NS Class 600
NS Class 600 were 65 diesel-electric shunting locomotives built for Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) in England between 1950 and 1957. The first 10 were built at Dick, Kerr & Co in Preston and the remaining 55 at Vulcan Foundry in Newton-le-Willows. They are very similar to the British Rail Class 11.
Key specs
- Configuration: 0-6-0 DE; gauge 1,435 mm; driver diameter 1,230 mm; length 9.068 m; adhesive weight 7.8 t; loco weight 47 t
- Powertrain: Diesel fuel; English Electric 6KTE engine (6 cylinders); 400 hp; max speed 30 km/h; tractive effort 143 kN
- Use: shunting (yard) locomotives
- Numbers and names: Delivered as 601–665; later 671–693 after some got radio remote control; nicknames Hippel and Bakkie
What happened
- 23 locomotives were later fitted with radio remote control
- By 2013, two were still in daily use in the Netherlands (Railpro at Crailoo and LOCON Benelux at Apeldoorn)
Related notes
- The NS Class 500 is similar but uses a different engine and braking system (Class 600 has a 6KT engine of 400 hp and Knorr train braking; Class 500 uses a 6K engine of 350 hp with only engine braking)
- The Class 500 included units originally built for the War Department; NS later ordered more, including some variants delivered without engines (initially numbered 451–465, briefly renumbered to 701–715)
Withdrawal and preservation
- NS withdrew Class 600 in the early 2000s
- Many have been preserved; several have been repatriated to England
- Private use continues for some, including Rotterdam Rail Feeding in the Netherlands
- Example 663 was moved from the Dartmoor Railway to the NRM annex at Shildon in 2006 for pilot duties; by 2012 it was at the Ribble Steam Railway in Preston, still in running order during repaint
- A well-known H0 scale model is available from Roco in several liveries
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 06:37 (CET).