DSB Class MZ

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This week, I'll pick up from  where I've previously left off on the showcase for locomotives we, North American railfans, may not realize that we already know. These are primarily EMD locomotives built by foreign builders under license. Some of them we might recognize from their styling, some we could not dare to guess.

So if you haven't heard of this locomotive already, let me introduce you the Swedish built Danish EMD diesel-electric locomotive, the DSB Class MZ, known to EMD as the J30C-2.

Can't really say there's too much of the GM resemblance is there?
Unfortunately I couldn't find much info in any language on the web (thank Google Translate for when I can), this will be one of those brief posts.

However we do know that there are 4 variants of the Class MZ simply denoted by I to IV. They were built chronologically over a period of approximately 11 years from 1967 (around the time of the famous SD40). One would imagine that some of the evolution of this series had undergone was analogous to that of SD40 becoming the SD40-2. In addition though, Series III and IV of the Class MZ were allegedly slightly longer by about 8 inches and had 20 cylinders on their 645E3 instead of 16. In addition, output of the locomotive was increased from approximately 3 000 hp to about 3 800, and top speed in service was increased from 89 mph to 103 mph (I couldn't confirm this but sounded like this locomotive would have been used in passenger service rather than freight). In total, NOHAB built 61 units.

A couple of them Aussie MZs, they were refitted with AAR Type F couplers
In the early 2000s, these units began their second lives with private operators in Denmark, Sweden, and Australia. In Sweden they were known as the TMZ, and who knew what the Australians called them.

Images and videos courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and YouTube.

Comments

jedi carisi said…
WE call them Helga's. They are now owned by cube for doing intermodal runs to and from Port Botany.
Jul 19, 2016, 11:31:00 AM
jedi carisi said…
If you search for "helga mz" in google or youtube you should find more info on them in Australia.
Jul 19, 2016, 11:34:00 AM
Unknown said…
Over here in Aus they have got the nickname 'Helga's' and have been called the 14 class, though just about everyone still calls them MZ's (they're not registered as MZ's though they retain their original MZ numbers). Idependant Rail Australia imported them who have since been bought out by QUBE Rail. Apparently thei smaller fuel tanks are disliked though for longer distance Australian runs.
Aug 9, 2016, 9:52:00 AM
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