#4620· HLE 12
Belgian Railways Class 12
🇨🇿 Czech Republic ·built by Ateliers de Constructions Electriques de Charleroi· from 1986· class of 12 Belgian electric locomotives
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3 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. 1212 2005031401 Machelentr: FreSan· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 2. HLE 1206 Schellebelle 2: Niels Karsdorp, Dh3201· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 3. CZ Class 365: MIGORMCZ· CC BY-SA 4.0
what is it?
The Belgian Railways Class 12 lwere dual-voltage (25000 V, 50 Hz AC and 3000 V DC) electric lomotives built for cross-border service into France. They were based on the single-voltage Class 21 locomotives. They are part of the large 1980s family of 144 electric locomotives.
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 40 years ago, in 1986.
- Top speed is 1.2× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- At full speed it would cover Amsterdam–Utrecht (≈ 40 km) in 15 minutes.
- 3.1 MW is about 37 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- Weighs about as much as 14 African elephants (~6 t each).
- 18.7 m long: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
- Served for 26 years (1986–2012).
electric locomotive: Draws power from overhead wires or a third rail and pulls separate carriages.
spec sheet
- built
- 1986–1987
- in service from
- 1986
- retired
- 2012
- status
- retired
- number built
- 12
- kind
- Electric
- traction
- electric
- origin
- 🇨🇿 Czech Republic
- builders
- Ateliers de Constructions Electriques de Charleroi, La Brugeoise et Nivelles
- operators
- SNCB/NMBS
- top speed
- 160 km/h
- power
- 3.1 MW
- gauge
- 1,435 mm standard gauge
- electric system
- 3000 V DC,, 25 kV 50 Hz AC
- wheel arrangement
- Bo-Bo
- length
- 18.7 m
- weight
- 85 t
- Dutch name
- HLE 12
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q841298, Wikipedia: Belgian Railways Class 12 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.