Stahl Gerlafingen officially welcomed a rather special addition to its fleet: a Henschel locomotive built in 1967 that had already been destined for dismantling.
Originally built by Henschel in Kassel, the approximately 60-ton locomotive started its working life on an industrial and harbour railway in Germany’s Ruhr region. Almost six decades later, its robust and proven technology is ready for a new chapter.
After a comprehensive refurbishment by Stauffer Schienen- und Spezialfahrzeuge in Frauenfeld, the locomotive was transferred to Gerlafingen at the end of October. With a starting tractive effort of around 170 kN, it can shunt trains weighing up to approximately 1,500 tonnes under suitable conditions.
It will now serve as a reserve shunting locomotive at our steelworks, providing additional reliability for an operation where rail plays an essential role in transporting both scrap and finished steel.
Alain Creteur, CEO of Stahl Gerlafingen, highlighted what makes this locomotive particularly fitting for us:
“This locomotive is a very tangible example of what the circular economy means to us: not giving up on proven technology too quickly, but preserving, renewing and putting it back to meaningful use.”
For a company whose business is built around transforming scrap into new steel, there could hardly be a more fitting story.
