2 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. NSB El 4 in Narvik: Anders Beer Wilse· Public domain
- 2. NSB El 4 in Narvik 2: Anders Beer Wilse· Public domain
what is it?
NSB El 4 was a class of electric locomotive used by the Norwegian State Railways (NSB) to transport iron ore on the Ofoten Line. NSB had a total of five triple-locomotive sets.
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 101 years ago, in 1925.
- 2.1 MW is about 25 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- Weighs about as much as 22 African elephants (~6 t each).
- 19.6 m long: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
- Served for 37 years (1926–1963).
electric locomotive: Draws power from overhead wires or a third rail and pulls separate carriages.
spec sheet
- built
- 1925–1929
- in service from
- 1926
- retired
- 1963
- status
- retired
- number built
- 5
- kind
- Electric
- traction
- electric
- origin
- 🇳🇴 Norway
- builders
- Norsk Elektrisk & Brown Boveri, Thunes mekaniske verksted
- operators
- Norges Statsbaner
- top speed
- 60 km/h
- power
- 2.1 MW
- electric system
- 15 kV 16.7 Hz catenary
- wheel arrangement
- 1′C+C1′
- length
- 19.6 m
- weight
- 135 t
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q1213777, Wikipedia: NSB El 4 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.