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VR Class Dm12

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The Dm12 is a diesel railcar operated by VR Group.

Dm12
Dm12 unit 4401 at Jyväskylä railway station
In service2005–
ManufacturerČKD Vagonka (later Škoda Vagonka,
a subsidiary of Škoda Transportation)
Constructed2004–2006
Entered service2005
Number built16
Number in service16
Formation1 car, length 25,200 mm (82 ft 8 in)
Fleet numbers4401–4416
Capacity63
OperatorsVR Group
Lines servedJoensuu–Nurmes, Iisalmi–Ylivieska, Savonlinna–Parikkala, Tampere–Keuruu, Jyväskylä–Seinäjoki
Specifications
Car length25,200 mm (82 ft 8 in)
Width2,850 mm (9 ft 4 in)
Height4,218 mm (13 ft 10.1 in)
Platform height550 mm (21.65 in)
Doors2 2
Maximum speed120 km/h (75 mph)
Weight48 t (47 long tons; 53 short tons)
Prime mover(s)2 x MAN D2876 LUE 606
Engine typeDiesel engine
Power output2 x 301 kW (404 hp)
TransmissionVOITH
Track gauge1,524 mm (5 ft)

History

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VR was searching a diesel motor car to be used on low traffic regional services on non-electrified tracks years after the last of the earlier diesel motor car series had been decommissioned by the end of the 1980s, and diesel locomotive pulled passenger trains had been found to be uneconomical for small-demand services. VR had earlier experimented with converting an old unpowered passenger car into a diesel motor car, but the prototype was never put to service and VR ultimately decided to acquire all-new cars. After a failed purchase, 16 Dm12 units with 20 options were finally ordered from the Czech manufacturer ČKD Vagonka, now Škoda Vagonka, in 2001, at a price of 160 million FIM.[1]

The first unit arrived to Finland earlier than expected, on 18 December 2004, after being tested in the Czech republic.[2] VR was able to start traffic using the first unit between Joensuu and Pieksämäki on 20 May 2005.[3] After a month and a half of usage without problems, it was serviced in June 2005, including a change of seats and modifications to the air intake.[4] The second unit was delivered in August 2005 and followed the first between Joensuu and Pieksämäki.[5] More units soon followed, and they were used between Joensuu and Nurmes. At the end of the year, VR had received 11 units, nine of which were serving passengers.[6]

The units were delivered to VR in 2004–2006, entering commercial service in 2005. The units are used in regional and feeder services mostly in Eastern and Central Finland, but also on the Karis-Hanko route near the coast of the Gulf of Finland. The Dm12 is currently the only diesel motor car in Finland.

All Dm12 units were withdrawn from service on 28 June 2012 after two fires in short succession, in Punkaharju on 21 June 2012,[7] and Keuruu on 27 June 2012.[8] The multiple units were temporarily replaced with trains pulled with diesel locomotives or buses.[9] The fires were a result of a fuel leak, which caused fuel to spill on the hot engine.[10] The units had re-entered service in June 2012 after the faulty fuel lines were replaced.[11]

The nicknames for the Dm12 are Peräkylän Pendolino (Backwoods' Pendolino), "Viidakkopendolino" (jungle Pendolino) Skoda (after the manufacturer) and Demari (from type designation Dm12).

Specifications

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At a maximum, three Dm12 units can be coupled into a train to increase capacity (although this is rarely done). Each car has three passenger compartments, two entrance vestibules and a driver's cabin at each end of the car. The driver cabins have air conditioning. There are two places for wheelchair-using passengers, the unit has lifting platforms for wheelchair access and the toilet is designed to be accessible to the disabled. The heating of the passenger compartments uses waste heat from the diesel engines.[12]

Livery

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Dm12 number 4416 in the original red-gray livery at Jyväskylä in 2006.

Dm12 units were painted in a distinctive red-gray colouring on a white background. In June 2012, the two oldest units, 4401[13] and 4402,[14] had been painted according to VR's white-green paint scheme. Nowadays all of them are in the white-green livery.

References

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  1. ^ "VR tilaa kiskobussit Tsekistä". Resiina (in Finnish). Museorautatieyhdistys ry, Suomen Rautatiehistoriallinen Seura ry. 30 August 2001. Retrieved 18 January 2012.
  2. ^ "Ensimmäinen kiskobussi saapui Suomeen". Resiina (in Finnish). Museorautatieyhdistys ry, Suomen Rautatiehistoriallinen Seura ry. 19 December 2004. Retrieved 18 January 2012.
  3. ^ "Kiskobussi aloittaa välillä Joensuu - Pieksämäki". Karjalainen (in Finnish). 16 May 2005. Retrieved 18 January 2012.
  4. ^ "Kiskobussi ei liikennöi heinäkuussa" (in Finnish). VR Group. 29 June 2005. Retrieved 18 January 2012.
  5. ^ "Kiskobussiliikenne lisääntyy Itä-Suomessa". YLE Etelä-Savon Radio (in Finnish). 16 August 2005. Retrieved 18 January 2012.
  6. ^ "Uusilla kiskobusseilla ongelmia Suomen talvessa". Karjalainen (in Finnish). 29 December 2005. Retrieved 18 January 2012.
  7. ^ "VR:n juna syttyi tuleen Punkaharjulla" (in Finnish). Ilta-Sanomat. 21 June 2012. Archived from the original on June 23, 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  8. ^ Hienola, Eriikka (27 June 2012). "VR:n kiskobussi leimahti ilmiliekkeihin aamuliikenteessä" (in Finnish). Keskisuomalainen. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  9. ^ "Palot säikäyttivät: VR vetää kiskobussit liikenteestä". STT (in Finnish). Ilta-Sanomat. 28 June 2012. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  10. ^ Huttunen, Veikko (29 June 2012). "Kiskobussit tulessa". Iisalmen Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  11. ^ Kangaspunta, Irmeli (7 July 2012). "VR:n kiskobussit palautetaan raiteille". YLE Uutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  12. ^ "Railcar Class DM12". Škoda Vagonka a.s. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
  13. ^ Uusitalo, Risto (31 December 2011). "Hyvää Uutta Vuotta" (in Finnish). Vaunut.org. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  14. ^ Aitta, Toni (21 June 2012). "Dm12 4402 & 4405 sekä Dv12 2553 & 2555 Hangon asemalla" (in Finnish). Vaunut.org. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
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