All Belgium's neighbouring countries use different systems for their railway electrification: Belgium uses 3 kV DC, Germany is electrified at 15 kV 16.7 Hz, The Netherlands uses 1.5 kV DC and the northern part of France uses 25 kV 50 Hz.

Series 16 locomotives were derived from the series 15 units and can operate on all four of the different power systems. Series 16 has two sub series: 160.001-160.004 (re-numbered 1601-1604) with Siemens AC/DC converters and 160.021-160.024 (re-numbered 1605-1608) with ACEC converters.
In 1974, units 1601 and 1602 were equipped with a smaller fourth pantograph to be able to haul the "Freccia del Sole" holiday-trains to Spiez in Switzerland without the need for a loco change. The model should have three (or four) single arm pantographs.

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