Deutsche Bahn electric locomotive 146 013.

■ Version in the “Felsenbühne Rathen” design
■ Used in passenger services
■ Multi-coloured driver’s cab rear wall and control panel

Despite all efforts to convert to railcars, DB Regio urgently required modern, high-speed electric locomotives for local services to haul double-decker trains at speeds of up to 160 km/h. Consequently, a special variant of the BR 145 for local services was commissioned from the manufacturer Bombardier, which was classified as the 146 series. The main difference from the BR 145 is the hollow-shaft drive, approved for 160 km/h, instead of the axle-mounted drive, and the highly visible destination display. Between 2001 and 2002, a total of 31 locomotives were delivered to DB Regio. Two further production series followed later.