The Korail Class 8200 is a South Korean

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 (electricity), battery or a supercapacitor. Locomotives with on-board fuelled prime mover (locomotive), ...

operated by

Korail The Korea Railroad Corporation () is the national railway operator in South Korea. It is branded as KORAIL () and changed its official Korean name () in November 2019. Currently, KORAIL is a public corporation, managed by Ministry of Land, ...

. This locomotive has

head-end power In rail transport, head-end power (HEP), also known as electric train supply (ETS), is the electrical power distribution system on a passenger train. The power source, usually a locomotive (or a generator car) at the front or 'head' of a train, ...

capabilities in place of a

dynamo "Dynamo Electric Machine" (end view, partly section, ) A dynamo is an electrical generator that creates direct current using a commutator. Dynamos employed electromagnets for self-starting by using residual magnetic field left in the iron cores ...

car, which could be used with up to 12 passenger cars.

Technical details

This locomotive is based on the Siemens EuroSprinter model ES64F, assembled by Rotem. With four 1300 kW electric motors, the total power output is 5200 kW. The maximum speed is 150 km/h, although changing the bogies would allow 220 km/h.

Running lines

After the introduction of the 8200, Korail made a trial run in

Chungbuk Line The Chungbuk Line () is a railway line serving North Chungcheong Province in South Korea. The line connects Jochiwon on the Gyeongbu Line to Bongyang on the Jungang Line, serving the major cities of Cheongju and Chungju ''en route.'' Cheong ...

, which had just been electrified. After electrifying several lines such as Jungang,

Taebaek Taebaek (; ) is a city in Gangwon Province, South Korea. Its name is shared with that of the Taebaek Mountains. Situated at an elevation of , Taebaek is the second highest city in South Korea, after Pyeongchang. Etymology Taebaek in is derived ...

, Gyeongbu, Yeongdong and

Honam Line The Honam Line is a major railway line serving the Honam region (North and South Jeolla Provinces) in South Korea. The line is served by frequent passenger trains from Seoul (via the Gyeongbu Line) to Gwangju and Mokpo. History A Honam Ra ...

, it is used for Mugunghwa trains with a maximum speed of 150 km/h.

HEP Issues

The

feature of 8200s has caused some problems in Korea. Power generated by

regenerative brake Regenerative braking is an energy recovery mechanism that slows down a moving vehicle or object by converting its kinetic energy or potential energy into a form that can be either used immediately or stored until needed. Typically, regenerati ...

has limits, and if the locomotive has many carriages, the head-end power supply will be insufficient. Because of this problem, a

car is attached when operating with 5 or more passenger cars in case of emergency.

References

Bibliography

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External links

Korail 8200
Bo-Bo locomotives Electric locomotives of South Korea Railway locomotives introduced in 2003 Siemens locomotives Standard-gauge locomotives of South Korea 25 kV AC locomotives {{SouthKorea-rail-transport-stub