I have noticed recently, on timetables or Scenarios, to cross with AI trains, which heading locomotive it is the DB BR143! That surprised me, as I believed this locomotive is for regional passenger train - heading Dostos or other urban passenger cars. I have even noticed they are leading long trains too. Is this a real thing, or it is an error of TSW2? I believe this not happened before. May be some update caused this. Look for your comments about it.
Yes, the DB 143 is primarily used for passengers, but it can also haul frieght. Doing a google image search for DB BR 143 Güterzug (Freight Trian) picked up plenty of real world pictures.
The DR designed it as a dual-purpose loco, and DB have continued that. In fact it probably pulls more freight than passenger services, since with a top speed of 120 there aren't many runs where it can keep to a passenger schedule.
I feel like that statement is a bit too broad. DB didn't really continue it (on paper at least) as all of the 143s were assigned to DB Regio (regional passenger trains for those not speaking German). What is true though is that a small number of them were often leased to DB Cargo in the last years as there was less need for them on local traffic and by now, a large chunk of the remaining 143s have been sold to private EVUs who usually use them on freight trains. But DB didn't really use it as a dual-purpose loco as that's almost impossible to do with all of the bureaucracy due to the split in Fernverkehr, Regio, and Cargo.
Well, the reorganization happened some years after the merger; but I didn't realise DBR got all of them. I figured Cargo would have taken more than a few, as they did the 155s and 232s.
Cargo wasn’t really interested in the 143s as they’re really not intended for pure freight. Don’t get me wrong, at least when double-headed, they can pull a fair share, but with stuff like the Br 152 already being in play, Cargo was more than happy with the left over Br 140s for the light freight trains. Grabbing the 155s (to aid the fleet of 151s and be able to phase out the 150s) and 232s (as no loco like it was available from the Bundesbahn) made a lot more sense. I’ll grant you though, yes, between 91 and 2000, DB did use them dual-purpose, but not since.
I just saw a 143 hauled a freight train at Dresden some Days ago (talking about real life here). Was pretty confused to be honest as I thought (like mentioned here already) that they don't haul freight anymore. Funny thing : I saw a 143 Pulling an InterCity on DRA but I didn't managed to get a screenshot. Never saw it again.
Makes sense. In fact, thinking about DB's loco situation at the time of the reorganization, Regio probably welcomed having anything available. The ancient Einheits were being pulled from service, the 120 was a bust, and the first of the passenger TRAXX (which the 146.0 was though the brand name hadn't yet been coined) had been ordered but wouldn't arrive for a couple of years. Twenty-some years on, their limited speed has made them undesirable in the passenger role and there are plenty of 160-capable engines, so leasing them out would be logical.
Higher than 120km/h speeds were never priority for the Deutsche Reichsbahn in East Germany. And even those tracks became rare since they were unlucky enough to have to deal with "Beton Cancer" on newly reconstructed train lines. So, a multipurpose loco like the (ex) BR 243 as a replacement for the 211/242 would do just fine. (Ex-BR250) BR 155 would deal with heavy freight haul (there´s nothing like a 6-axle Loco) and "alles ginge seinen sozialistischen Gang" - everything would follow the socialist path (to communist paradise). History can be full of ironies ...
IIRC, DB was also contemplating upgrading the 143s' speed (something like post-facto 112s), but eventually decided it was too expensive. But that prospect may well have been in Regio's mind in 1999.
Yesterday I made a timetable on Ruhr-Sieg-Nord. First situation I noticed, was ...all the BR143 were a Livery Designer I got from CC! There were several service. Furthermore, something really strange was, I "believe" I cross some freight trains... headed by a DB 101! Not the standard one, but all of them wera the same repaint from CC! I will check it again, to confirm. Really strange both situations.
