Key takeaways
- Griffin is a product name, comparable to Vectron or FLIRT – not a code from the PKP class system.
- The operational designation still follows the scheme: first letter drive type, second letter use, then the class number.
- Newag is a Polish manufacturer based in Nowy Sącz and also builds multiple units alongside locomotives.
- Four axles immediately set the locomotive apart from the heavy six-axle freight classes.
- Operators and areas of deployment change with contract awards and timetable years – always check current information.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Modern electric locomotive |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Newag (Nowy Sącz, Poland) |
| Type of designation | Griffin is a manufacturer's product name, not a PKP class designation |
| Wheel arrangement | Bo'Bo' – four axles in two bogies |
| Network | Polish network with 3 kV DC |
| UIC country code | 51 for Poland |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- Modern, smooth front end without the boxy styling of the older locomotives
- Four axles in two bogies – no six-axle body
- Operational markings following the PKP scheme, beginning with E for electric drive
- Livery usually in the colours of the operator concerned, not the manufacturer
- UIC number with the country code 51 for Poland
Updated: August 2026 – The Newag Griffin is a modern electric locomotive from Polish production. Its name, however, belongs to a different level from EU07 or ET22: Griffin is a manufacturer’s product name, not a class designation. This page shows how the two systems work together and what to look for to identify the vehicle in service.
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What is the Newag Griffin?
The Griffin is a modern four-axle electric locomotive from the Polish manufacturer Newag, based in Nowy Sącz. It belongs to a still-young development: after decades in which the Polish locomotive fleet was shaped by Pafawag and HCP designs, modern mainline locomotives are once again coming from domestic production. The designation scheme under which these locomotives are run in service, however, comes from the Polskie Koleje Państwowe and is considerably older than any product name.
What matters for placing it is the distinction between two naming levels. Griffin is a product name – comparable to Vectron at Siemens or FLIRT at Stadler. The operational designation in railway service, by contrast, still follows the Polish letter-and-number scheme, the same one that applies to the classic PKP EU07.
Telling product name and class designation apart
Anyone wanting to identify modern vehicles needs to read both systems. They describe different things and don’t rule each other out.
| Level | Who assigns it | What it says | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product name | Manufacturer | Vehicle family and platform | Griffin, Vectron, Impuls, FLIRT |
| Class designation | Railway operator | Drive type, use, build | EU07, ET22, EN57 |
| Running number | Railway operator | The individual machine | Three-digit number after the class |
| UIC number | International | Vehicle type, country, keeper, check digit | Twelve digits, starts with 51 for Poland |
For your logbook that means: the product name alone is never enough. Only the class designation plus running number identify a specific vehicle. How to actually find these numbers in service is explained in the guide to decoding train numbers.
Two questions, two answers
When identifying a vehicle, always ask both: which manufacturer does the platform come from – and how does the operator run the vehicle? The first part explains the shape, the second the markings.
Identification in the field
Count the axles
Four axles in two bogies. Six axles point to the older heavy freight classes and generally rule out modern mainline locomotives.
Place the styling
Modern vehicles look smoother and more sculpted than the boxy older locomotives. That separates the generations even at a distance.
Read the markings
The first letter reveals the drive type, the second the use. Then come the build and running numbers.
Note the operator
On modern vehicles, the livery says more about the operator than about the manufacturer. Both belong in the sighting.
See what's being reported right now
Community sightings show you in real time which vehicles are out and about – especially useful with new classes.
Spotting and photography
Modern locomotives are more demanding to photograph than they look. Large smooth surfaces reflect, and because platforms are similar across Europe, the legible markings decide whether a shot can still be matched up later.
- Include the side. A pure front-on shot of a modern locomotive is often not enough to identify it – the markings sit on the side.
- Avoid reflections. Flat morning or afternoon light is far kinder to large painted surfaces than harsh midday sun.
- Document the operator’s livery. For vehicles that switch between operators or are leased, the livery is a time-bound piece of information.
- Choose a suitable focal length. Too short, and the number is illegible; too long, and the train no longer fits in the frame.
The technical fundamentals are in the guide to good photos of trains, the lens question in the guide to focal length in train photography. For trip planning with real-time data, the article on live sightings helps.
Location and safety
Track areas, platform edges beyond the marking, stabling sidings and operational installations are off limits. Photography happens only from publicly accessible points. Exactly what rules apply to access and site rules depends on the operator and the individual case.
How modern vehicles change identification
The older generations on the Polish network could be identified by proportions: a boxy four-axle machine, a hefty six-axle freight locomotive, a compact shunter. With modern platform vehicles that only works to a limited extent, because European manufacturers build similar basic shapes for similar tasks.
In practice that means the order of identification steps shifts. Shape used to come first, with the markings as confirmation. Today, the markings are the actual identification step, and the shape only narrows down the vehicle generation.
Place the generation
Smooth surfaces, large continuous front sections and modern light units point to a vehicle from the more recent procurement waves. Edges, ribbing and flat, boxy bodies point to the older generation.
Guess the manufacturer, don't assert it
Platforms resemble each other. A guess about origin is a good starting point but doesn't replace a legible marking – especially when the same build runs with several operators.
Treat the markings as the decision
On modern vehicles, the designation on the bodyshell isn't an extra – it's the core of the identification. Without it, any assignment remains a probability statement.
Record the context
Operator, train type and location together build a picture that helps you match up unclear shots later. Note them straight away, not once you're home.
That’s exactly why it’s worth documenting modern vehicles cleanly from the start. Anyone who only begins after years ends up with an archive full of pictures with no way to place them. The combination of class designation, running number and date is the minimum – with leased vehicles, add the operator, because that can change without anything happening to the vehicle technically.
A good comparison case in the same network is the classic PKP EP09: it can be identified by shape, because it comes from a time when every class had its own face.
Common mix-ups
It's a Griffin if …
- you're looking at a modern, smoothly styled electric locomotive with four axles
- the markings follow the Polish scheme with a leading E
- the UIC number carries the country code 51
- the vehicle is running in the colours of a Polish operator
Look more closely if …
- you only see the front – modern platform locomotives resemble each other closely
- the livery gives no clue about the operator
- the vehicle is stabled and partly obscured
It isn't a Griffin if …
- the body looks boxy and flat – more likely an older locomotive such as the EU07 or ET22
- the front shows the strongly raked Taurus-style windscreen
- the vehicle is a multiple unit without a separate locomotive
With the same manufacturer, it’s worth comparing with the multiple units of the Impuls family, such as the Newag Impuls (EN76 / EN96). There, the N sits in second position and points to a multiple unit rather than a locomotive.
Verdict
The Griffin represents a new phase in Polish locomotive building – and an identification task typical of modern vehicles. Shape alone is no longer enough, because platforms look similar across Europe. What decides it are the markings, the operator and the number.
In short
Griffin is Newag's product name, the operational designation follows the Polish scheme. Four axles, modern styling, country code 51 – and the markings you read as the final authority.
Document new classes from the start
Anyone who captures modern vehicles early ends up with an archive that truly reflects the change.
Summary
- The Griffin represents the younger generation of Polish locomotive procurement from domestic production.
- For field identification, what counts is the axle count, modern styling and, above all, the written operational designation.
- Product name and class designation are two different levels – knowing both lets you place any modern vehicle cleanly.
- Because operator liveries change, the number and operator belong in every sighting.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Newag Griffin?
The Griffin is a modern electric locomotive from the Polish manufacturer Newag of Nowy Sącz. Griffin is the manufacturer's product name here, not the operational class designation. In service, the machines also carry a designation following the usual Polish letter-and-number scheme.
Why does the locomotive have two names?
Because manufacturers market their platforms like products, while railway operators classify vehicles according to their own system. It works the same way with the Siemens Vectron or the Stadler FLIRT. The product name describes the manufacturer's class, the operational designation says how the vehicle is run in railway service.
How do I read the Polish operational designation?
The first letter stands for the drive type: E for electric, S for internal combustion engine. The second letter describes the use: U for universal, P for passenger train, T for freight, M for shunting duty, N for a multiple unit. Then comes the class number. This system also works on vehicles you're seeing for the first time.
How many axles does the Griffin have?
Four axles in two bogies, wheel arrangement Bo'Bo'. That's the typical build of modern mainline locomotives in Europe. In Poland, six axles are found instead on older heavy freight classes such as the ET22 – so axle count remains the fastest way to rule vehicles out.
Who is Newag?
Newag is a Polish rolling-stock manufacturer based in Nowy Sącz. The company builds both locomotives and electric and diesel multiple units, including the Impuls family. That makes Newag, alongside PESA, one of the two major domestic manufacturers shaping the Polish vehicle market today.
What electrification system does the Griffin run on?
The electrified Polish network works throughout on 3 kV DC. Modern locomotive platforms, however, are often offered in several versions. Neither the product name nor the class designation tells you what fit-out a particular machine has – that's shown on the vehicle itself.
Where can you find the Griffin?
With operators who have procured or leased such machines – including regional railway companies such as Koleje Mazowieckie. Which vehicles run which services depends on contract awards, agreements and timetable years, and shifts regularly. So always check the current status.
How do I tell modern Polish electric locomotives apart?
Via three levels: axle count, the shape of the front end, and the written operational designation. Modern platform locomotives resemble each other in proportions far more than the older generations did, which is why the markings you read are especially important here. A photo without a legible number can often no longer be matched up reliably later.
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Related classes
Newag Impuls (EN76 / EN96)
The Impuls is Newag's electric multiple-unit family from Nowy Sącz. Its product name and PKP class codes such as EN76 or EN96 describe two different levels.
Electric locoPKP EU07
The EU07 is the Polish general-purpose electric locomotive par excellence. Its name gives it all away: E for electric, U for general-purpose, 07 for the design. Here's how to identify it with confidence.
Electric locoSiemens Vectron PKP Cargo (EU46)
The Siemens Vectron runs for PKP Cargo under the designation EU46. Here's how to recognise the platform, tell it apart from the Taurus, and make sense of the code.
Electric locoPKP EP09
The EP09 is the express locomotive of classic Polish long-distance service. E for electric, P for passenger – and a styling that sets it clearly apart from the EP07.
Electric locoPKP ET22
The ET22 is the heavy freight electric locomotive of the Polish network: six axles, two three-axle bogies, and a name that states its job directly.
Electric locoPKP EU44 (Taurus)
The PKP EU44 is the Polish Taurus variant based on the Siemens ES64U4 – nicknamed Husarz. E for electric, U for general-purpose, 44 for the design.
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