Length over buffers: 220 mm.
The type 120 of the German Railways is a universal locomotive. It can be utilized to pull heavy goods trains and also heavy express trains at speeds of 160 km/h. It is possible to increase the speed to 200 km/h. With a weight of 84 tons, it attains a power output of 5,600 kW. The power output is therefore much higher than all other 4 axles locomotives of the German Railways.
The type 120 built by various manufacturers are the first to be fitted with a new three phase driving technique. In this system, electro-mechanical component parts which are subjected to wear have been replaced by an electronic part which is not subjected to mechanical wear. The 16 2/3 Hz single phase current from the overhead line is rectified in the locomotive and then subsequently converted by means of an alternating current inverter into a three phase variable frequency current. This drives a three phase asynchronous driving motor which allows a continuously variable power adjustment to be attained which brings a jerk free traction.
