SJ Ma

The SJ Class Ma is an electric locomotive used by Swedish State Railways (Swedish: Statens Järnvägar, SJ) and later other railways. 41 copies were built by ASEA between 1953 and 1960. It is derived from the older Mg-series, but unlike its predecessor it is used for freight and passenger trains. It is the loco that has been in use the longest in Sweden.

History

When the freight traffic on the Norrland lines was increasing towards the end of the 1940s, the need for more and stronger locomotives appeared. SJ decided to develop the Ma series based on the experience gained from the Mg series. Availability of more powerful motors made the locomotive capable of hauling heavy trains at 100 km/h, making the series quite flexible. Equipment was placed inside the locomotive, removing the noses and giving the Ma a very different appearance from the Mg series. ASEA delivered 32 locomotives to SJ, in addition to 9 to TGOJ. It was put into service on passenger and freight trains in Central and Northern Sweden.