VR Class Dm7

Dm6, Dm7
Dm7 multiple units at Jyväskylä railway station in 1987
In service	1954–88
Manufacturer	Valmet
Constructed	1954–63
Number built	15 (Dm6) 197 (Dm7)
Number preserved	21
Fleet numbers	4000–4014 (Dm6) 4020–4216 (Dm7)
Capacity	64 passengers
Operators	Valtionrautatiet
Specifications
Car length	16,660 mm (54 ft 7+7⁄8 in)
Width	3,100 mm (10 ft 2 in)
Height	3,400 mm (11 ft 1+7⁄8 in)
Maximum speed	95 km/h (59 mph), later 115 km/h (71 mph)
Weight	15–18 t (14.8–17.7 long tons; 16.5–19.8 short tons)
Prime mover(s)	Valmet 815 D
Power output	130 kW (170 hp)
UIC classification	(1A)′(A1)′dm
AAR wheel arrangement	1A-A1
Track gauge	1,524 mm (5 ft)

The Dm6 and Dm7 were diesel multiple units built by Valmet in the 1950s and 1960s for Valtionrautatiet.[1] They are known by their nickname lättähattu (Finnish for "flat cap", the first widespread youth culture movement in Finland).[2]

History

A preserved Dm7 at Äänekoski station in 2011.

At the beginning of the 1950s it became clear that VR needed multiple units to compete with buses in short-distance traffic.[3] In 1952, seven Dm6s were ordered from Valmet, and eight more the next year.[3]

After testing the Dm6:s and having noted that the new DMU:s worked well in Finnish conditions, VR ordered more units.[4] In total, 197 Dm7 class multiple units were built with some modifications (a larger wheel size, for instance).[4]

Variants

VR Class Dm7 recorded on 28 June 2018

DmG7

Three Dm7:s (numbers 4145–4147) were transformed into goods transport vehicles. They were withdrawn in 1981.[5]

Ttv

16 Dm7:s were transformed into electric maintenance vehicles.[6]

Preservation

All Dm6:s have been withdrawn from service.[7] 20 Dm7:s are preserved by Finnish museum railway associations.[8]

No:4020 is at the Finnish Railway Museum.

See also

• Finnish Railway Museum
• VR Group
• List of Finnish locomotives
• List of railway museums Worldwide
• Heritage railways
• List of heritage railways
• Restored trains
• Jokioinen Museum Railway
• History of rail transport in Finland

References

1. "Dm7" (in Finnish). Suomen Rautatiemuseo. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
2. Kiiskinen & Ahonen 1996, p. 123.
3. Eonsuu, Honkanen & Pölhö 1995, p. 74.
4. Eonsuu, Honkanen & Pölhö 1995, p. 76.
5. Eonsuu, Honkanen & Pölhö 1995, p. 80.
6. Eonsuu, Honkanen & Pölhö 1995, p. 111.
7. Eonsuu, Honkanen & Pölhö 1995, p. 75.
8. Eonsuu, Honkanen & Pölhö 1995, p. 77.

Literature

• Eonsuu, Tapio; Honkanen, Pekka; Pölhö, Eljas (1995). Suomen veturit osa 2. Moottorikalusto. Elokuvan Maailma. pp. 74–80, 111. ISBN 952-5060-02-0.
• Kiiskinen, Kyösti; Ahonen, Seppo (1996). Rautahevon kyydissä: Junamatka Matin ja Liisan päivistä Pendolinoon. Gummerus. pp. 123–124. ISBN 951-20-4900-7.

External links

• Media related to VR Class Dm7 at Wikimedia Commons
• Finnish Railway Museum
• Steam Locomotives in Finland Including the Finnish Railway Museum