V200

Museum

Quite a large number of V200's are preserved in Germany, some in working order. However the first V200 is not, but will be restored in the near future. V200 001 was in private ownership and for a long time it was uncertain what would happen with the locomotive. Now that the Fränkische Museumseisenbahn owns the V200 001 restoration can be started. V200 007 (Lübeck depot) is in full working order with DB museum and can be seen with various specials throughout Germany and sometimes also in next door countries. Also V200 002 (Nürnberg depot) was in full working order until she was damaged by a fire in 2005 and scrapped in 2006. Class V200.1 is represented at the DB museum by V200 116. Originally it would be V200 108, but she was involved in an accident in the Oberhausen depot in 1987. Ironic enough is that V200 116 had a similar accident in 1999 in the Lübeck depot. In 2003 she was restored in the Bremen Works. Parts of the V200 104 were used in the repairs, after which she was scrapped.
Another representative of this class was bought in 1993 by female driver Barbara Birgit Pirch. With a small group of enthousiasts she restored her locomotive in 2 years. As the only preserved V200 she is decorated with the newer DB computer number, all others have their original V-number. 221 135-7 can be seen with special trains for train enthusiasts or other groups, but sometimes she also works freight trains or rail work trains. In January 2008 the locomotive was sold to the Bocholter Eisenbahngesellschaft (BOEG) and is now working freight trains.
Another class V200.0 has been preserved by the Hammer Eisenbahn Freunde: V200 033. Since 1984 she has worked several special trains per year. From 1999 until 2004 she was undergoing a major overhaul. Since August 18th 2004 she is back into service and is pulling special trains.
There are also some V200.0 preserved in other museums. V200 009 stood for a long time outside the Unterfränkisches Verkehrsmuseum (UV) in Gmünden. In 1999 she was in very bad condition and the museum was not able to restore her. She was sold and removed from Gmünden. Now restored she has found a safe shelter in the Technikmuseum in Prora. In the Deutsches Technikmuseum in Berlin stands V200 018 in a roundhouse of a previous depot, sometimes also outside. Another two, V200 058 and V200 071, are outside the Technik Museum Speyer. Unforunately the museum has repainted them using the wrong colours and lettering.
The Süddeutsches Eisenbahnmuseum in Heilbronn has brought back the 221 101 and 221 120 from Italy. They have never been used in Italy and are in a poor condition. While 221 101 will be restored to working order in red livery, 221 120 will keep its blue/beige colours and will only be restored for static diplay.

Saudi Arabia

Heitkamp received an order from the Saudi Government Railroad Organisation (SGRO) in May 1977 to renew 105 km of track. Between Dammaam and Riaad the weakest parts on the 565 km line had to be repaired. Gravel would need to be transported more then 400 km. The work should be done within one year. Heitkamp bought 80 gravel wagons and two class V200 locomotives. Oldenburg depot prepaired 220 021-0 and 220 054-1 with strong headlights and airconditioning.
In August 1977 both locomotives were shipped to Saudi Arabia as Heitkamp 1 and Heitkamp 2. After a short time two locomotives were not sufficiant, so Heitkamp bought another three. This time Nürnberg works prepaired the 220 024-3, 220 046-7 and 220 069-9 not only with the extra headlights and airconditioning, but also added extra cooling for the engines, dust filters, extra fuel tanks and loud horns due to the experiences with the first two. In addition the first two locomotives were adapted in Saudi Arabia in the same way.
The locomotives suffered heavily from poor maintenance and sand storms. Many repairs were necessary and in 1978 all locomotives had defects. Heitkamp again bought two V200 in Germany. The diesel engines only were shipped to Saudi Arabia and DB engineers repaired the locomotives. Locomotive 2 had an accident with a saudian freight train and was taken out of service followed later by scrapping. Also locomotive 3 had similar bad luck. She derailed together with 17 wagons. This V200 became available for parts delivery.
After the work was completed in 1979, Heitkamp sold the 3 remaining V200 to Archirodon, a greek railcontractor doing rail maintenance in Saudi Arabia. Archirodon used the locomotives in a new fantasy livery for several years. However one locomotive was destroyed by a fire and a second one by a heavy crane smashing onto the locomotive during a storm. The third one was scrapped in 2002 after being unused for several years.

France and Algeria

In 1985 and 1986 Nürnberg works repaired four V200.0. Steamheating was removed and an extra diesel power generator was added. In april 1986 these V200, 220 030-1, 220 037-6, 220 068-1 and 220 075-6 were transported together with a large number of spare parts to DEHE-Montcocol in Montmirail (France). They were still in their red livery. In France they were prepaired for their work in Algeria, repainted in yellow with red V-stripes and renumbered. The new numbers consisted partly of the original numbers: 220 068-1 became V2201 0681. Because of delayed works in Algeria, the locomotives did some work in France and Belgium before they were shipped to Algeria. The four V200 worked track building trains between Djidjelli and Ramdane Djamal.
After the work was completed, the locomotives returned to France in 1991. They were obtained by Cogifer, another track maintenance company. V200 030 was only used for spare parts, the other three were painted completely orange. Only V200 037 also got a blue band. For the second time they were renumberd, only this time there was no connection with the original numbers. In 1998 all four locomotives were scrapped.
Another V200 Also reached Algeria by a different route. The Regentalbahn works (RAG) repaired V200 048 and painted her blue/green with a white roof. In 1987 she was shipped to Algeria. The building consortium U+P Baugeräte Vermietungsgesellschaft m.b.H. (based in Vienna) had to renew and modernize tracks and stations between Algiers and Thenia. The track works was done by the german company Heitkamp which used the V200 048 next to a V60. After the work was completed the V200 was dumped at the Constantine depot and remained there unused until today. For a long time it was believed that the loco was transferred to the Algerian State Railways (SNTF), but they do not own it and never used it.

Switzerland

The Swiss State Railways (SBB) needed some powerfull diesel locomotives during the 80's. These were for a large number of track maintenance projects and other works and diesel traction was needed. The locomotives should be able to pull passenger trains with the electric locomotive on tracks were the overhead power was switched off. The company Jelka Establishment in Liechtenstein gave the Regentalbahn Works in Viechtach the order to overhaul seven V200.0 in October 1986. The locomotives also received several sound isolating modifications. The locomotives left Viechtach in a bright red colour scheme for Biel in Switzerland. In the SBB works THE numbers and logos were added as well as the swiss train safety system, a typical swiss horn and a 110V system. They were renumbered into the series Am 4/4 from 18461 to 18467 (see the table for the original numbers).
The first ones were completed in 1987 and the last one finally in 1989. It took so long because of several differencies between the Kraus-Maffei and MaK locomotives. All seven locomotives were stationed in Kreis I, in the west of Switzerland. Most of their duties were indeed track maintenance trains, but twice they pulled long passenger trains over the Simplon pass.
Drivers were not very fond of these locomotives. They complained about the bad view on the tracks, especially when shunting work trains. Also the diesel smell, the noise and taking lots of time switching from direction were negative factors. The Biel works also had problems keeping the locomotives running. Shortage of spare parts and replacing parts with typical swiss parts were some reasons. The locomotives didn't reach the planned 15 years of duties on swiss tracks. Due to the availability of the new class Am 841 diesel locomotives, the V200 were taken out of service between 1994 and 1996. 18462 was used for spare parts during the last years and was scrapped.
In December 1997 the remaining six returned to germany. Scroll down for more information about their come back.

Italy

The first V200.0 went to Italy long before the last one was taken out of service in Germany. Cosfer in Tagliacozzo bought 220 028-5 in 1982 for use on track maintenance. The engine was repaired in Nürnberg works and she was painted in red with silver-grey roof keeping the typical V-shape on both ends and she received the typical italian tractor number T 5662. At the same time three other V200.0 were repaired in Nürnberg works for the private rail company Ferrovie Suzzara-Ferrara (FSF). They were painted DB-beige/blue in the 218-look. 220 006-1 left Nürnberg in July 1982, 220 011-1 and 220 049-1 left in October. These locomotives kept their DB-computernumber, so it is easy to track them down.
The next wave of V200's going from Germany to Italy was in 1984. Nürnberg works prepared 220 045-9 and 220 074-9 for the private rail company Ferrovie Padane (FP). They were also painted in the DB-218-look, but the colours were beige/green. Both companies used the V200 for passenger trains with ex-SBB coaches. Later as the passenger trains were run by motorcars, the V200 were used for freight trains.
Impresa Veltri in Campoleone bought 220 029-3 (T 5719) and Cosfer extended their number of V200s by three: 220 031-9 (T 5614), 220 039-2 and 220 041-8 (T 5697), all still in their original red DB-colours with the numbers crossed out. During the early nineties three Cosfer locomotives were sold. 220 028-5 was seen in action with ownershipsigns of Salcef, another track maintenance company. 220 039-2 was sold in 1988 to the spanish company Comsa in Barcelona. In 1993 T 5697 went to Bulfone in Udine and received a major overhaul and went to the FP. She was painted in the same colours as the other two from FP (beige/green) and even got her old DB number back: 220 041-8. After Cosfer went bankrupt the last V200, 220 031-9, was transfered to Salcef.
In 1985 220 065-7 came to IPE Locomotori in Pradelle di Nogarole Rocca. Unfortunately she was scrapped a few years later. Better off was 220 060-8 (the only blue/beige that lived very long): after a major overhaul at the Regentalbahn AG works in Viechtach she was used by Impresa Valditerra from 1986 in very bright yellow without identification marks for track maintenance on the Brenner and in other parts of nortern-Italy. Later she was sold to LAFESD and shipped to Sardinia. After some years she was taken out of service and put aside in Chilivani. In 2003 she was bought by FER and send to TZV Gredelj in Zagreb for a major overhaul.
The last V200.0 that came to Italy was 220 051-7. Before she came to Societa Nazionale di Ferrovie e Tranvie (SNFT), she was sold to various companies such as Jelka and Rovato. From 1990 this bright red painted engine with white roof was mainly in action on freight trains between Brescia and Edolo. In the mid 90's she was taken out of service and stabled in a small shed in Cividate Camuno. Luckily she was bought by the FSF in 1998. In her red/white outfit she was a striking appearance. In 1999 FSF started a program to overhaul their locomotives. The first one, 220 006-1 was overhauled by Fervet in Castelfranco. She received new engines, the driver position moved from right to left and she was painted green. She was also renumbered into 220R01. In 2001 FSF en FP merged together with other rail companies into Ferrovie Emilia Romagna (FER). Now the new FER owned seven V200. The overhaul program was continued, however the next locomotive 220 049-1 was sent to Zagreb. She was completely overhauld and received new engines and other parts. Also a completely new livery consisting of the new FER logo was applied. After 220 049-1 The 220 051-7 was sent to Zagreb. All V200 of FER are used for freight trains, cereals, steal, oil and containers are transported in the PO Area, but they also do special transport movements for a rail carriage works.
Also four V200.1 (DB 221) came to Italy, however not in service. In 1993 two of them became under swiss private ownership and were stabled in Cittadella with Firema Trasporti. However, the contacts between Firema and the owner have been lost. Therefore Firema cannot do anything with the locomotives and they have rusted away in the open air. Recently both locomotives were brought to another plant of Firema in Padova and they started to remove the asbestos. When this work is completed, they will become available for sale. In october 2003 both engines returned to Germany to the Süddeutsches Eisenbahnmuseum in Heilbronn.
The third V200.1 was once intended to become a museum loco in Germany, but was sold to Bulfone in Udine after the engine was damaged. She stood for a long time unused in Udine, during which here condition deterorated and was eventually scrapped.
The last V200.1 that went to Italy is not well known. 221 130-8 came to Fervet in 1994, but know one knows much more about this locomotive. It is believed that she was used for spareparts for the 221's that received an overhaul at Fervet and went to Greece. After being stripped for parts, she was probably scrapped.

Spain

Comsa in Barcelona is a company which performs track maintenance in Spain and Portugal. For this work they need a few diesel locomotives. Next to a second hand V160 that was obtained directly from Germany, Comsa bought the 220 039-2 from Cosfer in Italy in 1988. Because most tracks in Spain are broad gauge, the locomotive was standing for quite a while in the border station of Port Bou waiting for broad gauge bogies. She was temporarely put on wood blockes and was still in her original red DB-livery.
Once put on bogies from a spanish class 4000, a longer and stronger version of the DB class 221 that was taken out of service in 1987, she received a major overhaul. Some changes were made such as new headlights and mirrors were added, she also was painted in a orange/yellow livery with a white band on the side. Renumbered as 51 LOK 2904 she could be seen throughout all of spain.
In the end of the nineties she was stationed along the high speed Madrid - Sevilla line. For doing maintenance work on this standard gauge track, she was put back on her original bogies. In 2002/2003 she worked on building the new high speed Madrid - Zaragoza line. When this line is completed she will change again to broad gauge bogies and will do track maintanance work in Portugal. In 2009 the locomotive was put up for sale.

Greece

In 1988 the Greek State Railways (OSE) were searching for lighter diesel locomotives to replace their heavy ones. The American and Roumanian 6-axle locomotives caused too much damage to the tracks. Locomotive 221 133-2 from the Oberhausen depot made some test runs from Thessaloniki to Alexandroepolis and Athens. Despite the fact that the V200.1 was found unsuitable to run in such a warm country, OSE bought 20 locomotives IN 1989. Company Layritz in Penzberg removed the engines, which were sent to Bremen and Nürnberg works for overhaul. After completion the locomotives were transported to Fervet in Italy. They did an overhaul on the bogies and body of the locomotives. Except for de 105 all other locomotives were repainted in the typical blue-beige 216-Look.
OSE renumbered the locomotives A411 - A430. Most of the time they ran passenger trains bewteen Thessaloniki and Athens, but they also crossed the border to Gevgelija in Yugoslavia. To a lesser extent they also worked freight trains.
Many factors caused a high percentage of failures: the short instruction time for the engine drivers of only two days, bad maintenance and high temperatures combined with the heavy duties. Within four years about 50% of the locomotives were out of service. In 1996 only two remained running, however on only one diesel engine. In 1997 these two were also taken out of service and all locomotives were put away in the Aghios Ioannis Rentis depot.
In 2000 OSE announced an auction of all obsolete diesel locomotives including the 20 V200. For unclear reason this auction never took place. At that time it was believed that all locomotives would be scrapped. Surprisingly the Prignitzer Eisenbahn Gmbh (PEG) bought all 20 locomotives and brought them back to Germany in 2002. See below for more information about this.

Albania

At the same time that the V200 invaded Greece, Albania bought five of the same series. In 1989 the Regentalbahn works overhauled the V200.1 by order of Krupp Stahlhandel. The diesel engines received an overhaul in the Nürnberg works. The locomotives were painted bright red and were renumbered 2001 - 2005. In November 1989 and February 1990 they went to Albania. An employee of the RAG accompanied the locomotives and gave the engine drivers of the Albanian State Railways (HSH) instructions.
They were mainly used for passenger trains. By 1993 all locomotives had been taken out of service. Bad fuel situation, the unfamiliarity with the different technology of the locomotives and the collapsing economy were the reasons for the short career of the V200.1 in Albania. One locomotive (2003) can be found in Prenjas standing in between T669. She is still complete in contradiction to the other four which were almost completely destroyed in the civil war. In the first months of 2004 these four were scrapped.

Return to Germany

On December 18th 1997 locomotives 18465 (ex V200 017) and 18467 l(ex V200 077) left Switzerland for Berlin. They were bought from the SBB by the Historische Schienenverkehr GmbH (HSVG) for a new railway museum in Caputh. For the time being they were put aside in the yard of Seddin. In 2000 the plans changed and the locomotives were taken over by Classic Train Tours (CTT) with plans to restore them to working order to run special trains. Since then both V200 have been at the ZOS works in Nymburk (Tschech Republik) for a full overhaul. Due to several problems the overhaul is still not completed. The locomotives have returned to Germany due to fact that ZOS works is closing down. The overhaul will be completed by WLH Reuschling in Hattingen. In july 2007 the V200 017 was completed as first locomotive in red colours with the authentic V-shape. However some details have changed so she does not completely look like an original V200.
Two days after the first two V200 left Switzerland, the other four followed. These four were bought by the Gesellschaft zur Erhaltung von Schienenfahrzeugen (GES) and were transported to Kornwestheim. In 1999 Eisenbahn- und Verkehrsbetriebe Elbe - Weser (EVB) bought 18466 (ex V200 053). The small locomotive factory Gmeinder in Mosbach overhauled the V200 and she received new Caterpillar D3508 diesel engines. Still in SBB red livery but with EVB stickers she ran container trains between Bremerhaven, Bremen and Hamburg. She was renumbered 288. For the first few months the locomotive was not very succesfull and even had to go back to Gmeinder to have one of the hydraulic transmissions repaired. In October 2002 she was repainted into EVB red with a white roof and got her V-shape on both front ends back. Renumbered again (to 417 01) she was doing regular haulage in the north of Germany. After another break down in Bremen she was waiting to be repaired. In December 2006 she was sold to the Brohltal-Eisenbahn GmbH (BEG) and in May 2007 she returned to service. After several years of being used for the aluminium transport from Spellen to Koblenz the locomotive was taken out of service due to rips in the pivots. December 2015 the locomotive was transferred to Deutsche Privatbahn in Altenbeken and painted red. She did not receive an overhaul, so she will only be on display.
The Eisenbahn Betriebsgesellschaft (EBG) in Altenbeken bought the V200 which was in the worst condition, 18461 (ex V200 013). She was brought to the ZOS in Nymburk for an overhaul.
Both 18463 (ex V200 015) and 18464 (ex V200 016) were for a long time owned by GES and stabled in Kornwestheim. It was planned that at least one of them would receive an overhaul and will run trains for Eisenbahnbetriebe Mittlere Neckar (EMN). But first V200 015 was put up for sale in 2009 and sold to BEG for spare parts in 2010. In the same year V200 016 also was put up for sale. After putting the V200 053 out of service there was no need for the Brohltal Eisenbahn to keep the V200 015 for spares. The Museum Eisenbahn Hamm collected the V200 015 with their V200 033 and will also be kept for spares.

All 20 of the V200.1 on the Greek State Railways OSE have been bought by the Prignitzer Eisenbahn GmbH (PEG). These locomotives have been standing in Athens unused for several years. At the end of May 2002 they were moved to Elefsina Harbour for a nine day journey to Wismar (Germany) and on June 4th they were back on German soil. The next morning they immediately began to unload the locomotives. The next day the first four were transported from Wismar to Putlitz by two so called East-V200. All the others but two followed a few days later. Because of loose tires the last two arrived in Pritzwalk some weeks later.
The PEG has renumbered the locomotives into class V270. They will receive a complete overhaul and will be used by the PEG or other companies for freight trains everywhere in Germany, maybe also in passenger transport. Two of the 20 V270 have been bought by EfW-Verkehrsgesellschaft. The OMB workshop in Neustrelitz has restored both ex-OSE 420 (221 122-5) and 415 (221 117-5) into working order. They were painted in the original red/black colours. The first was deliverd to EfW on July 4th 2003, the second one in December 2003.
On April 15th 2004 the Rollout took place of the third loco: 221 136-5 for imoTrans. This locomotive has been painted dark blue, but still has the original DB looks.
At Innotrans 2004 in Berlin OMB presented the 4th restored locomotive. The locomotive is fitted with new Deutz diesel engines and other modern equipment (like Mesa 23, PBZ 90). She has been bought by EBW-Cargo and is painted in bright yellow colours. In 2007 two more V200's were rebuild for EBW-Cargo (V270.07 and V270.08), but these were fitted with MTU engines. After EBW-Cargo went into insolvent state RTS took over these two locomotives and repainted them in the company colours silver and orange.
In 2008 Bentheimer Eisenbahn received the V200 147 which they numbered as D20. This is the first V200 with camera's and 'Funkfernsteuerung'. After many tests and some repairs she got the EBA approval in August 2009 and is in action since then on their own line between Bentheim and Coevorden but also on main lines. In June/August 2010 again she went back to the Workshop in Neustrelitz. This time the dutch ATB was added.
October 2009 another rebuild ex-Greece V200 returned to service. V200 121 belonging to Arriva Werke Nord (former OMB) can be hired as V270 121. And the story continues with V200 124 which was completed restoration in June 2010 in the classic red livery as V270.10. Together with the V200 121 which was renumbered in V270.09 both locomotives will serve SGL.

On October 6th 2003 both 221 101 and 221 120 returned from Italy to Germany. The locomotives are stabled in the Süddeutsches Eisenbahnmuseum in Heilbronn and are in a poor condition. Progress to get at least one back in running condition is slow.

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