BLS Ce 2/4
| BLS Ce 2/4 | |
|---|---|
| Numbering: | 781-783 |
| Number: | 3 |
| Manufacturer: | SWS BBC Siemens-Schuckert |
| Year of construction (s): | 1910 |
| Retirement: | 1936 (renovation) |
| Axis formula : | Bo'2 |
| Gauge : | 1435 mm ( standard gauge ) |
| Length over buffers: | 20300 mm |
| Top speed: | 70 km / h |
| Hourly output : | 330 kW |
| Power system : | 15,000 V 16.2 / 3 Hz |
| Power transmission: | Overhead line |
| Number of traction motors: | 2 |
| Seats: | 64 |
| Classes : | 3rd grade |
| BLS Ce 4/4 | |
|---|---|
| Numbering: | 781-783 |
| Number: | 3 |
| Year of construction (s): | 1936 (renovation) |
| Retirement: | 1953-54 |
| Axis formula : | Bo'Bo |
| Gauge : | 1435 mm ( standard gauge ) |
| Hourly output : | 590 kW |
| Power system : | 15,000 V 16.2 / 3 Hz |
| Power transmission: | Overhead line |
| Number of traction motors: | 4th |
| Seats: | 64 |
| Classes : | 3rd grade |
The first three railcars of the Bernese Alpine Railway Company Bern – Lötschberg – Simplon (abbreviated to BLS ), which were purchased in 1910 and immediately used on the Spiez – Frutigen test route, were called Ce 2/4 .
history
The vehicles were built based on the model of the first railcars of the Hamburg-Altona city and suburban railway . The car part was supplied by SWS , while the electrical equipment came from MFO and Siemens-Schuckert .
The three vehicles are the first railcars intended for use with the high-voltage alternating current 15,000 V 16 2/5 Hz. The test track was initially fed with a frequency of 15 Hz, but before the opening of the Lötschberg line it was switched to 16 2/3 Hz, since 16 2/3 Hz was set as the standard frequency .
Technical
The railcar had two bogies , which were connected with a stiffened support frame . The wooden box, which was clad with sheet metal on the outside, was built on this frame. The bogies had two leaf springs on each side, which were supported on the axle sleeves and connected to each other in the middle by a compensating lever . The car body was supported by sliding plates on the bogie so that the pivot was relieved. A cradle was not installed because there was neither the necessary space nor the necessary weight reserves to accommodate the extra weight. The railcar did not have a continuous tie rod, the tractive forces were directed via the car body, which was considered acceptable due to the expected type of use as a towing vehicle at the head of the train. The railcar has two large compartments, which are separated in the middle by the toilet and washroom. The passage between the two compartments was through the washroom. They had an open boarding platform on both sides between the passenger compartment and the driver's cab . There was a platform with handrail in front of the driver's cab. Via this one could enter the driver's cab through a front wall door. This door was not in the middle, but on the left side in the direction of travel. Exactly behind this was a door to the entry platform in the driver's cab. The driver's cab was set up for standing service that was customary at the time. The railcar was painted dark red on delivery and decorated with black lines.
The vehicles were designed so that both bogies could each accommodate two engines, but initially only one bogie was equipped with engines. It should therefore be possible to convert the railcar with the Bo'2 wheel arrangement into a railcar with the Bo'Bo wheel arrangement without much effort. This simple conversion was not carried out because the electrical equipment was heavier than planned and because the twin-engine version had almost reached the maximum permissible total weight. It was not until 1936 that the railcars received four traction motors, but this was a comprehensive conversion (more on this below). Thus, at the beginning only a transformer and a tap changer , which consisted of several hops , were used for the drive, although this equipment was available twice in each vehicle. However, both transformers were used for the electric heating of the car and the supply of the heating cable. The two motors in the bogie were connected in parallel. The built-in motor was an eight-pole series-wound motor of the Siemens-Schuckert type WBM 300. The single-phase motors had reversing poles and were externally ventilated. The line transmission was carried out with a pawl bearing drive , the gears used for this purpose had straight teeth and a transmission ratio of 1: 3.45. The two transformers had an hourly output of 450 kVA and were suspended under the car. The primary winding consisted of two parts and had a clamping device. In theory, it would have been possible to run the railcars with 7500 volts. The secondary winding had seven outputs (90, 109, 139, 178, 228, 288 and 300 volts), the first six of which were used for driving, while the 300-volt output was used for heating. Since there was still a choke coil, a total of eleven speed levels were available. The step switch consisted of several individual switches, so-called hops, which is why the control system that was used is also called hop control . The control was activated via a shift drum that was located in each driver's cab. Initially, it was planned to install a secondary switch drum for the shunting service; however, they were not installed upon delivery.
The vehicles had a multiple control line and could run in double traction. In addition to the two pressure hoses for the automatic and direct brakes, there was a third air line that was needed to lift the pantograph. The pneumatic lines were duplicated. The electrical sockets of the multiple control were simply available and were connected diagonally with a cable. The arrangement that is common today has already been chosen for the electrical heating cable (cable on the right, coupling socket on the left), but only operated with 300 volts (1000 volts would be common today). The heating cable could withstand 300 amperes. Due to its length and large overhang, the vehicles had very large buffer plates.
Conversion to Ce 4/4
In 1936 the railcars were rebuilt. They received new electrical equipment and, for the first time, four drive motors. Here they got the same engines as the five light railcars just delivered. This increased the output from 330 kW to 590 kW. It should be said here that the weight of the traction motors was only 5.2 tons, in comparison the two first motors weighed 7.4 tons. A 77 percent increase in engine output was achieved, as well as a 34 percent weight reduction. The two new transformers had an output of 490 kVA and were smaller in size than the old ones. The bogies were also modernized and received cradles and beams. This could have a positive influence on running behavior.
In 1950, a spring drive was installed instead of the valley bearing drive.
Operational
The railcars were mainly used for local trains (local trains) between Spiez and Kandersteg, and after the electrification of the Thunerseebahn also between Spiez and Bönigen.
The vehicles were scrapped and demolished between 1953 and 54. The transformers and some other parts of the electrical equipment were reused in the newly built ABDe 4/8 .
Requirement profile
The railcars were required to be able to carry a train with a total weight of 160 tons and a total weight of 240 tons at 45 km / h on an incline of 27 per thousand.
literature
- Claude Jeanmaire: Spiez – Frutigen-Bahn (archive no. 59), 1992, Verlag Eisenbahn Villingen, ISBN 3-85649-059-0 , pp. 109–118.
- Contribution by O. Stix “The electric vehicles of the main line Spiez-Frutigen” published on February 11, 1911 in Schweizerische Bauzeitung Volume 57 Issue 6 Digitized edition on E-Periodica.ch
Individual evidence
- ^ Electrification of Spiez-Frutigen Railway . In: Electric Railway Journal . tape 33 . McGraw Hill Pub. Co, New York June 1909, pp. 232 ( archive.org ).