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The end of an era…………….
The hardworking type MY is no longer in ordinary service. It was the best purchase so far by the DSB and it shall probably never be surpassed. With this locomotive a new era in danish railway history was begun. In the early days it was only loved by a few and hated by many. It certainly wasn´t popular with most engine drivers in 1954. The drivers who drove the MY´s were considered "grand"; this fortunately changed with time.
The first MY-locomotive arrived from NOHAB Sweden in 1954. Four of them had been ordered along with a spare engine. They cost 1.8 million Dkr., but the savings amounted to 700.000 Dkr., meaning it was good business, despite of all the early scepticism: it never became necessary to use the spare engine, and it was installed in a locomotive ordered at a later time. By 1958 43 locomotives had been delivered and in 1964-65 the last ones arrived, bringing the final number of MY-locomotives to 59.
The new locomotives did not only save money, it also meant saving time when travelling by train. The MY-locomotives would soon become the all-important locomotive for multi-purposes; it could haul a heavy freight train just as well as an express train.
Not all was positive, there were drawbacks as well, and many papers received letters to the editor complaining about noise. Residents close to railway lines were bothered by the noise of an MY hauling a heavy freight train or being accerated quickly when hauling an express train. The locomotives were built from an american model - the F7 - but in America it was mainly used on railway lines, where no one lived closeby. The Technical University was involved in solving the problem and the silencer factory LYDEX found a solution used from MY 1116 and onwards.
Good bye to the MY-locomotives…
The MY's always start. They always run, and they always return safely.
Many engine drivers will vouch for that.
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