitants. It is the centre of the north of Moravia and, due to its location, is known as "The Gate to the Jeseníky mountains. ...

) *ZSSK **

Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approximately 140% o ...

Žilina Žilina (; hu, Zsolna, ; german: Sillein, or ; pl, Żylina , names in other languages) is a city in north-western Slovakia, around from the capital Bratislava, close to both the Czech and Polish borders. It is the fourth largest city of Sl ...

Košice Košice ( , ; german: Kaschau ; hu, Kassa ; pl, Коszyce) is the largest city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary. With a population of a ...

Disposition

As of June 23, 2008, 12 363s remained in service with ZSSK, 23 with ZSSK Cargo, 63 with ČD and 47 with ČD Cargo.

References

External links