Electric locomotive E 94 282 belonging to the German Federal Railway.

■ With free-standing handle rails on the front hoods
■ Delicately-crafted pantographs
■ Metal die-cast chassis

The development of electric locomotives was subject to major technical advancements in the middle of the 1930s. In particular the classes E 18, E 44 and E 93 represented modern locomotives which were powerful and low-maintenance. The stronger version of the E 93, the E 94, became one of the most famous vehicles in the history of German electric locomotives.
Its maximum speed of 90 km/h made this locomotive far more flexible in use, and permitted its operation both in heavy freight train service and in express freight and passenger train service. The last German “Crocodile” (now the class 194) was retired from service in June 1988.