V200

The **V200** is a diesel locomotive in the game Railroad Tycoon II. It becomes available in 1959, and is a relatively cheap and quick locomotive that can be effectively used in most situations for both passenger and freight operation This locomotive is only available in European and Wolrd scenarios, it is very similarly specified to the Alco PA-1, with a top speed of 87mph. The V200 can haul 4 passenger cars at just over 75mph.

## Strategy

When this locomotive becomes available, it is a decent alternative to locomotives such as the Alco PA-1 or F3A+B, with it’s comparable running costs and specifications. It is slightly more powerful than the aforementioned locomotives, but costs slightly more in annual maintenance. In reality, these differences are often negligible, but the V200 does better with it’s remarkably low initial cost. This means it is a good locomotive choice for companies starting out, or any time when cash is short on hand. The downside of the V200 is that it has pretty disappointing reliability, especially considering it’s fast top speed. Starting with a reliability of around 2.3% breakdown chance per year, within 5 years the breakdown percentage can easily bloat out to 10%, and eventually the locomotive becomes unusable, particularly on busy railways. Overall though, the V200 can handle most types of light and heavy cargo, but as with most locomotives of this era, it still shouldn’t be overloaded once the gradients are higher than 4%. The lifetime of the V200 if it used extensively is really until the electric Class E111 becomes available in 1974. However, electrification will be required to use this locomotive, and if that is not an option, then the player will have to settle for using the FP45 or revert to the Alco PA-1 after the V200’s 1985 retirement date.

## History

DB Class V 200.0 (from 1968: Class 220) was the first series production diesel-hydraulic express locomotive of the German Deutsche Bundesbahn and - as Am 4/4 - of the SBB-CFF-FFS in Switzerland. The V 200 had two fast-running (1500 RPM) V12 diesel engines. The transmission was hydraulic, each engine drove one bogie set via a hydraulic torque converter. The maximum speed was 140 km/h. The prototypes had a maximum power of 1,471 kW, the V 200.0 had a power of 1,618 kW. Unlike some other diesel-hydraulic locomotives the V 200 was renowned for its high reliability.

Initially the V 200 hauled express trains on all main lines, replacing the DRG Class 05, DRG Class 03 and DRG Class 01. Following the electrification of many main lines the V 200 was used increasingly for commuter trains and freight trains, but the Hamburg-Westerland, Hamburg-Lübeck-Copenhagen and Munich-Lindau lines still saw the V 200 hauling express trains. From 1962, the V 200.0 was followed by the more powerful DB Class V 200.1, later Class 221. From 1977, the V 200.0s were concentrated in northern German engine sheds (*Bahnbetriebswerke*). These two-engine locomotives were more expensive to operate than single-engine locomotives like DB Class V 160. A further disadvantage was its steam heating system for carriages, since replaced by electric train heating. The last V 200 went out of service with the DB in 1984.