NS 1501 - Diana

This originally British locomotive came into the possession of NS in 1970 when they purchased the series of seven locomotives to expand their fleet. It is the first and, to date, only series to have been purchased second-hand. A few years earlier, NS had been developing the new 1400 series but had to abandon the project due to the high costs. As NS’s need for locomotives was set to increase nonetheless, they turned to the British 27000 series.

Following a major overhaul, the 1501 became the first locomotive to enter service in 1970. It was also the first electric locomotive to enter service in the new corporate colour scheme of yellow and grey. The entire series was renumbered to the Dutch 1500 series, with the exception of one locomotive which was used for spare parts. A conscious decision was made to skip the 1400 numbers. The British had also given all the locomotives names corresponding to female figures from Roman mythology. These names were retained, which is why the 1501 is also known as Diana.

They subsequently served mainly on the The Hague–Venlo route and on the international train to and from Cologne. Eventually, they were withdrawn from the timetable in June 1986, and a group of drivers from Rotterdam and The Hague ensured that the 1501 was saved from the scrapyard. They maintained the locomotive and used it for special trips. Unfortunately, it became too expensive and difficult to keep it roadworthy, and it was taken out of service in 2007. Finally, in 2021, the 1501 was transferred to the Railway Museum, completing the museum’s collection of electric locomotives.