DB Class 420

420

Type and origin Power type Electric Builder MAN, WMD, LHB, MBB, O&K, DUEWAG, WU Build date 1969 - 1997 Total produced 480 units

Specifications AAR wheel arr Bo'Bo'+Bo'Bo'+Bo'Bo' UIC class 420/421 Gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge Wheel diameter 850 mm (33.46 in) Wheelbase 2,500 mm (98.43 in) (bogie) Length 67.4 m (221 ft 2 in) (23.3 m + 20.8 m + 23.3 m or 76 ft 5 in + 68 ft 3 in + 76 ft 5 in) Width 3,080 mm (10 ft 1.26 in) Axle load 15 to 24 t (15 to 24 long tons; 17 to 26 short tons) depending on series Loco weight 129 to 138 t (127 to 136 long tons; 142 to 152 short tons) depending on series Electric system(s) Sweden: 15 kV ​16 2⁄3 Hz AC catenary Current collection Pantograph

Performance figures Maximum speed 120 km/h (75 mph) (reachable within 40 s) Power output 12 × 200 kW (270 hp) = 2,400 kW (3,200 hp) Acceleration 0.9 m/s2 (3.0 ft/s2) Deceleration 0.9 m/s2 (3.0 ft/s2) regular, 0.95 m/s2 (3.1 ft/s2) (emergency stop)

The Baureihe 420 is a light-weight commuter electric multiple unit developed for the S-Bahn networks in Germany and was originally commissioned by the Deutsche Bundesbahn for the Munich S-Bahn, Stuttgart S-Bahn and Frankfurt S-Bahn networks. It could seat 194 second class, 17 or 33 first class, depending on series. The pivot distance was 16.5 m (54 ft) in cab cars and 14 m (46 ft) in trailer, with a floor height of about 1 m (39.37 in). It ran at 15 kV, 16⅔ Hz, with a tractive effort speed of 72 km/h (20 m/s; 45 mph) and acceleration of 0.9 m/s² (3.0 ft/s²) or 2.0 mph/s (3.2 km/(h⋅s)).

History

EMU 420 306 at Bietigheim-Bissingen

It was built from 1969 onwards in several series, later changing the construction from steel to aluminium, making the cars more lightweight and able to carry a greater payload.

It has largely been replaced in said cities by its successor, the Class 423, but some units have been shipped to Stockholm and some have been transferred to the Rhine-Ruhr S-Bahn network. In Sweden the fifteen units received designation X420 serving on the Stockholm commuter rail, and were in service from 2001 until the arrival of the new X60-series in 2006-08.

Fleet

Number	Series	Launch	Retirement
420 001 – 003	Prototype	1969	2001-04
420 004 – 120	1st Series	1970–72	2000-04
420 121 – 200	2nd Series	1972–75	2000-09
420 201 – 260	3rd Series	1976–78	2003-11
420 261 – 324	4th Series	1977–79	2004-14
420 325 – 370	5th Series	1979–80	1999-14
420 371 – 390	6th Series	1980–81	2004-14
420 400 – 430	7th Series	1989–92	from 2013
420 431 – 489	8th Series	1993–97	from 2014

Today's service

ET 420 Plus EMU 420 400

Additionally, in the Rhine-Main Area, many units of class 420 are still in use, especially on lines S8 and S9 of the S-Bahn Rhein Main. Today all trains of this class have been repainted in the DB-typical "traffic red" (verkehrsrot).

Two 420/421 units in Stuttgart were rebuilt by the ET 420 Plus project, adding air conditioning and passenger information displays to the trains among other things. The aim of this project was to demonstrate a less expensive alternative to new trains in order of keeping the S-Bahn fleet up to date. However, as the new long-term carrier contract with Stuttgart Region includes the acquisition of 83 new class 430 EMUs, all 420s will be withdrawn from service in Stuttgart by 2013.

Preserved Units

These trains were preserved at various museums.

• 420 001 - Prototype, preserved at the DB Museum in Nuremberg. It is also the first Class 420, also the museum train for Munich S-Bahn.
• 420 002 - Prototype, preserved at Deutschen Museum Verkehrszentrum.
• 420 298 - This train is preserved at the Oberhessischen Eisenbahnfreunden in Gießen and was converted to museum train since 20 May 2015.
• 420 300 - First Class 420 to run in Stuttgart, kept at SVG Eisenbahn-Erlebniswelt Horb am Neckar.
• 420 400 - Prototype 420 Plus project, kept at SVG Eisenbahn-Erlebniswelt Horb am Neckar.
• 420 416 - Prototype 420 Plus project, kept at DB Museum in Nuremberg.

External links

• Media related to at Wikimedia Commons
• ET420-Online (German)