Key takeaways
- The 120 is a technical milestone: the first series-built three-phase locomotive for main-line operation.
- Fastest way to identify it: four axles, rounded front with a deep-set windscreen, number starting with 120.
- 200 km/h and around 5,600 kW made it a general-purpose locomotive for passenger and freight trains alike.
- Only 65 locomotives in total – five pre-series and 60 series machines – make it a manageably small class.
- The main risk of confusion is with the younger Class 101, which shares the wheel arrangement but has a more angular front.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Electric general-purpose locomotive (three-phase drive technology) |
|---|---|
| Wheel arrangement | Bo'Bo' (two two-axle bogies, all axles driven) |
| Maximum speed | 200 km/h |
| Continuous output | around 5,600 kW |
| Electrification system | 15 kV / 16.7 Hz AC |
| Pre-series | Five locomotives of the 120.0 design, delivered 1979/1980 |
| Series | 60 locomotives of the 120.1 design, delivered 1987 to 1989 |
| Distinction | First series-built three-phase locomotive for main-line operation |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- Four axles on two bogies – not a six-axle design despite the high power output
- Rounded, softly styled front section with a deep-set windscreen
- Sturdier roof structure and bulkier proportions than the Class 101
- Vehicle number begins with 120; the digits after the point separate pre-series from series
- Used on both passenger and freight trains – a true general-purpose locomotive
Updated: August 2026 – Four axles, a softly rounded front and an output high enough for long-distance and freight trains alike: the Class 120 is the locomotive that brought modern drive technology into regular German service. This page shows you how to recognise it, why it matters so much in the history of technology, and how to get it in front of your camera on purpose.
Spotted a 120? Note the number.
With a class of only 65 machines, every single locomotive is a collector's target – document it in Traintrack.
What is the Class 120?
The Class 120 is a four-axle electric general-purpose locomotive for 200 km/h with around 5,600 kW continuous output. Its significance lies in its drive technology: it was the first series-built three-phase locomotive for main-line operation. Five pre-series locomotives of the 120.0 design were delivered in 1979 and 1980 by an industrial consortium involving Siemens Mobility, and the 60 series locomotives of the 120.1 design followed between 1987 and 1989.
The term general-purpose locomotive isn’t a marketing word here but an operational description. Before the 120, the German electric locomotive fleet was sharply divided: fast passenger locomotives on one side, slow, high-tractive-effort freight locomotives on the other. Three-phase technology made this division unnecessary, because tractive effort and speed can be regulated electronically. Everything that came after – from the later long-distance locomotives to today’s standard platforms – builds on this experience.
Numbering system: why the locomotive is called 120
The number isn’t a random product but follows a logic you can apply to any German electric locomotive.
- The leading 1 has marked the electric locomotive since the 1968 renumbering. Before that, these vehicles carried an
Ein front of the number – E 10 became 110, E 03 became the Class 103. - The low number range 101 to 128 is traditionally reserved for passenger and general-purpose locomotives. Freight locomotives sit at 139 to 155, multi-system and cross-border locomotives at 180 to 189.
- The 120 continued the sequence that previously held the 110 and 103 generations – numbering-wise, the next step up in passenger locomotives.
- The digit after the point distinguishes sub-classes: 120.0 for the pre-series, 120.1 for the series, further groups for later rebuilds.
How you find these numbers on the vehicle and read them quickly in the field is explained in the guide to finding train numbers and vehicle numbers.
How to identify a 120 in the field
Count the axles
Four axles on two bogies. Despite its high output, the 120 isn't a six-axle machine – that immediately rules out the heavy freight classes.
Assess the front
A softly rounded front end with a deep-set windscreen. The silhouette looks compact and massive, not flat and angular.
Look at the roof
The roof structure is sturdier than on the later long-distance locomotives. Together with the rounded front, that gives the 120's typical proportions.
Confirm the number
The digit sequence begins with 120. The sub-class after the point also tells you whether you're looking at a pre-series or a series machine.
The train type helps less than usual here
With most classes, the train behind it gives away the locomotive. That works less well with a general-purpose locomotive: passenger train, regional train or freight train are all plausible. Rely more heavily on shape and number here.
Where it fits in railway operations
The 120 is a main-line locomotive. It doesn’t belong on branch lines or in shunting duty, but on electrified trunk routes with through trains.
| Location | Chance of a sighting | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Electrified main lines | high | the class’s core territory, high train density |
| Major hub stations | high | locomotive changes and longer platform dwell times |
| Multiple-unit-only routes | low | no locomotive-hauled trains, so no locomotive |
| Branch lines without overhead wire | ruled out | electric locomotive with no on-board power source |
| Shunting areas | very low | wrong service profile |
Area of use and fleet size are subject to change
Where the 120 currently runs on schedule has shifted several times over the decades – from premium long-distance service through regional workings to special duties. Don't rely on older diagram lists; check the current picture via real-time data and community sightings, as described in the article Trainspotter live.
See where a 120 was just reported
Live sightings from the community save you the trip to the wrong station.
Photo tips for the Class 120
The rounded front of the 120 is more rewarding photographically than a flat front end – it catches the light and shows structure. Four points make the difference.
- Three-quarter angle rather than head-on. About 30 to 45 degrees to the vehicle axis shows front and side wall at once and brings out the curve.
- Use low-angled light. In the morning and late afternoon, flat light traces the curve of the front; midday sun flattens it.
- Watch the bogie. The four axles are an identifying feature – a crop that cuts them off loses information.
- Keep the vehicle number visible. With a class of few machines, the number is the real collector’s value.
Exposure, focus plane and panning are covered in detail in the guide to good train photography. Photography takes place exclusively from the platform or from publicly accessible land – tracks, operational railway land and stabling sidings are off limits.
What three-phase technology changed in everyday spotting
The technical leap that the 120 represents is also audible and visible on the platform – once you know what to listen and look for.
- Smooth acceleration instead of switching steps. Older electric locomotives regulate their output via mechanically switched steps, which creates audible jumps when starting off. A three-phase locomotive accelerates steplessly; a typical sign is a steadily rising tone instead of a switching rhythm.
- Tractive effort regardless of train type. Because the motors are electronically controlled, the same machine can sensibly be used ahead of a light passenger train and a heavy freight train alike. That was precisely the reason for abandoning the divide between passenger and freight locomotives.
- Braking with energy feedback. Three-phase locomotives can feed energy back into the overhead line while braking, instead of just burning it off in resistors. On vintage electric locomotives such as the steep-gradient variants of the standard-design generation, visible brake resistors still sit on the roof for this purpose.
- Fewer classes for more tasks. The general-purpose idea has simplified the fleet over the decades: where three specialised classes used to be needed, one platform with different equipment often suffices today.
For identification this means: the train behind the locomotive loses significance with modern classes. Axle count, front shape and number become all the more important – the order also recommended by the guide to identifying locomotive classes.
Common mix-ups
It's likely a 120 if …
- the locomotive has four axles and looks massively proportioned
- the front is softly rounded and the windscreen looks deep-set
- the number begins with 120
- it appears ahead of different train types – passenger and freight alike
Look more closely if …
- you only see the silhouette from a distance – the curve is hard to judge against the light
- the locomotive carries a special or advertising livery that hides the shape lines
- the train behind it is atypical, such as an engineering train or a transfer move
It's not a 120 if …
- you count six axles – then the heavy freight classes are in play
- the front is flat and angular with a continuous dark window band – that points to the younger long-distance generation
- the locomotive body looks noticeably older and boxier, with a scissor-type pantograph
The realistic mix-up candidates specifically are the Class 101 – same wheel arrangement, but a more angular and flatter front – the Class 111 with a similarly rounded front section but a lower top speed, and, at six axles, the Class 151, which looks similarly bulky from a distance.
Verdict
The Class 120 is the locomotive against which you can measure the turn towards modern drive technology. Its small fleet size and its use, shifted over the years, make it a rewarding target today: you have to look for it, but you recognise it instantly once you’ve internalised the rounded front.
Quick verdict
Four axles, rounded front, massive proportions, number starting with 120: that's the first series three-phase locomotive. Anyone looking for it heads to electrified main lines – and checks beforehand where it's currently being reported.
Your 120 sightings in one place
Number, date, location and photo in one app – with 65 machines in total, a full collection is a realistic goal.
Summary
- The Class 120 brought three-phase technology into regular German service and became the blueprint for every later generation of electric locomotive.
- It can be identified by axle count, the rounded front shape and the number – three features that work even at a distance.
- Its use profile was unusually broad: long-distance, regional and freight service were all within its remit.
- Because the fleet is small and use has shifted over the years, every documented sighting with number and date pays off.
Frequently asked questions
What makes the Class 120 technically special?
It was the first series-built three-phase locomotive for main-line operation. Instead of series-wound motors, three-phase asynchronous motors with electronic control do the work – a principle every modern electric locomotive uses today. The 120 was thus less another locomotive and more a technological leap whose lessons fed into every successor design.
How fast does the Class 120 run?
The maximum speed is 200 km/h. That made it one of the fastest locomotives on the German network at the time it was procured, and equally suited to premium passenger workings and heavy freight trains.
How many Class 120 locomotives are there?
Five pre-series locomotives of the 120.0 design were built in 1979 and 1980, plus 60 series locomotives of the 120.1 design between 1987 and 1989. How many of these are operational at any given time changes constantly through inspection deadlines, rebuilds and withdrawals.
What's the difference between Class 120 and Class 101?
Both are four-axle three-phase locomotives for fast passenger trains. The 120 is roughly a decade older and, with its rounded, deep-set windscreen and sturdier roof structure, looks noticeably different in proportion. The 101 is more angular and flatter. When in doubt, the vehicle number decides.
Does the Class 120 also haul freight trains?
Yes – that was even part of the concept. The 120 was procured as a general-purpose locomotive that can haul heavy freight trains just as well as fast passenger trains. This flexibility was precisely the goal of three-phase technology and sets it apart from the specialised classes of the previous generation.
What do the suffixes 120.0, 120.1 and 120.2 mean?
The digit after the point denotes sub-classes. 120.0 stands for the five pre-series locomotives, 120.1 for the series delivery. Further sub-groups came about later through rebuilds for changed purposes. This fine subdivision is common in the German numbering system and is found in other classes too.
Where are the best chances for a 120?
On main lines with locomotive-hauled trains and at major hub stations. Its actual area of use has shifted several times over the years and depends on vehicle diagrams, contracts and the state of the fleet – so check the current picture rather than older diagram lists.
How do I identify exactly which 120 is in front of me?
By the full vehicle number on the side wall and cab. It consists of the class designation with sub-class and a three-digit running number, and together with the twelve-digit UIC number is the unique identifier of a locomotive.
Log your sighting of the Class 120
Date, location and vehicle number logged in seconds – and visible to the community.
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