# DB Class 103
The DB Class 103 is a six-axle high-speed electric locomotive built for the [Deutsche Bundesbahn](https://www.edgepedia.org/deutsche-bundesbahn), the West German state railway, as the traction for its fastest long-distance passenger trains. Four prototypes designated E 03 were completed in 1965, and 145 series locomotives followed between 1970 and 1974; for roughly three decades the class hauled TEE, InterCity, and EuroCity trains at up to 200 km/h.[1](https://dbmuseum.de/nuernberg/fahrzeuge/103-220-0) • [2](https://www.traintrackapp.de/en/rolling-stock/germany/baureihe-103)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Origin | In March 1961 the DB commissioned German industry to develop a prototype with 5,000 kW of power and a maximum speed of 200 km/h[3](https://www.dbtrains.com/en/epochIII.16/) |
| Prototypes | Four E 03 pre-series locomotives, built by Henschel, entered service in 1965; E 03 001 is rated 5,940 kW[1](https://dbmuseum.de/nuernberg/fahrzeuge/103-220-0) • [4](https://dbmuseum.de/koblenz/fahrzeuge/e-03-001) |
| Series build | 145 production locomotives, 1970 to 1974, numbered 103 101 to 103 245[2](https://www.traintrackapp.de/en/rolling-stock/germany/baureihe-103) |
| Wheel arrangement | Co'Co', six powered axles in two three-axle bogies, a rarity among German passenger locomotives[2](https://www.traintrackapp.de/en/rolling-stock/germany/baureihe-103) |
| Power | 7,780 kW for the series machines; continuous power at rail 7,080 kW under International Electrotechnical Commission rules[1](https://dbmuseum.de/nuernberg/fahrzeuge/103-220-0) • [5](https://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1988/1177/1177-007.pdf) |
| Speed and system | 200 km/h on 15 kV / 16.7 Hz AC overhead[2](https://www.traintrackapp.de/en/rolling-stock/germany/baureihe-103) |
| End of service | Withdrawn from regular duty in 2003; preserved machines now run only in museum and special-train service[6](https://www.system-bahn.net/beitrag/ein-klassiker-auf-schienen) • [2](https://www.traintrackapp.de/en/rolling-stock/germany/baureihe-103) |
## Development
In the early 1960s the Deutsche Bundesbahn planned a new fast network, launched in 1971 as the InterCity system, and needed a locomotive able to run at 200 km/h, deliver at least 5,000 kW, and haul up to eight coaches.[4](https://dbmuseum.de/koblenz/fahrzeuge/e-03-001) In March 1961 it commissioned the German locomotive industry to develop such a machine, and Henschel received the development contract for the four pre-series locomotives of class E 03 that were completed in 1965.[3](https://www.dbtrains.com/en/epochIII.16/) • [1](https://dbmuseum.de/nuernberg/fahrzeuge/103-220-0) With E 03 001, high-speed trials for scheduled passenger service at 200 km/h began in 1965, the year the class was presented at the International Transportation Exhibition in Munich.[7](https://esu.eu/produkte/engineering-edition/elektroloks-in-h0/baureihe-e031031-in-h0) • [8](https://www.marklin.com/products/details/article/55105?cHash=8b5dbed6978f9cf7220f969430b0befc)
The prototypes served as testbeds from the start. Their pantograph equipment varied by unit: E03 001 and 003 carried the new Siemens SBS65 single-arm pantograph of 1965 design, while E03 002 and 004 received the conventional DBS54 diamond pantograph fitted with a new two-strip pan head designated WB15.[9](https://www.bundesbahnzeit.de/seite.php?id=618)
## Design and technical characteristics
The class is a Co'Co' locomotive, with six powered axles in two three-axle bogies, an arrangement that sets it apart from the four-axle designs that dominate German passenger traction.[2](https://www.traintrackapp.de/en/rolling-stock/germany/baureihe-103) The rounded, deeply drawn-down nose shape was developed in wind-tunnel tests, and together with the ivory-and-purple TEE livery introduced in 1965 it shaped the image of fast rail travel in Germany for more than 30 years.[1](https://dbmuseum.de/nuernberg/fahrzeuge/103-220-0) • [7](https://esu.eu/produkte/engineering-edition/elektroloks-in-h0/baureihe-e031031-in-h0) The transformer has a continuous rating of 6,250 kVA and uses a 39-step high-voltage tap changer.[5](https://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1988/1177/1177-007.pdf)
**From E 03 to 103.** Until 1968 the Bundesbahn designated electric locomotives with a leading E; when it switched to a machine-readable numbering system, E 03 became class 103, in the same renumbering that turned E 10 into 110 and E 40 into 140.[2](https://www.traintrackapp.de/en/rolling-stock/germany/baureihe-103)
**Series changes.** In 1969 the DB raised the requirement profile for the series locomotives to train weights of 480 t at 200 km/h and 800 t at 160 km/h, and motor power was increased to 7,780 kW.[7](https://esu.eu/produkte/engineering-edition/elektroloks-in-h0/baureihe-e031031-in-h0) The series machines, designated class 103.1, differ visibly from the prototypes by a second band of ventilation grilles in the side walls and a simplified livery without the silver trim strip.[3](https://www.dbtrains.com/en/epochIII.16/) • [7](https://esu.eu/produkte/engineering-edition/elektroloks-in-h0/baureihe-e031031-in-h0) Because trains faster than 140 km/h had to be crewed by two drivers, the last production series received extended cabs.[7](https://esu.eu/produkte/engineering-edition/elektroloks-in-h0/baureihe-e031031-in-h0)
## Service history
Originally intended for light, fast TEE and F-Zug trains of about four to six coaches, the class became the flagship of the heavy InterCity service, hauling trains of up to 15 coaches.[10](https://lokomotiv-club103.de/historisches/) The opening of the InterCity system to second-class passengers in 1979 made the 103 a heavy-duty workhorse, and the class carried the main load of TEE and IC traffic for decades.[7](https://esu.eu/produkte/engineering-edition/elektroloks-in-h0/baureihe-e031031-in-h0) • [1](https://dbmuseum.de/nuernberg/fahrzeuge/103-220-0) From the mid-1990s the class 101 took over its role.[2](https://www.traintrackapp.de/en/rolling-stock/germany/baureihe-103)
A small group of the best machines survived the wave of withdrawals in the late 1990s as reserve and test locomotives, working measurement and trial trains, including brake-distance runs with 15-coach trains on the Frankfurt–Cologne new line.[10](https://lokomotiv-club103.de/historisches/) In January 2003 the class was withdrawn from regular service, with the exception of 103 245-7, the last series locomotive built.[6](https://www.system-bahn.net/beitrag/ein-klassiker-auf-schienen)
## Preservation
Several locomotives survive in museum care. E 03 001, withdrawn in 1997, is kept by the DB Museum and has run with the historic [Rheingold](https://www.edgepedia.org/rheingold) train.[4](https://dbmuseum.de/koblenz/fahrzeuge/e-03-001) The 103 220, built in 1973 by [Krauss-Maffei](https://www.edgepedia.org/krauss-maffei) and Siemens, received a special livery in 1995 for the DB Touristikzug and is displayed at the DB Museum in [Nuremberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/nuremberg).[1](https://dbmuseum.de/nuernberg/fahrzeuge/103-220-0) Two machines remain operational at the DB Museum's Koblenz-Lützel site, 103 113 and 103 245, the latter being the last-built example of the class and still hauling special trains such as the AKE-Rheingold.[11](https://www.ake-eisenbahntouristik.de/ake-rheingold/lokomotiven/) The 103 226, built by Krauss-Maffei in 1973, ran about 9.5 million kilometers for the DB before its withdrawal in 2002 and was restored to near-delivery condition by the Lokomotiv-Club 103.[10](https://lokomotiv-club103.de/historisches/)
## References
1. [Elektrolokomotive 103 220-0, DB Museum Nürnberg](https://dbmuseum.de/nuernberg/fahrzeuge/103-220-0)
2. [DB Class 103: features, history & photos, Traintrack](https://www.traintrackapp.de/en/rolling-stock/germany/baureihe-103)
3. [Epoch III, DB Trains](https://www.dbtrains.com/en/epochIII.16/)
4. [Elektrolokomotive E 03 001, DB Museum Koblenz](https://dbmuseum.de/koblenz/fahrzeuge/e-03-001)
5. [Electric Locomotive Class 103 (Germany), Transportation Research Record 1177 (1988)](https://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1988/1177/1177-007.pdf)
6. [Ein Klassiker auf Schienen, SYSTEM||BAHN / Deine Bahn 01/2010](https://www.system-bahn.net/beitrag/ein-klassiker-auf-schienen)
7. [Baureihe E03/103.1 in H0, ESU Engineering Edition](https://esu.eu/produkte/engineering-edition/elektroloks-in-h0/baureihe-e031031-in-h0)
8. [DB Class 103.1 Electric Locomotive, Märklin](https://www.marklin.com/products/details/article/55105?cHash=8b5dbed6978f9cf7220f969430b0befc)
9. [Die Stromabnehmer der BR 103, Die Bundesbahnzeit](https://www.bundesbahnzeit.de/seite.php?id=618)
10. [Historisches – Lok 103 226-7, Lokomotiv Club 103](https://lokomotiv-club103.de/historisches/)
11. [Lokomotiven, AKE-Eisenbahntouristik](https://www.ake-eisenbahntouristik.de/ake-rheingold/lokomotiven/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Transport and spaceflight › Rail transport › Rail vehicles and rolling stock › Diesel, electric, and wartime locomotives › Electric locomotives by traction system › 15 kV AC electric locomotives*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license