LOKOMOTYWY ELEKTRYCZNE

Skoda 69E (another designation: series 363 CD) is a series of electric locomotives, produced in the period 1984-1990 in the Czechoslovakian Skoda plant in the city of Plzeň. The service weight of the locomotive is 87 tons, and its length with buffers is 16.80 meters. The wheel diameter is 1,250 mm with the Bo'Bo 'axle arrangement. The Skoda 69E locomotives were designed and put into production to replace the not very successful 350 series (ES 499.0) locomotives from 1973-1975. Research and development works on the new locomotive started in 1976 and lasted for several years. Finally, the Skoda 69E is a two-system locomotive, i.e. one that can be driven by both direct and alternating current. It is worth adding that the Skoda 69E was the first locomotive of this type in the world to feature impulse start. The experience and technical solutions applied in the Skoda 69E were later used in the 162 and 163 series vehicles. In the period 19931994, some of the Skoda 69E locomotives were modernized and adapted to achieve higher operating speeds, in the range of 130140 km / h.