DB class 103

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DB class 103
103 235 in Dresden Central Station (2007)
Technical
data:		 Pre-series
E 03		 Series
103.1
Numbering: E 03 001–004
from 1968:
103 001–004
from 1989:
750 001–002		 103 101–245
1989 to 2005:
103 222 was designated as 750 003
Number: 4th 145
Manufacturer: Mechanical part:
Henschel-Werke
Electrical part:
Siemens-Schuckertwerke
(SSW)		 Mechanical part:
Henschel-Werke , Krauss-Maffei , Krupp
Electrical part:
AEG , BBC , Siemens
Years of construction: 1965 1970-1974
Retirement: 1986-1997 from 1997
Axis formula : Co'Co '
Service mass : 112.0 t 114.0 t
Wheel set mass: 18.7 t 19.0 t
Length over buffers: 19,500 mm 19,500 mm, later 20,200 mm
From 103 216, later also 103 173
Top
speed:		 200 km / h
At times with modified wheel sets - gearboxes :
103 118: 265 km / h
103 003 and 103 222: 280 km / h
Power system : 15 kV 16  2 / 3  Hz
Number of drive motors : 6th
Speed ​​switch: W40T from SSW with rotary selector and 2 thyristor load switches (series)
W40SL with snap load switch (2x pre-series)
Drive: Henschel splitter drive (2x pilot series)

SSW rubber ring cardan drive (series)

Hourly output : 6,420 kW 7,780 kW
Continuous output : 5,940 kW 7,440 kW
Starting tractive effort: 314 kN 312 kN
Performance indicator: 58.4 kW / t 68.2 kW / t
Train protection: Sifa / LZB / PZB 90
Locomotive brake: Pneumatic brake KE-GPR
electric brake

The locomotives of the class 103 (pre-series: E 03) of the Deutsche Bundesbahn (DB) are heavy six-axle electric locomotives for fast passenger train traffic . The E 03/103 were long considered the flagship of the DB and, along with the V 200 series diesel locomotives, were one of the best-known German locomotive series. With a continuous output of 7,440 kW (10,116 hp), the 103 were the most powerful one-piece locomotives in the world when they were commissioned and are still the most powerful locomotives that a German railway has ever used in regular service.

Starting in 1965, the DB used four pre-series E 03 units as "high-speed locomotives ". These were redrawn in 1968 in accordance with the DB's new numbering scheme as 103 001 to 004. From 1970 to 1974 a total of 145 series locomotives went into operation as 103 101 to 245. They are officially referred to as the 103.1 series.

From 1997 the 103 was gradually retired from the Deutsche Bahn AG and replaced by the 101 series in passenger traffic . After almost thirty years of operation, the vehicles were worn out from long distances in front of heavy intercity trains at speeds of up to 200 km / h. In 2003, the Deutsche Bahn ordered the parking of all vehicles, but still uses a locomotive for special trains , overpasses or plan trains . This is the locomotive 103 245-7 of the DB Fernverkehr München (used in front of scheduled trains ). 103 113 is now used by the DB Museum Koblenz for special trains. 103 222 is now in use by RailAdventure . Fifteen locomotives have been preserved in a museum, three of them from the pilot series. 103 001 is now back in service as E03 001 in front of special trains. E03 002, which entered service four weeks before the E03 001 and carried the E03 001 signs for the first four weeks, is privately owned and offered for sale on a platform.

The vehicle

development

Emergence

The roots of the 103 series go back to the 1950s. After the railway network, which was badly damaged in World War II, had been repaired, the Deutsche Bundesbahn began to build an electrified high-speed network for long-distance traffic . At first, pre-war locomotives such as the DR series E 18 ran in front of D and F trains for long-distance traffic . Even then, plans were made to increase the travel speed of some long-distance trains beyond the maximum 160 km / h. First considerations included a replica of the DR series E 19 , which was designed for 225 km / h.

From the 1960s, the more modern E 10 and E 10.12 gradually took over the express train service as well as the Trans-Europ-Express, which was previously dominated by railcars . For this reason, plans from the early 1950s (working title E 01 ) were taken up again in 1961 , which provided for a six-axle locomotive with a top speed of 180 km / h and 5,000 kW drive power, but had been stopped in favor of the E 10 . This concept was changed so that the locomotive should run 200 km / h and only have 18 tons of axle mass.

The companies Krupp / AEG submitted designs for electric locomotives with a total of four driving axles and two running axles in two bogies , i.e. with the axle sequences (1Bo) (Bo1) or (A1A) (A1A). Four electric motors , each with an output of 1250 kW, were provided for the drive .

The Henschel-Werke planned an electric locomotive with two three-axle bogies, the wheel sets of which were all individually driven. This became the E 03 . Henschel received the corresponding development order for the mechanical part. Siemens-Schuckertwerke (SSW), which from 1966 came under the umbrella of Siemens AG , was commissioned with the electrical part .

In preparation for the prototypes , new bogies were first tested in two locomotives of the E 10 series from ongoing production in 1963, with which the locomotives could travel up to 200 km / h. The two locomotives were provided with different hollow shaft drives : The E 10 299 got the splitter drive from Henschel, E 10 300 the rubber ring cardan drive from SSW.

In the same year test drives between Bamberg and Forchheim were carried out at high speeds . They searched for knowledge about the design of the overhead contact line , the superstructure and the mounting and suspension of the driven wheelsets. It remained open which of the two drive variants was better. The four E 03 prototypes delivered at the beginning of 1965, for example, had two Henschel and two SSW drives, which were later adopted for the series locomotives because of their lower weight.

The head shape of the locomotives was determined at the TH Hannover by means of tests in the wind tunnel . So the locomotives got a streamlined and elegant design at the same time .

Pre-series

Museum locomotive E03 001 at a vehicle parade in AW Dessau (2019)
Pre-production locomotive 103 002-2 in Hamburg-Altona (1983)

The first completed locomotive was the E 03 002 . It was handed over to the Federal Railroad on February 11, 1965 at Henschel in Kassel as part of a ceremony. For this occasion, she temporarily received the signs for the E 03 001 . One month later, the actual E 03 001 followed and, until June, the E 03 003 and 004 .

The new locomotives were presented to the public in June 1965 at the International Transport Exhibition (IVA) in Munich. The E 03 was alluding to her then outstanding performance of the public is not as ordinary express train, but as Express locomotive presented, a term in the language and in some cases up to now in the literature (here till the late 1980s, the fast travel Ellok referred ) could hold.

During the IVA, the new locomotives were used as scheduled in front of two pairs of express trains (designated as D 10/11, D 12/13) at 200 km / h on the railway line between Munich and Augsburg . They made it - as well as on the exhibition itself - internationally quite a stir: On 26 June 1965, a timetable moderate, busy with travelers reached train in Germany for the first time a speed of 200 km / h. The journeys ended on October 3, 1965. The trains were formed with TEE wagons. In order to travel at such high speeds, the Federal Railroad needed a special permit from the Federal Ministry of Transport , which was only valid for the duration of the IVA. The vehicles were the first locomotives in Germany to be equipped with automatic speed control.

Pre-series E03 003 of the DB series 103 at the World Transport Exhibition in Munich (1965).

The trips were accompanied by numerous engine failures. Only by the constant exchange of immature motors and subsequent repair in the depot could schedule are adhered to. The E 03 003 was on the exhibition grounds with the traction motors removed . One of the scheduled locomotives was in the depot, one was on reserve and only one was on the move with express trains. Despite all the problems, the class E 03 locomotives completed a total of 347 demonstration runs at 200 km / h during the IVA.

After the traffic exhibition, the first four locomotives were used in express train service from Munich, including on the Munich – Stuttgart route . Although there were occasional problems due to overheating of the engine room when driving uphill on the Geislinger Steige , the Federal Railroad continued to use this route.

All pre-series locomotives were stationed at the Hamburg-Eidelstedt depot from the 1974 winter timetable . The machines were used in front of express trains in northern Germany and a one-day circuit Hamburg – Munich – Hamburg. Occasionally there were trips in front of local trains .

From 1979 the locomotives came into trial service and were used from Minden and Munich. Here they performed trips for the transfer of wagons , for monitoring the control of the line train control and for checking the contact lines , but also various test and measurement trips for the testing of new railway vehicles . In the 1980s, the E 03 003 was still helping as the 750 002 in the development and testing of the DB class 120 and the first ICE 1 power cars as a brake locomotive . Trial operation with the last pre-series machine, the 750 001, the former E 03 001, ended in 1997.

The series series

Drei 103 in purple / ivory 1984 in Bremen (on the right with the old black DB sign made of metal, on the left with the newer, glued on in red)

In 1969 the Federal Railroad increased the requirements for the new 103. Instead of the previous 300 t, it should now be able to pull 480 t at 200 km / h and 800 t heavy D-trains at 160 km / h. That is why they refrained from reproducing the pilot series and improved the design.

For example, the power of the main transformer and traction motors have been increased. This made it necessary to revise the ventilation. For this reason, a second row with five fan grilles was installed on each side, which was the most striking difference from the four pre-series machines. However, this measure was at the expense of cleanliness in the engine room .

The motors received a new, thermally more resilient insulation , as well as improved commutator carbon contact pieces. This made them less sensitive to overload.

The 103 109 was the first series locomotive to be delivered on May 27, 1970, provisional acceptance on July 20, and final acceptance on September 8, 1970. The machines of the 103 series were each subjected to two approvals in order to be able to test new types of electronic components under operating conditions. If the test was successful or if all problems were eliminated, the final acceptance took place. The commissioning was not based on the numerical order of the company numbers. The last production locomotive with the designation 103 245-7 had its final acceptance on July 11, 1974.

Further improvements were subsequently built into all locomotives, for example better-sprung wheelset bearings and rotary dampers . From the mid-1970s, after the pantographs had torn down the contact line several times in the higher speed range, the factory-made pantographs of the type DBS 54 were replaced by new single-arm pantographs of the type SBS 65, partly in exchange with locomotives of the class 111 .

With its sophisticated aerodynamic shape, top speed of 200 km / h and, above all, its high output, the series version of the 103 represented the ultimate in locomotive construction in the early 1970s: With their installed total continuous output of 7,440 kW, the 103.1s were the most powerful E-locomotives of the DB and with their mass-performance ratio of 15.6 kg / kW were seen as the optimum that could be achieved using conventional technology with single-phase alternating current .

The locomotives were able to deliver even higher performance for a short time and, for example, maintain the full starting tractive effort of 312  kN up to a speed of 120 km / h (using the transformer switch even up to 140 km / h). This corresponds to an output of 10,400 kW (or 12,000 kW).

With this performance profile, the 103 was able to pull 400  t express trains on the flat and trains with 300 t at a gradient of 5  per thousand at 200 km / h. Later, when the second class of carriage was introduced for IC trains , express trains weighing more than 600 t were regularly transported at 200 km / h, which is 25% more than the 1969 requirement specification.

Today's three-phase express train locomotives from DB AG nominally have a similarly high (continuous) output, but the short-term output that can be used for acceleration is significantly lower than that of the 103 series and is usually only slightly higher than the continuous output .

Later, however, the maximum output of the 103 was limited to 9000 kW (corresponding to 600 A upper current ) to avoid damage  .

construction

Mechanical part

Head of 103 133 in Bremerhaven 1999 (here without apron below the buffer or coupling )

The 103 series has a completely welded frame that houses all of the electrical equipment and is mounted on two three-axle bogies . The locomotive body consists of two final driver's cabs made of sheet steel, welded to the frame, and three removable, non-load-bearing roof hoods made of sheet aluminum that are screwed to the frame. These removable roof hoods were a novelty for electric locomotives of the Federal Railroad.

In the driver's cab of a class 103 locomotive

The shape of the front sides of the locomotives was aerodynamically optimized, which meant that there was limited space in the two driver's cabs , the design of which the locomotive staff complained about . That is why they were enlarged from the machine with road number 103 216 and the space gained was used for more comfortable seats. The entire locomotive was thus lengthened by 70 cm. Since the driver's cabs were exposed to high temperatures during operation, all locomotives were retrofitted with air conditioning . In the case of the locomotives with the longer locomotive body, it was technically improved.

In the bogies, the middle wheelset can be shifted eight millimeters laterally for better cornering . The axle bearings are guided by rubber-sprung levers. They are cushioned by two coil springs per bearing and equipped with hydraulic dampers . From 103 216 they also received rotary dampers to achieve a smoother run. Older locomotives were retrofitted accordingly. The lightweight travel motors with their gears are located on the bogies . The power is transmitted via the newly developed rubber ring cardan drive from SSW . The bogies transmitted via tension or compression rods ( tie rods / thrust struts ), the driving forces to the frame.

Electrical part

The roof equipment consists of two roof dividers, the main compressed air switch and a high voltage converter for measuring the contact wire voltage and two pantographs . The first series locomotives were still equipped with type DBS 54a pantographs with special high-speed rockers. From 1976 single-arm pantographs SBS 65 were installed, which were exchanged with the first series 111 locomotives . It had happened several times that the pantographs tore down the contact line.

The oil-cooled and externally ventilated main transformer with 6,250 kVA traction power has three legs (primary, secondary and magnetic return). The traction winding has 40 taps on the high voltage side, which are switched via a rotary selector switch mechanism and thyristor load switch. The switching mechanism is controlled either via an electronic follow-up control or via a pulse control using an auxiliary travel switch. Two levels can be switched per second.

For higher tractive forces in the speed range from 160 km / h, the traction winding on the main transformer could be switched from 500 V to 650 V without power. This corresponded to the required range of tasks: the traction of lighter trains with speeds of up to 200 km / h and heavy trains up to 160 km / h. However, this function was later shut down.

The traction motors of the series 103 series have six twelve-pole AC series motors of the type WB 368 / 17f newly developed by SSW with external ventilation and a maximum speed of 1,525 rpm and a motor weight of 3,500 kg. The engines for the series locomotives achieved a continuous output of 1240 kW in their final development stage.

Braking system

The electrical resistance brake , which was designed to be self- energizing for the first time, is of similar efficiency , in which the traction motors generate direct current which is converted into heat via braking resistors . It only requires shock excitation from the battery , but no power supply from the overhead line . The braking resistors are fed by the braking current and work at temperatures of up to 650 ° C. In the event of a power failure, the drive motor fans are also supplied via the braking current. The electric brake has an output of up to 9,800 kW for a short time and 4,800 kW in continuous operation with a maximum braking force of 180 kN, which can be maintained from 200 km / h to 40 km / h. These short-term values ​​are not achieved by today's three-phase AC locomotives, the braking power there is usually slightly less than the maximum drive power. The powerful electric brake made the 103, the pre-series as well as the series, a popular brake locomotive . The last operations took place in 2002 on the high-speed route Cologne – Rhine / Main near Siegburg on a 40 ‰ gradient.

In addition, the machines have an indirectly acting and multi-release compressed air brake . The pre-series locomotives received a two-stage brake, the series series a three-stage brake. During operation, it is precontrolled for the electric brake and is usually only used shortly before standstill when the electric brake drops. The direct additional brake acts via pressure intensifiers on six brake cylinders per bogie. The locomotives are equipped with an electro-pneumatic brake control (ep brake) for operation.

Safety devices

In addition to safety driving controls and train radio , the series 103 has additional equipment on the driver’s cabs, as well as punctual train control coupled with the linear train control (LZB) . When they were put into service, all locomotives had the LZB 100 specially developed for the 103 by Siemens , which was later replaced by the microprocessor-controlled LZB / I 80. With the commissioning of the new lines, the locomotives also received the mandatory emergency brake override (NBÜ) to prevent an emergency braked train from coming to a standstill in the tunnel .

Conversions

750 003 in the BZA Munich
103 222 again with the old paint scheme

As early as the 1970s, the 103 118-6 was fitted with a modified gearbox and its maximum speed was increased to 265 km / h. The locomotive completed numerous test drives up to around 250 km / h on a 28 km test section of the Hamm – Minden railway line . On September 12, 1973 it reached a top speed of 252.9 km / h between Gütersloh and Neubeckum .

On June 14, 1985, a test train from the Federal Railway Central Office in Minden, pulled by 103 003-0 with a special gear ratio, set a speed record on German rails on the Hamm – Minden line (between Brackwede and Neubeckum ) at a speed of 283 km / h on. The changed gear ratio of the locomotive, which could briefly produce an output of more than 10,000 kW, was the only change to the machine for high-speed travel. The locomotive also became the fastest German locomotive. On August 6, 1993, the prototype of the Euro Sprinter ( 127 001 ) broke this record with 310 km / h.

From July 1986 the locomotive was used for numerous approval and test drives in the southern section of the high-speed line Hanover – Würzburg . Between July 15 and August 8, 1986 she undertook journeys to approve the section between the Burgsinn depot and the Hohe Wart transfer point (26 km) for 280 km / h. Then it was used together with 120 001 to test a new pantograph. Up until 1987 it was used on the line for numerous tests, in particular to investigate the aerodynamic effects of train encounters and the development of pressure-capable rail vehicles . 103 001-4, 103 004-8, 103 107-9 and 103 154-1 were used.

In January 1988, the record locomotive 103 003-0 was reduced to the standard version with a series transmission.

In September 1989, the 103 222-6 was equipped with the gearbox and the high-speed bogies of the 103 118-6, originally approved for 250 km / h, and approved for test purposes for a top speed of 280 km / h. At the same time, after the renovation, it was renamed 750 003 as a railway service vehicle due to its experimental character . Since the end of May 2005 the locomotive has been referred to as 103 222-6 again, is still operational and also still approved for speeds of up to 280 km / h.

Color variations

As a TEE locomotive , the 103 series initially had a paint job that differed from most other locomotive types . There were also various special paints. With one exception, the locomotives were not redesigned to the traffic red color scheme that has been used since 1996 .

The original paintwork of all 103 was in the TEE colors purple / ivory with a black-gray subframe. A red decorative stripe on the front served as a transition to the higher-lying color separating edge of the TEE car. The first serial 103 built with the number 103 109-5 was the only one to have a gray frame around the fan grille, which tapered to a point on the side of the doors, and the narrow stripe on the front sides extended beyond the door and the cab number was in Window height attached. In 1987 the color scheme was adapted to the other locomotives. Originally all machines (including the pre-series) had a raised black DB logo made of metal on the front side, which was later often replaced by a corresponding glued-on red emblem. From around 1980, individual locomotives were repainted in which the frame was painted purple-red up to the lower edge, matching the paintwork of the cars, which was modified in the same way.

With the new DB color concept, most of the locomotives were painted completely in oriental red from 1987 onwards with a white bib underneath the front window of the driver's cab . However, this paintwork tended to weather and fade after a short time.

For use as the Lufthansa Airport Express , the 103 101 was painted in melon yellow / pebble gray in May 1991 to match the passenger car of the train. On the sides, in the area of ​​the lower area painted yellow, it was provided with the Lufthansa crane symbol and the lettering of the train. The DB symbols were omitted. The locomotive continued in this paint scheme until May 31, 1993.

103 220 was painted in sapphire blue, leaf green, traffic yellow, sky blue and pure white for the DB tourist train in 1995, symbolizing the elements of water, land and air. The locomotive, which was soon called the Bird of Paradise , had the simplified, glued-on red DB logo in the smaller version on the front.

Shortly before the foreseeable end of operation of the 103 series, the 103 233 was painted in traffic red on the initiative of the Salzburg model railway manufacturer Roco and officially presented on August 5, 2000. The locomotive did not have a white bib on the front sides, instead two white stripes left and right of the DB symbol in the same width. An advertising sticker under each side of the driver's cab window indicated this action and the importance of the 103 for German rail traffic . The marketing department of Roco had this idea in turn by a April Fool's the trade journal Railway courier , in a mounted photo traffic red 103 was shown a. A model of the 103 233 was exclusively available from Roco.

  • 103 228 in oriental red with white "bib"

  • 103 220 in the paint scheme for the DB tourist train

  • 103 233 in traffic red livery in the DB Museum Koblenz

  • E 03 001 in cobalt blue / beige in the Nuremberg Transport Museum

  • 103 222 in the color scheme of RailAdventure

Locomotives still preserved

Since the timetable change in December 2016, there is no longer a 103 in Deutsche Bahn's scheduled service. Although the majority of the vehicles have now been retired and scrapped, several examples have been preserved in railway museums or on private railways. For vehicles that are currently operational, the locomotive number is shown in bold , for operational locomotives (without a valid HU) in italics .

Company number Whereabouts
E 03 001 was transferred to the DB Museum Koblenz-Lützel for a short time on November 10, 2006 after the deadline had expired as the last still operational pre-series locomotive. It was then exhibited in Vehicle Hall II of the DB Museum Nuremberg. In March 2014, at the initiative of a model railroader's association, the locomotive was given four weeks of foiling in the original TEE Rheingold color variant cobalt blue / beige. The foils were then removed again. The locomotive has been at home in the DB Museum Koblenz-Lützel since the summer of 2016, and after completion of its general inspection on May 22, 2018, it has been operational again at the DB Museum. As part of the HU she received a. A. also the LZB equipment of 103 235.
E 03 002 was optically refurbished, sold to a private person and transferred to the Spatzenpark (Lage) amusement park in Herrnried , has been available for sale on eBay since April 2016 (as of August 2019)
E 03 004 is located in the Lichtenfels railway depot , was dismantled from 2006-2011 to the delivery condition.
103 101-2 has been owned by the DB Museum since the beginning of 2013 and can be viewed in the Railway Museum in Darmstadt-Kranichstein . It is the only locomotive still painted in oriental red among the surviving representatives of its class.
103 113-7 was already in the DB Museum Koblenz, was reactivated and in January 2013 came into the possession of DB Fernverkehr and was based in Frankfurt. It was used again in front of regular trains. It has a red frame. From December 2015 timetable change in Munich and also used from there, since March 30, 2017 again in the DB Museum in Koblenz.
103 132-7 has been owned by TRI Train Rental GmbH since 2018, previously it was owned by the DB Museum. The locomotive was last in Munich and served as a spare part donor for the locomotives 103 113, 103 235 and 103 245. It was transferred to Dessau on October 28, 2009 and stored there. The locomotive has been in the Dessau repair shop for diagnosis since the end of 2018.
103 136-8 has been sold to the BEM Nördlingen and can be viewed there. In 2018 it was moved under its own power for the first time in years in the BEM site. An operational reconditioning is reportedly being considered.
103 167-3 has been owned by the DB Museum since the beginning of 2013 and is stored in the Lokwelt Freilassing .
103 184-8 has been in the DB Museum's holdings since January 18, 2002 and in the same year was repainted in purple / ivory with the old DB emblem on the driver's cabs and the inscription DB Museum Historische Verkehre . The locomotive was used across Germany with the TEE (Trans Europ Express). It was looked after by the railway workshop in Frankfurt am Main and was based there. The locomotive has also been given a special pantograph for journeys in Switzerland; it can no longer run there. In January 2013 it was taken over by DB Fernverkehr. Since March 2012 it has not been operational due to worn wheelsets; its deadline expired in June 2013. On June 11, 2013, it was transferred to the Darmstadt-Kranichstein Railway Museum and parked together with 103 101. On November 19, 2013, there was a transfer to the Frankfurt-Griesheim plant. The future is currently uncertain, for example the use as a spare parts dispenser for 103 113 and 103 235 is under discussion. The current location is the Lichtenfels depot.
103 197-0 was sold in 2003 to a private person from Cologne. It was parked inaccessible in the Cologne district of Bickendorf . Before it was sold, it was set up and used as a conference room in the DB plant in Opladen . Except for driver's cab 2, it has been completely gutted and also painted in a shade of blue. In mid-December 2006 the locomotive was also transferred to the Spatzenpark . There it was given a new paint in the TEE paintwork. A sale on eBay by the Spatzenpark failed because the locomotive couldn't find a buyer there. In the meantime, however, the locomotive has been sold and is no longer in the Spatzenpark . Since 2016 it has been located in the Altenbeken depot at Deutsche Privatbahn.
103 220-0 is the " bird of paradise " of the series. Because of its colorful tourist train paintwork, it was and is a popular photo object among railway enthusiasts. Since 2003 it has been in the Neustadt / Weinstrasse Railway Museum . The inside of the locomotive has been completely preserved, but its wheelsets have run down to their limits. It has been owned by the DB Museum since the beginning of 2013 and was shown in the DB Museum Koblenz from May 2014 . After renewing its eye-catching paint job, it is now in the South Westphalian Railway Museum in Siegen.
103 222-6 (still approved up to 280 km / h, bogies of 103 118) was initially used for test and measurement drives throughout Germany for the Minden Research and Technology Center (FTZ). As of November 30, 1989, it was removed from the regular vehicle fleet and renamed 750 003. DB Systemtechnik as the successor to the FTZ continued these operations and kept the locomotive stationed in Minden . In 2005 it was redrawn as 103 222. In 2015, 103 222 was auctioned for € 551,000 to the company RailAdventure. In 2015 the machine received another general inspection with a new paint job in the corporate design of RailAdventure at the Dessau plant. Your successor at DB Systemtechnik is 182 506 , a "Taurus" type locomotive.
103 224-2 was - on permanent loan to a private person - to be viewed in the DDM Neuenmarkt for a long time before it was stored for a while in the Glauchau depot. It has been owned by the DB Museum since the beginning of 2013. Since 2014 it has been back in the DDM Neuenmarkt-Wirsberg, where it was stored in the depot. Since April 22, 2016, it has been one of the vehicles of the DB Museum Nuremberg exhibited in the open-air area there .
103 226-7 also went on permanent loan to Lokomotiv-Club 103. The excellently reconditioned and well-cared for locomotive is drivable, but is not allowed to drive on its own due to the lack of a general inspection. It has been owned by the DB Museum since the beginning of 2013. Currently parked in the roundhouse in Siegen.
103 233-3 is now in the DB Museum in Koblenz-Lützel .

What is special about 103 233 is the variety of its finishes. 1973–1996 TEE lacquer (purple red / ivory), 1996–2000 oriental red with white “bib”. In the summer of 2000, the model railway manufacturer Roco donated the DB AG corporate design traffic red with light gray bars to the locomotive. This makes it the only 103 that has received this paintwork to this day. However, due to the need to exchange operating fluids, driving on your own is currently not possible. In addition, the batteries have been removed so that an upgrade process is no longer possible.

103 235-8 was in the portfolio of DB Fernverkehr Frankfurt and was used until December 2014 before scheduled InterCity trains on the route between Stuttgart and Münster together with 103 113. The locomotive has been part of the DB Museum in Koblenz-Lützel since January 2015 . The deadline was February 2015. It served as a part donor for E 03 001 (LZB), but will still be able to drive in Koblenz-Lützel.
103 245-7 is the last 103 built and also belongs to the DB Museum. Since 2013, it has taken over a pair of InterCity trains between Nuremberg and Munich as planned, as well as special services, e.g. T. also to Austria. Since autumn 2014, it has been running on schedule with a pair of InterCity trains between Munich and Ulm. Since the timetable change in 2016/17, the locomotive has not been used as planned. The locomotive was actually supposed to be transferred to the DB Museum at the end of April 2017, but was initially parked in the Munich Hbf depot for a long time. The locomotive is looked after by the Munich Locomotive Association. The locomotive was removed from the DB stock, but has been back in stock there since August 10, 2017.Currently (as of March 2018) the locomotive is not operational due to worn out wheelsets. In 2019 the machine was transferred to the Dessau repair shop , where it has since been axed and is now waiting on auxiliary bogies for new wheelsets. The locomotive was last assigned to DB Fernverkehr München and was finally transferred to the DB Museum on March 4, 2020. 103 245 is to be available to the DB Museum Koblenz-Lützel as an operational locomotive for the TEE-Rheingold.

Mission history

First years

The 103 series mainly pulled the new single-class InterCity trains from 1971 , but also the comfortable single-class TEE trains from 1972 until they were discontinued or replaced by the EuroCity in 1987, including the famous Rheingold . Another important task of the 103 from 1971 was the transport of night trains for rail mail on the north-south axis. The series locomotives took over almost all InterCity trains from 1974.

Until 1977 it was only allowed to drive at a maximum of 160 km / h, because the routes were not yet designed for the top speed of the 103. The trains with their four to five cars did not fully demand the performance of the locomotives. There were severe setbacks in the first few years:

  • On July 21, 1971, the serious train accident occurred near Rheinweiler . The semi-automatic speed control of the locomotives, consisting of the automatic drive and brake control (AFB) and the line train control (LZB), was made responsible for the disaster: probably against the will of the driver , the control had the train at 140 instead of 120 km / h km / h, which prevented the driver from braking the train to the permissible speed of 75 km / h in front of the narrow track curve in front of Rheinweiler. As a result, the train lost the track and destroyed several houses below the embankment . Locomotive 103 106 crashed into a pit , was badly damaged and therefore dismantled at the scene of the accident . The subsequent investigation into the accident had the consequence that the use of the AFB was temporarily prohibited until technical remedial action was taken.
  • In the winter of 1971/72 the pantographs of the new 103.1 overhead lines caused damage to the Federal Railways and in Austria . The pantographs of type DBS 54a with Wanisch seesaw threaded in in crosswinds and occasionally tore down the overhead lines at higher speeds. The TEE Prinz Eugen , which runs from Bremen to Vienna , was derisively nicknamed “Prinz Eugen, the noble teardrop” in Austria at that time. - A remedy was initially found with pantographs of the normal design, but could only drive 160 km / h with them. The final solution was the new single-arm pantograph of the type SBS 65, which was used for the first time on the DB class 111 . In some cases the pantographs were swapped between the 103 and the newer 111.

Nevertheless, at that time the 103 were the locomotives with the highest mileage in Germany. It was considered expensive and should therefore drive constantly so that the high costs of its maintenance pay off. In order to fill in the gaps, the railroad used it to run express and local trains, and occasionally even freight trains in peripheral locations. An average of between 35,000 and 42,000 km per month was driven, about 350,000 km per year. This is why the 103 still holds the record for the highest mileage in Germany: In July 1972, the 103 157 drove 50,251 km on 31 days of operation.

The intercity locomotive

It was not until 1977 that the first sections of the route for 200 km / h regular speed between Augsburg-Donauwörth- Munich , Hanover-Uelzen and Hamburg-Bremen could be put into operation. For the first time ever, the 103 was able to travel to its maximum speed on individual high-speed sections in regular passenger traffic. Previous journeys over 160 km / h were only possible with temporary exemptions.

In 1979 the Federal Railroad changed its concept for the InterCity trains. The 2nd class was introduced, the trains were lengthened to eleven to fourteen cars, which resulted in a significantly higher train weight. Nevertheless, the Bundesbahn stuck to a top speed of 200 km / h, which the 103 also managed. It was found that not all InterCity trains could be hauled with the existing 144 locomotives. If necessary, it was replaced by the 110, 111 and 112 series.

Due to the increased use, the damage and repair work on the locomotives increased. Nevertheless, in 1985 the daily mileage was increased from 156 trains to 183 trains. The average daily mileage was over 1400 km.

Their use in front of InterCity trains, the fastest trains of the DB at the time, which, due to its branched line network , resulted in their constant presence in the larger train stations , brought the 103 series a high level of awareness, thanks to its appearance in print and television advertising of the DB has been increased even further. The general public equated it with the InterCity trains and occasionally referred to it as the InterCity locomotive , which later found its way into literature .

From the summer timetable in 1988, the train performance of the 103 series fell for the first time because the first series copies of the 120 series, which also had a speed of 200 km / h, with three-phase drive were put into service. These were used on the new high-speed line Hanover – Würzburg, which was gradually taken over into regular operation from 1988 . The numerous tunnels on the new line required the use of pressurized vehicles, which the 103 was not one of. With the gradual introduction of the Intercity-Express from mid-1991, the Intercity gradually lost its status as the top product of Deutsche Bahn, and with it the importance of the 103 series declined.

In mid-1988 the damaged inventory of the 103 fleet was around 30 percent. Up to 15 less powerful replacement locomotives drove in place of the failed locomotives of the class 103. The LZB equipment of the vehicles was considered particularly prone to failure.

Decline

103 197 with EuroCity and car set in the orient red / pastel violet color scheme in Karlsruhe main station on August 12, 1995
103 245 in Munich Hbf

In the period of German reunification from the end of 1989, the locomotives once again supported the traffic on the German long-distance railway network, which had expanded practically overnight .

From May 1991 they pulled the Lufthansa Airport Express from Frankfurt am Main to Stuttgart, for which the locomotive with the road number 103 101-2 was painted in the Lufthansa colors melon yellow / pebble gray.

Some class 103 locomotives could be seen in front of freight trains in the Stuttgart area in the early 1990s . Due to the high starting tractive effort of up to 312 kN, such an application was in principle possible, even if the locomotives etc. a. of the gear - translation were designed her not optimal for it.

Due to frequent use in front of heavy InterCitys, most of the machines showed increasing signs of wear such as cracks on the bogie frame or defective traction motors and switching mechanisms. Originally, the locomotives were designed for use in front of single-class and thus lighter trains and not for the two-class InterCitys, which consisted of 10-14 cars (sometimes more), as they were driven from 1979 onwards. In addition, the cost optimization program DB 90 , which is not very happy at least from today's point of view, began to show its first effects: the maintenance intervals had been stretched and it was continued until defects actually occurred and so the number of failures almost inevitably rose. The fact that "driving on wear and tear" had been adopted further reinforced the effect of the InterCity missions and thus accelerated the decline of the 103.

In addition, the machines were increasingly "misused" for regional train service: The mechanics of the 103 series were designed to be supercritical as an express locomotive, the frequent starting or braking in regional traffic - and thus frequent driving through the resonance frequency range - took its toll here.

From 1992 the top speed of individual locomotives had to be limited to 160 km / h due to poor driving characteristics. The AFB was often expanded because the automatic system sometimes switched back and forth between two speed levels in order to maintain the desired speed, thus causing malfunctions. They wanted to meet them with minimal effort. For the next few years, however, it was to be expected that the maintenance costs would rise sharply due to the minimum maintenance prescribed by the management of the railway. A replacement for the 143 locomotives was necessary at short notice and a new purchase was necessary, as there was a shortage of high- speed electric locomotives anyway due to the reunification of Germany and the expansion of high-speed routes in the new federal states .

Replacement and retirement

103 237-4 in the oriental red color scheme with Interregio when passing through the Berlin Friedrichstrasse station on February 18, 2001

The DB requested offers for new high-performance locomotives from the German rail industry. From 1996 the new class 101 (also with 145 units like the series 103.1 locomotive) was put into service as its successor. The commissioning of the 101 series resulted in the loss of other traditional tasks for the 103. The end of their working life was looming. As a universally usable locomotive, the 101 series displaced many older machines. In addition to the three-phase current locomotive of the successor series 101, which was still under development, the ICE was intended to replace the 103 in its traditional role in the medium term.

At that time, in addition to the Intercitys, the pulling of InterRegios and D-trains was added as a new task, which still fit in well with their design, as these trains also ran at 200 km / h and the routes did not have as many traffic stops. The InterRegio timetable was thinned out more and more in the following years, so that the 103 again lost an important area of ​​operation. Some of these locomotives were increasingly seen in front of regional trains , which, given their consistent design for express trains, was anything but an ideal area of ​​application and led to further wear and tear. However, widespread use on a larger scale in front of regional trains failed because the 103 series was not provided with push-pull control and could therefore not be used or only to a limited extent on many regional routes.

One of the last major missions took place after the ICE accident in Eschede on June 3, 1998. At that time, the 103 as part of the emergency timetable to Eschede with ICE replacement trains once again formed the backbone of German express rail traffic after all ICE 1 trains had been withdrawn from circulation for technical inspection.

From 1999 onwards, all class 103 locomotives still in service were transferred to the then newly founded subsidiary DB Reise & Touristik AG, now DB Fernverkehr AG , in whose portfolio they were continued until the end of their scheduled service.

103 245 with an ICE replacement train on the way from Leipzig to Nuremberg near Hallstadt on November 1, 2008

They found another significant use when in 2000 many special trains had to be driven to the Expo 2000 exhibition in Hanover . After numerous expo special trains were underutilized and therefore canceled in summer 2000, the decommissioning of numerous class 103 locomotives was planned for the timetable change on December 5, 2000. By June 2001, all 103s should be withdrawn from service. At the end of 2000 there were still 59 machines in stock. As a result of the tense vehicle situation, several z- machines were reactivated in early 2001 . For the timetable valid from June 2001, no more scheduled 103 circuits were designed, but due to the high level of damage in the 101 and 120 series, a circuit initially valid until September 29, 2001 was created. From August 5, 2002, machines of the 103 series took over three plantations from the 101 series, the locomotives were used on interregional trains between Saarbrücken, Luxembourg and Münster.

A high level of damage on the 101 series meant that several 103 series locomotives were brought back into passenger service at the beginning of 2003. This affected 103 167, the machines 103 184, 103 233 and 103 245 that had already been handed over to the DB Museum, as well as the vehicles 103 217 and 103 221 that had been given to the Nuremberg and Munich plants as operating locomotives.

After that, they became increasingly rare and eventually disappeared from the rails almost everywhere. From mid-2003 there were practically no class 103 locomotives left in scheduled service, after a few were still used as reserve locomotives and for special services (transfer of passenger coaches, special train operations, etc.). The 103 184-8 pulled a scheduled Intercity in August 2003 as the last locomotive of this series.

Further use

103 245 came to DB Fernverkehr in Munich after the end of the planned operations, where it was used before some special trains as well as scheduled RE , IC , EC and car trains between Nuremberg, Augsburg, Innsbruck , Salzburg and the Brenner Pass .

Because of the wheelset problems on the ICE-3 and ICE-T trains in 2008 and 2009, 103 245 before ICE replacement trains ran from Munich via Augsburg to Nuremberg, before the timetable change in December 2008 it reached Leipzig with replacement trains. From January 2009 to 2011 it was used as scheduled on weekdays in front of the CNL  482/483 trains between Munich and Nuremberg.

The 175th anniversary of the railway in Germany as well as vehicle and wagon bottlenecks meant that the DB RegioNetz Verkehrs GmbH Profit Center Nostalgiereisen on behalf of DB Fernverkehr started on August 29, 2010 with the IC 1806/1817 in the style of 1979 between Cologne Hbf and Hamburg- Altona and from December 12, 2010 DB Fernverkehr with the IC 2410/2417 between Cologne and Flensburg used the locomotives 103 184 and 103 235 in front of IC trains as scheduled. With the timetable change in December 2012, these trains were discontinued. The 103 113 was fully inspected as a reserve locomotive for this traffic in 2011. The 103 222-6 from DB Systemtechnik, which is approved for speeds of up to 280 km / h, is also still in use.

103 113 in front of IC 118 in Essen Hbf, 2014

Since the timetable change in December 2013, the Frankfurt depot has again had a two-day schedule for the 103 series. Up to now, machines 103 113 and 103 235 have been used in this schedule. However, the 103 235 locomotive will expire in the near future and will probably have to be replaced. As a possible successor, currently (as of January 2014) only 103 220 (former tourist train locomotive) is being discussed, as 103 222 has too great technical differences to the series locomotive and 103 184 important parts have already been removed or are defective. 103 245 from the Munich depot is scheduled to operate in front of intercity trains between Nuremberg and Munich. Since autumn 2014, it has been taking over an intercity train pair between Munich and Ulm as scheduled.

Accidents

Three locomotives had to be taken out of service due to total write-offs after accidents.

The above-mentioned train accident in Rheinweiler on July 21, 1971 was the first accident in which a locomotive of this series was irreparably damaged with the 103 106-1.

Another serious accident was the collision of 103 173-1 with another locomotive in Kohlscheid in February 1972 . It was so badly damaged that it had to be completely rebuilt. They therefore received the extended driver's cabs. The repair was completed on December 14, 1973.

On March 6, 1981, an express train pulled by the 103 125-1 collided with an approaching freight train at Tauberfeld station on the Ingolstadt – Treuchtlingen railway line . The engine driver of the freight train had confused his signal showing "Halt" with the other signal for the through track, which indicated the position "Run" for the express train . The 103 of the freight locomotive 150 100 drove to the flank at high speed on the switch , crashed down a 10 m deep embankment with its passenger carriages and stayed on the roof, whereby the engine driver died. While the 150 only overturned, the 103 had to be dismantled on the spot.

103 198-8 was lost on August 4, 1992 in the Neuwied accident with a semi-trailer that fell off a bridge between the locomotive and the first car. Unscheduled, she was traveling on the right-hand Rhine route with her Intercity .

Accidents at speeds over 140 km / h were not known.

In the media

Both their use as an advertising figure and their appearance in the television advertising of the DB, in which the class 103 was deliberately staged as a draft horse , contributed to the very high degree of popularity of these locomotives .

Since the early 1970s, DB has often used the 103 for advertising purposes. Numerous press photos and postcards were taken with this locomotive. In many train stations or ticket offices there were pictures of the 103. In addition, it often appeared in stylized form on stickers and advertising materials .

1975 postage stamp

From the end of the 1970s, the corresponding class 103 locomotive of the train shown in it could be seen several times with musical background in close-ups in commercials for the InterCity trains.

In the second half of the 1980s, the 103 series appeared again in the DB's television advertising for the DB's advertising campaign, known as the Pink Weeks, with particularly low tariffs . One of these locomotives broke through a paper wall in the earlier commercials with musical background in close-up. In the later spots, a 103 was seen next to the pink elephant , but this time only while driving.

On April 15, 1975, a 103 was published as a motif ( Michel no. 837) as part of the youth stamps issued annually .

The Pixi book 868 "I have a friend, he's a train driver" from 1997 shows a red 103 with the road number 103 128-5 on the cover of the book. This also guides the reader through the picture book.

literature

Books

  • Michael Dostal: Locomotive legend 103 . GeraMond Verlag, Munich 2005, ISBN 3-7654-7111-9 .
  • Michael Dostal: Class 103 - the first high-speed electric locomotive of the Deutsche Bundesbahn . GeraMond Verlag, Munich 2000, ISBN 3-932785-47-9 .
  • Christian Wolf, Christian Ernst: The class 103 - the history of the famous intercity electric locomotive . EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2002, ISBN 3-88255-103-8 .
  • Christian Wolf: The DB 103 star locomotive . EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2006, ISBN 978-3-88255-343-7 .

Magazines

  • Dierk Lawrenz: 25 years ago: E 03. The breakthrough in express traffic. In: Railway courier . Volume 24, No. 216 . EK-Verlag, 1990, p. 34-38 .
  • Christian Wolf: 103 farewell in Austria. End of a guest performance . In: Railway courier . Volume 33, No. 322 . EK-Verlag, 1999, p. 44-46 .

Web links

Commons : DB-series 103  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ E 10 for Tempo 200 . In: Series E 10 - Railway Journal Special Edition 02/2006 . ISBN 3-89610-166-8 , pp. 38 .
  2. ↑ a b c Without author: The further plans of the new railway . In: Bahn-Special , Die Neue Bahn . No. 1, 1991, Gera-Nova-Verlag, Munich, pp. 78-79.
  3. ↑ Heinz Dürr , Knut Reimers (Ed.): High-speed traffic . 1st edition. Hestra-Verlag, 1991, ISBN 3-7771-0234-2 ( Yearbook of Railways , Volume 42), p. 39.
  4. ↑ Deutsche Bundesbahn (Ed.): Even faster ... The high-speed trip on the Deutsche Bundesbahn . Six-page brochure, ca.1965.
  5. ^ Rüdiger Block: On New Paths. The new lines of the Deutsche Bundesbahn . In: Eisenbahn-Kurier Special: High-speed traffic . No. 21, 1991, pp. 30-35.
  6. ↑ Egon Pempelforth: DB star on fast rails. In: eisenbahn-magazin, issue 11/2014, p. 7.
  7. ↑ The pantographs of the BR 103 . Accessed September 9, 2016.
  8. ^ JM Mehltretter: The locomotives of the Deutsche Bundesbahn , 4th edition 1976, ISBN 3-87943-268-6 .
  9. ↑ Archive link ( Memento from June 30, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Series locomotive 103, in: DIE BUNDESBAHN 7/8, 1970.
  10. ^ Andreas Steimel: Electric traction vehicles and their energy supply , Oldenburg Industrieverlag, 2006, ISBN 3-8356-3090-3 , p. 33 ( limited preview in the Google book search).
  11. ↑ a b TRAIN DISASTERS: Once upon a time . In: Der Spiegel . No. 32 , 1971, p. 31-34 ( Online - Aug. 2, 1971 ).
  12. ↑ a b BUNDESBAHN: Risk with Sifa . In: Der Spiegel . No. 41 , 1973, pp. 46-52 ( Online - Oct. 8, 1973 ).
  13. ^ A b Matthias Maier, Rüdiger Block: ICE. InterCity Experimental. InterCity Express . In: Eisenbahn-Kurier Special: High-speed traffic . No. 21, 1991, pp. 58-67.
  14. ^ Message German record on the Bielefeld – Hamm rail line . In: Railway technical review . 34, No. 7/8, 1985, p. 511.
  15. ↑ Report attempts at high speeds on the Deutsche Bundesbahn . In: Railway technical review . May 1974, p. 215.
  16. ↑ a b Inventory list on www.103er.de ( Memento from May 21, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) accessed on August 18, 2019.
  17. ↑ Railway courier : E 03 001 in the new color scheme
  18. ↑ Project: E03 004. Foundation BSW location group "Historisches Bw Lichtenfels", accessed on January 30, 2018 .
  19. ↑ explanatory words about the new TRI vehicles , forum post from December 23, 2018 on Drehscheibe-online.de
  20. ↑ message Endzeitstimmung in Opladen . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International , issue 12/2003, p. 527.
  21. ↑ railway magazine 7/2014. P. 17.
  22. ↑ a b message 103 222 . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International , issue 7/2005, p. 309.
  23. ↑ Nürnberger Nachrichten: Attention locomotive lovers: five new additions to the Railway Museum . April 22, 2016.
  24. ↑ LOK Report 11/2017
  25. ↑ Turntable 303, issue 3/20 May
  26. ↑ Notification of fast traffic still problematic . In: Eisenbahn-Kurier , issue 10/1988, p. 44
  27. ↑ 103-retirement . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . Issue 10, October 2000, p. 426 .
  28. ↑ return of the 103 . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . Issue 3, March 2001, p. 101 .
  29. ↑ 103 Farewell . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . Issue 7, July 2001, p. 292 .
  30. ↑ Indispensable 103 . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . Issue 10, October 2001, p. 428 .
  31. ↑ New schedule for class 103 . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . Issue 10, October 2002, p. 444 .
  32. ↑ Tense situation at BR 101 . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . Issue 5, May 2003, p. 195 .
  33. ↑ www.bahninfo.de - With the historic InterCity from Cologne to Flensburg. Retrieved August 18, 2019 .
  34. ↑ Archive link ( memento of October 14, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) accessed on August 18, 2019.
  35. ↑ eisenbahn-magazin 6/2011, p. 21.
  36. ↑ DS-Redaktion: Editorial News. Retrieved August 18, 2019 .

Eisenbahn Journal Extra 2/2006: Kultlok 103 ( ISBN 3-89610-159-5 )

  1. ↑ p. 40.
  2. ↑ a b p. 17.
  3. ↑ p. 15.
  4. ↑ p. 18.
  5. ↑ p. 28.
  6. ↑ p. 58.
  7. ↑ p. 39.
  8. ↑ p. 32.
  9. ↑ p. 106.
  10. ↑ p. 43.
  11. ↑ p. 47.
  12. ↑ p. 59.
  13. ↑ p. 60.
  14. ↑ p. 61.
  15. ↑ p. 50.
  16. ↑ p. 64.
  17. ↑ p. 8.
  18. ↑ a b p. 72.
  19. ↑ a b p. 77.
  20. ↑ p. 79.
  21. ↑ P. 91/92.
  22. ↑ p. 94.

Eisenbahn Journal special edition 3/2000: 103 technology use farewell

  1. ↑ p. 20.
  2. ↑ a b p. 14.
  3. ↑ pp. 28-31.
  4. ↑ a b p. 32.
  5. ↑ p. 76.
  6. ↑ pp. 15-16.
  7. ↑ p. 22.
  8. ↑ a b c p. 19.
  9. ↑ a b c p. 18.
  10. ↑ a b p. 16.
  11. ↑ p. 20.
  12. ↑ p. 21.
  13. ↑ p. 76.
  14. ↑ a b p. 34/35.
  15. ↑ p. 36/37.
  16. ↑ a b p. 81.
  17. ↑ p. 44.
  18. ↑ p. 83.

Michael Dostal: Lok-Legende 103. Verlag Geramond ( ISBN 3-7654-7111-9 )

  1. ↑ p. 129.
  2. ↑ p. 34.
  3. ↑ p. 130.
  4. ↑ p. 27.
  5. ↑ p. 44.
  6. ↑ a b p. 46.
  7. ↑ pp. 48-50.
  8. ↑ p. 29.
  9. ↑ p. 112.
  10. ↑ a b p. 91.
This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on July 27, 2008 .