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#3520· HLE 25

Belgian Railways Class 25

🇧🇪 Belgium ·built by Ateliers de Constructions Electriques de Charleroi· from 1960· class of 16+6 Belgian electric locomotives

Belgian Railways Class 25, photo 1 of 10
1/10 Rafaël Delaedt ( Arafi )· CC BY-SA 2.5

what is it?

Class 25 locomotives were part of the 1950s generation of SNCB electric locomotives that included Types 122 (later 22), 123 (later 23), 125, (later 25 and 25.5) and 140 (later 25 and 25.5) built between 1953 and 1961. There were 50 Series 122, 83 Series 123, 16 Series 125 and 6 Series 140 for a total of 155 locomotives. They were seen across Belgium on passenger and freight trains until they were retired in 2012.

who runs it

base stats

  • speed 130 km/htop speed
  • power 1.9 MWpower output
  • weight 84 tin working order
  • built 22made in total

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 66 years ago, in 1960.
  • 1.9 MW is about 22 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
  • Weighs about as much as 14 African elephants (~6 t each).
  • 18 m long: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
  • Served for 49 years (1960–2009).

electric locomotive: Draws power from overhead wires or a third rail and pulls separate carriages.

spec sheet

built
1960–1961
in service from
1960
retired
2009
status
preserved
number built
22
kind
Electric
traction
electric
origin
🇧🇪 Belgium
builders
Ateliers de Constructions Electriques de Charleroi, La Brugeoise et Nivelles
operators
SNCB/NMBS
top speed
130 km/h
power
1.9 MW
gauge
1,435 mm standard gauge
electric system
3000 V DC
wheel arrangement
Bo′Bo′
length
18 m
weight
84 t
Dutch name
HLE 25

From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.

Sources: Wikidata Q836979, Wikipedia: Belgian Railways Class 25 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.

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