BLS Ae 4/4
| BLS Ae 4/4 Ae 415 |
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|---|---|
 BLS Ae 415 251 in Interlaken West in front of the Golden Pass train, June 17, 2004
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| Numbering: | BLS Ae 415 251-258 |
| Number: | 8th |
| Manufacturer: | SLM Winterthur, BBC |
| Year of construction (s): | 1944-1955 |
| Axis formula : | Bo'Bo ' |
| Length over buffers: | 15,600 mm |
| Empty mass: | 80 t |
| Top speed: | 125 km / h |
| Hourly output : | 2940 kW |
| Starting tractive effort: | 216 kN |
| Driving wheel diameter: | 1,250 mm |
The Ae 4/4 (UIC-compliant designation since 1992: Ae 415 ) of the Bern-Lötschberg-Simplon-Bahn (BLS) was a powerful bogie locomotive without running axles , of which there were initially two prototypes in 1944/45 and six more by 1955 were procured. The reason for the order was the increasing freight traffic on the Lötschberg route. The specifications looked at that time u. a. a trailer load of 400 t for a 27 ‰ gradient at a speed of 75 km / h.
The Ae 4/4 was the world's first high-performance locomotive without running axles for use in express train services. It served as a model for the four-axle bogie locomotive that established itself throughout Europe after the Second World War.
history
First, the two prototypes Ae 4/4 No. 251 and 252 were built, which were delivered in November 1944 and March 1945 in bronze-brown paint and met the expectations, apart from minor defects. These prototypes were given a dark green paint job in 1949 in accordance with the new BLS color scheme.
Two more copies each followed in 1948 and 1952 (No. 253, 254, 255 and 256), which were immediately delivered in the dark green livery. The last delivery from 1955 with the two copies No. 257 and 258 went into operation again in the classic red-brown paint.
Another order for the Ae 4/4 No. 259 and 260, which were already under construction, was converted and delivered in 1959 as the BLS Ae 8/8 271 double locomotive (new: Ae 485, called BLS-Muni ). So you could save two driver's cabs and mechanically couple the step switches.
The locomotives were built with a welded self-supporting body. Weight was also saved on other components in order to be able to maintain the maximum axle load of 20 t despite the required performance. In the 1950s, the number of braking resistors on the roof was increased, but the second pantograph was omitted.
In the years 1965/66 the four locomotives 253 + 254 and 255 + 256 were also converted to double locomotives Ae 8/8. They received the new vehicle numbers 274 and 275.
In 1966 the four single locomotives 251, 252, 257 and 258 still existed, which were further modified over time, such as: B. the installation of a multiple control . This made multiple operation and driving of control cars possible. The Ae 415 was also used in front of shuttle trains and in car transport (Kandersteg – Goppenstein, or Kandersteg – Brig).
From the turn of the millennium, the machines became superfluous, especially when the Re 465 and Re 485 took over many services and the Re 425 that became free took over the Ae 415 services. They partially provided subordinate services, but were also used in front of regional trains . B. to be found between Interlaken Ost and Zweisimmen. In 2002 locomotive no. 252 fell victim to a fire. Of the three remaining units, No. 251 is now available as a historic locomotive. Locomotive No. 257 was cannibalized in favor of No. 251 and then scrapped; Locomotive No. 258 is in the Verkehrshaus in Lucerne.
literature
- F. Gerber: New express train locomotives type Bo-Bo of the Lötschbergbahn .
Schweizerische Bauzeitung, Volume 127 (1946), Issue 18 (E-Periodica, PDF 16.6 MB) - Berner Alpenbahn-Gesellschaft: New rolling stock at the Berner Alpenbahn-Gesellschaft BLS, chap. e) locomotives .
Schweizerische Bauzeitung, Volume 75 (1957), Issue 1, Page 12 (E-Periodica) - Žarko Filipović: Electric railways: basics, locomotives, power supply . Springer-Verlag, 2005, ISBN 3-540-21310-4 .
