Key takeaways
- El 17 means “electric locomotive, type 17”: the number is a type identifier, not a year of construction or a fleet size.
- Older generation: compared with the El 18, the El 17 looks noticeably older in its construction and design language.
- Fleet and deployment are subject to change: whether and where individual machines are still running shifts constantly – check the current situation.
- Electric means tied to the wires: no overhead line, no El 17 – that is the quickest exclusion criterion of all.
- No sightings in Germany: the vehicle is tied to the Norwegian network.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Electric locomotive |
|---|---|
| Designation system | “El” stands for electric, “17” is the type number |
| Manufacturer | Norwegian production (NEBB / Thune) |
| Electrification system | 15 kV / 16.7 Hz AC |
| Gauge | 1435 mm standard gauge |
| Generation | older type than the El 18 |
| Country of operation | Norway – no regular service in Germany |
| UIC country code | 76 (Norway) |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- Markings begin with El 17 – abbreviation plus type number are shown on the body
- A clearly older look than the El 18: more angular body shape, fewer smooth surfaces
- Classic locomotive design with coaches or wagons behind it, never a fixed part of a multiple unit
- Single-arm pantograph for 15 kV / 16.7 Hz
- Sturdy snowplough and robust winter equipment at the front
- Only found under the wires – ruled out on non-electrified lines
Updated: August 2026 – The El 17 is one of Norway’s older electric locomotive types and was built in Norway. For spotters from German-speaking countries it is above all one thing: a good practice object for understanding the Norwegian designation system – and a vehicle for which a carefully documented sighting is particularly worthwhile.
Document older types while they're still around
Number, location and date logged in seconds – so your sighting from abroad still means something in ten years' time.
What is the El 17?
The El 17 is an electric main-line locomotive for the Norwegian network. Its designation follows the national pattern: “El” stands for electric, and the number 17 identifies the type. It was built in Norway – the manufacturers NEBB and Thune stand for an era in which Norway still largely sourced its traction units from within the country. The type was ordered by the Norwegian state railway, which has traded as Vy since 2019.
Compared with the newer El 18, the El 17 is the older generation. How many machines are still running at any given time, who owns them and on which lines they are used changes with traffic contracts, sales and withdrawals. This page therefore deliberately makes no claims about current regular workings – instead, it shows you how to recognise the vehicle and place it correctly.
Norway’s designation logic: simpler than the German system
The Norwegian scheme is one of the clearest in Europe. It consists of two building blocks, and both are shown legibly on the vehicle.
Letters = type of traction
El for electric, Di for diesel. That tells you immediately whether a vehicle is tied to the overhead line or not.
Number = type
The digits after it distinguish designs from one another. El 14, El 17 and El 18 are three different types – not three series of the same locomotive.
“Type” = multiple unit
If a vehicle carries the designation “Type” plus a number instead of an abbreviation, it is a multiple unit – so not a candidate for the El family.
This clarity is the real learning effect of a trip to Norway: whereas in Germany the same three-digit number only becomes meaningful through context, the Norwegian vehicle carries its category in its name. How to approach both systems methodically is described in the guide to identifying classes.
The number is not a year
Don't confuse the type number with a year of construction. A higher number usually means a newer type, but it is not a date – and you can't derive power output or fleet size from it either.
Context within rail operations
Electric locomotives are tied to the electrified network, and in Norway this boundary is particularly sharp: several major lines are not electrified and are worked by diesel traction. For you, that is an excellent exclusion criterion.
| Observation | Conclusion | Certainty of the conclusion |
|---|---|---|
| No overhead line above the track | no El type possible | very high |
| Markings begin with “El” | electric locomotive | very high |
| Markings begin with “Di” | diesel vehicle, El 17 ruled out | very high |
| “Type” plus a number on the vehicle | multiple unit rather than locomotive | very high |
| An operator’s livery or branding | a clue, but changeable | low – changes with contract awards |
The last row is important: operator logos and colour schemes are the least reliable part of any identification. In Norway as in Germany, traffic contracts change hands and vehicles are repainted or sold on. The type markings stay, the logo doesn’t. The El 17 illustrates this well: for years, individual machines shaped the scene at the head of the trains of the Flåmsbana, which operates as a brand of its own. If you’re looking for special liveries, the article on advertising locomotives and special liveries offers the right system.
Fleets change – your log doesn't
Record what you actually saw. In the end, that is more reliable than any online list.
Documenting older types: what matters
With a vehicle whose future is uncertain, the value of a sighting shifts. It’s less about having “seen an El 17” than about which machine ran where and when.
- Full number rather than just the type – the serial number is the real information.
- Date and location exactly, not roughly. “Summer 2026, somewhere up north” is worthless later.
- Note condition and markings: livery, lettering, visible modifications.
- Record the context: was the locomotive stabled, shunting, or at the head of a train?
How to file such details so that you can still evaluate them years later is shown in the guide to the sightings log. For the pictures themselves, a clean archive structure is also worthwhile, as described in the article on the photo archive for spotters – experience shows that pictures from trips abroad are the first ones you can no longer place.
Photography in Norway: the realistic conditions
Norwegian stations often offer a clear view and few crowds, but the lighting conditions are demanding: short days and low light in winter, long days but very low-angled sun in summer.
Number shot first
First the documentary picture with legible markings, then the beautiful one. The other way round, the train leaves before you have the number.
Plan for raking light
A low sun brings out the edges and rivets of older types superbly – but the same situation also creates harsh shadows.
Be ready for changes in the weather
Rain, snow and sunshine within a single hour are normal. A rain cover for the camera belongs in your bag, not in the hotel.
Safety on the platform
Tracks, operational railway land and stabling areas are off-limits – even when nobody is watching and there is no fence in the way. On the platform, the platform edge is the limit; in snow, ice and wet conditions it often isn't even visible. Keep your distance consistently and only take photos from publicly accessible areas.
Common mix-ups
It points to the El 17 if …
- the body carries “El 17” plus a serial number
- it is a standalone locomotive, not a multiple unit
- there is an overhead line above the line
- the overall impression is older and more angular than modern types
Look more closely if …
- the locomotive is running in an unfamiliar livery or without an operator logo
- it is stabled between other vehicles
- snow, ice or dirt make the markings illegible
It's not an El 17 if …
- the markings begin with “Di” or read “Type” plus a number
- the vehicle is running on a non-electrified line
- it is recognisably a continuous multiple unit with powered cars
The most obvious mix-up is the newer El 18. In freight service you’ll instead come across the El 14, and in shunting service smaller vehicles such as the Skd 220c – both have nothing in common with the El 17 apart from the designation logic.
Conclusion
The El 17 is not a vehicle about which much can reliably be said from afar – and that is exactly what makes it a good example of how to work properly: read the designation, determine the category, check the type of traction, note the number and treat everything else as changeable. If you work this way, you’ll arrive at solid results in any country, even without detailed knowledge of the individual type.
In short
El stands for electric, 17 for the type, and everything else belongs in your log rather than in a claim. If you come across an El 17 in Norway, the full number is worth more than any beautiful picture without legible markings.
Sightings with number, location and date
Especially with vehicles whose future is uncertain, precise documentation counts – Traintrack turns it into a searchable archive.
Summary
- The El 17 is one of Norway's older electric locomotive types and was built in Norway.
- Its designation follows the same simple pattern as all Norwegian locomotives: an abbreviation for the type of traction, a number for the type.
- For identification in the field, what counts are the markings, the body style and whether there is an overhead line at all.
- Because older types disappear from the scene faster than new ones, a properly documented sighting is particularly valuable here.
Frequently asked questions
What does the designation El 17 mean?
“El” is the Norwegian abbreviation for an electric locomotive, and 17 is the sequential type number. The number says nothing about the year of construction, power output or fleet size – it merely distinguishes this design from other electric types such as the El 14 or the El 18.
How do I tell the El 17 and the El 18 apart?
Quickest of all by the markings on the vehicle. Visually, the overall impression helps: the El 18 belongs stylistically to the Lok 2000 line with a smooth, rounded front, while the El 17 looks older and more angular. In poor light or with a dirty bodyside, the markings remain the most reliable source.
Is the El 17 still in regular service today?
There's no answer that stays valid for long. With older types, fleet size, area of operation and ownership change regularly, and individual machines move into museum use or use outside the railway. So check the current situation shortly before a trip rather than relying on older overviews.
Can I see the El 17 in Germany?
No, it is a Norwegian vehicle with no regular service in Germany. For spotters from German-speaking countries, the El 17 is therefore purely a vehicle for trips abroad – interesting above all as a point of comparison, because Norway uses the same electrification system as German-speaking Central Europe.
What voltage does the El 17 run on?
On 15 kV at 16.7 Hz. Norway thus uses the same AC system as Germany, Austria, Sweden and Switzerland. For you, that means: the overhead line and pantographs look familiar, but the vehicle designations follow a logic all of their own.
How do I identify the individual machine?
By the serial number after the type designation. Only this sequence of digits identifies the specific vehicle. Note it together with the date, location and livery – with rare or older types, that is exactly the difference between a usable sighting and a note nobody can make anything of later.
Is the El 17 a freight locomotive?
The type is a general-purpose main-line locomotive and not the same as the heavy freight machines of the Norwegian network. Which workings it actually runs depends on the owner and the traffic contract and changes over time – if in doubt, the train behind the locomotive tells you more than any general classification.
What should I photograph first on an El 17?
The bodyside with the complete markings, then a three-quarter view of the front. Older types disappear from the scene faster than new ones, and a picture without a legible number later loses most of its documentary value.
Log your sighting of the Vy El 17
Date, location and vehicle number logged in seconds – and visible to the community.
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