Electric locomotive 1044.53 of the Austrian Federal Railways.

■ Roof design with low fans
■ With many separately attached plug-in parts, in part using etching technology
■ Used to pull passenger and freight trains within Austria and into Germany
■ With etched factory plate included
■ Suitable for Ex 468 "Arlberg-Express", art. no. 6200077, 6200078, 6200079, 6200080
■ Switchable headlight/tail light with DIP switch

Constantly increasing performance requirements prompted the Austrian locomotive industry to develop a completely new high-performance electric traction unit with thyristor technology in the early 1970s. From 1976 to 1995, ÖBB procured 217 units of the four-axle electric locomotive class 1044. The 5,120 kW locomotives with speeds of up to 160 km/h characterised the modern image of ÖBB for many years. In the early years, traction of high-quality express trains dominated. Over the course of time, freight transport, push-pull operations and lead services also became part of the scheduled service on the mountain lines.