LOCOMOTIVES (electric) series HŽ 1061/JŽ 362
The oldest electrified railway in the territory of the Republic of Croatia was put into service in 1936 between Šapjan and Rijeka. Up until 2013, the line had a voltage of 3 kV, which in the second half of the 20th century was also used on the line from Zagreb to Rijeka, until it was replaced with 25 kV voltage and 50 Hz alternating current, from Zagreb to Karlovac in 1986, then to Moravice in 1987 and finally to Rijeka in 2012. In that period, the JŽ 362 locomotive series left the deepest mark, that is, HŽ 1061 since the independence of the Republic of Croatia. Those locomotives were built from 1960 to 1969 as a replacement for the JŽ 361 series, with the purpose of hauling passenger and freight trains on electrified mountain railways. They were manufactured in the Italian Ansaldo factory in Genoa, in a total of 50 units with two subseries. The first subseries was manufactured in the period from 1960 to 1964 under the numbers 001 to 040, and the second from 1968 to 1969 under the numbers 101 to 110. The first subseries was later reconstructed at the Ansaldo factory, while the reconstruction of the second was managed by TŽV Gredelj. This locomotive featured three drive axles of the BoʾBoʾBoʾ layout with 6 traction motors of 3150 kW per hour and 2640 kW of continuous motor power, which could reach the maximum permitted speed of 120 km/h. The mass of the locomotive in the first subseries was 112 t, while in the second it was 116 t. The length over the bumper of the first subseries was 18.4 m, while in the second one it was 19.44 m. The locomotive had the ability to haul, and heat, up to 42 two-axle or 21 four-axle cars. With the independence of the Republic of Croatia, 32 locomotives came under the management of Croatian Railways (HŽ), and the series was renamed to HŽ 1061, while a total of 22 remained until the end of their use. In the original design, they were painted yellow, which is why, in addition to the nickname "Italian", they were known as "Žutka" ("Yellow Girl"). Under the management of Croatian Railways, they were later painted blue, but the moniker stuck.
LOCOMOTIVE (electric) series HŽ 1141/JŽ 441
With the introduction of 25 kV voltage and 50 Hz alternating current at the end of the 1960s, electric traction vehicles for the specified voltage were introduced on Croatian railways, and the locomotives of the JŽ 441 and HŽ 1141 series, in operation for over a half a century, have left the deepest mark. The first locomotives of this series ran on the route Metković - Ploče opened in 1969 and Dobova - Zagreb - Belgrade, electrified in 1970, and then Zagreb - Sisak - Novska in 1972 and Zagreb - Koprivnica in 1981. With the changes in voltage from 3 kV to 25 kV and 50 Hz, they were also introduced on the lines Zagreb - Karlovac in 1986, Karlovac - Moravice in 1987, and finally Moravice - Rijeka in 2012 and Rijeka - Šapjane in 2013. Thus, the entire network of electrified railways in Croatia received the same voltage. The HŽ 1141/JŽ 441 locomotives were first built in 1967. They were built by the company Traktion-Union, created by the cooperation of the Swedish factory ASEA, the Swiss Secheron and the Austrian Elin-Union. A year later and under license, the Rade Končar factory in Zagreb continued to manufacture them with its subcontractors. In a total of 7 subseries from 1967 to 1985, 285 units were produced, 96 of which were for the Croatian Railway Administration, while the rest were distributed to other Yugoslav Republics, with the exception of Slovenia, and sold to Romania and Turkey. The main characteristics of this locomotive were two drive axles of the BoʾBoʾ layout with 4 traction motors of 34,080 kW per hour and 3,860 kW of continuous engine power, which could reach a speed of 120 km/h, while for the post-1976 subseries it was up to 140 km/h. The mass of the locomotives ranged from 78 t to 82 t, while their length was 18.4 m. Traction and heating capacity was up to 35 two-axle or 17 four-axle cars. With the independence of Croatia, 93 locomotives were renamed to HŽ 1161 under Croatian Railways management. In the original design, the locomotives were painted orange, and later blue and red, and are known as "ASEA".
dr. sc. Josip Kajinić, Research Associate, Curator
Croatian Railway Museum
