DB class V 51
| DB class V 51 (1964–1968) DB class 251 (from 1968) |
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 251 902-3 at the entrance to the Warthausen train station on June 17, 1988
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| Numbering: | V 51 901-903 |
| Number: | 3 |
| Manufacturer: | Gmeinder & Co. |
| Year of construction (s): | 1964 |
| Retirement: | At the DB: V 51 901: February 23, 1971 V 51 902: March 31, 1983 V 51 903: March 31, 1983 |
| Axis formula : | B'B 'ie |
| Gauge : | 750 mm |
| Length over buffers: | 9,810 mm |
| Height: | 3,434 mm |
| Width: | 2,400 mm |
| Trunnion Distance: | 4,080 mm |
| Bogie axle base: | 1,700 mm |
| Total wheelbase: | 5,860 mm |
| Smallest bef. Radius: | 50 m |
| Service mass: | 39.00 t |
| Friction mass: | 39.00 t |
| Wheel set mass : | 10.00 t |
| Top speed: | 40 km / h |
| Installed capacity: | 2 × 198 kW |
| Starting tractive effort: | 13,200 kg |
| Driving wheel diameter: | 850 mm |
| Motor type: | 2 × MWM TRHS 518A |
| Rated speed: | 1,800 rpm |
| Tank capacity: | 1,800 l |
| Drive: | hydraulic |
| Brake: | Knorr - compressed air brake |
The V Series 51 (1968: Series 251 ) refers to a small series of three modern narrow-gauge - diesel locomotives that in 1964 the German Federal Railways were built. The V 51 should rationalize the operation with the completely outdated steam locomotives on the remaining three 750 mm narrow gauge lines in Baden-Württemberg . Except for the track width , the three V 51s are identical to the two machines from the V 52 series . In 1964 they went to the Federseebahn (V 51 901), the narrow-gauge railway Warthausen-Ochsenhausen (V 51 902) and the Bottwartalbahn (V 51 903), and they proved their worth everywhere.
history
prehistory
In the early 1960s, the remaining narrow-gauge railways of the Deutsche Bundesbahn in Baden-Württemberg were mostly used for trains that were pulled by 13 operational narrow-gauge steam locomotives. In order to modernize and rationalize operations on these local lines with a gauge of 750 or 1000 mm, which are otherwise threatened with closure , the state of Baden-Württemberg granted grants to the Deutsche Bundesbahn.
The reason for this was the planned closure of the Mosbach – Mudau meter -gauge railway in the Odenwald from 1954 . After a serious accident between the bus and train in Lauffen am Neckar in 1959 in connection with the Zabergäubahn , the Federal Railroad also sought a transitional solution with diesel locomotives for the 750 mm track, in the case of the Zabergäubahn, by way of exception, also for passenger transport. In general, the diesel locomotives were intended as a temporary solution in order to be able to economically continue freight traffic on the narrow-gauge lines for a certain period of time until the expansion of the roads would enable the railways to be closed. Permanent continued operation, modernization in the true sense or more attractiveness for passengers was not the goal.
development
The Deutsche Bundesbahn then asked for a powerful locomotive with a not too high axle load , which should be suitable for use in front of both passenger and freight trains, even on smaller track radii. The focus was less on high speed than on a robust and maintenance-friendly construction. Due to the subsidies from the state, only one company within Baden-Württemberg was considered for the contract.
Initially, C- and D-coupled rod locomotives from Gmeinder & Co. in Mosbach / Baden were under discussion. However, these types appeared too cumbersome for passenger traffic to Mudau. Gmeinder also offered the D-coupled type to the Brohltalbahn in Rhineland-Palatinate, but received no order.
In the meantime, MaK in Kiel had delivered a four-axle bogie diesel locomotive to Alsen'sche Portland-Cement-Fabriken KG (later Alsen AG) in Itzehoe in 1959 , which MaK had developed in 1958 for industrial and possibly private railways. That locomotive had a track gauge of 860 mm when it was delivered. The type designation of MaK was MaK 400 BB . This abbreviation indicated the total power and the wheel arrangement. With the central driver's cab, which provided a good view on all sides, even when maneuvering, and the good arcuate mobility thanks to the bogies, this type also appeared to be very suitable for use on the public narrow-gauge railways in Baden-Württemberg. Since MaK and the Federal Railroad's Department for Internal Combustion Locomotives (in Munich) have been working well together for years in the area of standard gauge locomotives, MaK is likely to have brought the new type into play. However, because the state of Baden-Württemberg promised partial subsidy financing, the locomotives should also be manufactured in this state. Therefore Gmeinder received this order, but basically taking over the construction from Kiel. Gmeinder was allowed to build this under license. In some details, the machines from Mosbach were adapted as much as possible to the standard parts of the Federal Railroad, such as the headlamps.
construction
In 1963, the German Federal Railroad adopted the design by Gmeinder & Co. , which was strongly reminiscent of the V 100 series , whereupon the well-known Mosbach locomotive factory received a corresponding license from MaK to build the new narrow-gauge diesel locomotives for Baden-Württemberg. However, the V 51 is neither conceptually nor constructively related to the V 100. The construction of the locomotives went smoothly, and in 1964 Gmeinder & Co. delivered a total of three diesel locomotives of the V 51 series for the 750 mm gauge to the DB. In addition, two class V 52 diesel locomotives were delivered in the same year . They differed in the track width, the width of the bogies and the train heating equipment, which the V 51 lacked, so the corresponding space remained free.
The factory numbers of Gmeinder were:
- V 51 901: 5327
- V 51 902: 5328
- V 51 903: 5329
In the planning phase, the Bundesbahn planned two machines for the 1000 mm gauge on the Mudau Railway, initially five machines for 750 mm, two of which were for full dieselization of the route network from Beilstein (Bottwartalbahn), also two for the Zabergäubahn Lauffen - Leonbronn which was the only one to keep the passenger train service going after all, and one for the Öchsle-Bahn Warthausen - Ochsenhausen. Because the Anliergerkommune in the meantime brought the state of Baden-Württemberg into discussion about converting the Zabergäubahn to full gauge, the target size was reduced. In addition, the state government made it clear that it would only co-finance one locomotive required as planned for routes that are likely to soon only be served by freight traffic, not a reserve locomotive, as the Federal Railroad was still generating income from freight traffic. In addition, from the outset, funding was dependent on the routes in question being in a designated funding area in the state. Until then, this was only the case with the Odenwald and was planned for Buchau / Oberschwaben, but not ready for a decision. Therefore, the subsidy was ultimately only granted for the two locomotives of the V 52 series. The country took on a share of the costs of around 4/5 of the purchase price. The three machines of the type V 51 for the 750 mm gauge finally acquired the Federal Railroad completely at its own expense. Although two locomotives were already labeled "Bahnbetriebswerk Heilbronn", the Federal Railway Directorate Stuttgart sent V 51 902 at the last minute directly from the Mosbach plant to the Buchauer Bahn in Bad Schussenried, for which originally no diesel locomotive was intended due to its minor importance. Although the Federal Railroad initiated the decommissioning procedure for the Buchau line as planned, coincidentally at the same time as the delivery of the V 51 902 to Buchau, the machine replaced the scheduled steam locomotives there and thus helped to save costs for the remaining operation until 1969.
However, the MaK prototype from 1959 was not followed by any further orders directly from Kiel. Industry turned to trackless conveyor operations that no longer needed locomotives. Ultimately, the licensee Gmeinder built more units of this type than the developer MaK. After its use at the Alsen cement works, the prototype locomotive was sold to the Leer-Aurich Kleinbahn in 1966, where it was relocated to meter gauge (1000 mm). In 1969 it went to the Brohltalbahn , later to the Rhaetian Railway in Switzerland. Significantly modernized, it still serves as a construction and auxiliary locomotive there today.
commitment
The three diesel locomotives for 750 mm gauge were distributed to the corresponding narrow-gauge railways in 1964 immediately after delivery: one machine each came to the Federseebahn ( V 51 901 ), one to the narrow-gauge railway Warthausen-Ochsenhausen-Biberach ( V 51 902 ) and one to the Bottwartalbahn ( V 51 903 ), where they replaced the outdated steam locomotives. All three locomotives proved to be successful designs from the start and proved themselves in every respect. However, even these narrow-gauge diesel locomotives, which were most modern at the time, could not ultimately prevent the decline of the corresponding narrow-gauge railroads, because despite all the rationalization, it was no longer possible to re-establish an economically viable operation on all three narrow-gauge railways; only the Bottwartalbahn could continue to show a considerable number of passengers. The use of the V 51 on the Deutsche Bundesbahn did not last long on all three Württemberg 750 mm narrow-gauge railroads.
When the Federseebahn was shut down in the same year (1964), the V 51 901 stationed there supported the dismantling of the line and then came to the Bottwartalbahn for the same task, which - despite a large number of passengers (especially during rush hour) - was shut down. On January 1, 1968, the machines were named series 251 according to the new DB series scheme with computer-readable vehicle numbers .
In 1970 both locomotives of the Bottwartalbahn came to the Öchsle as a replacement for the steam locomotives (locomotive 99 633 from Bad Buchau remained the only replacement steam locomotive there), which at that time still had considerable freight traffic. The Liebherr refrigerator factory in Ochsenhausen ensured the continued operation of goods traffic to Warthausen with partly standard-gauge goods wagons on trestles for almost 20 years after the cessation of passenger traffic and the dismantling of the section to Biberach (which had always only been used for passenger and general cargo traffic ). However, the three locomotives of this series were not fully used on this now slightly shortened route, so that the 251 901 was sold to Austria to the Styrian State Railways (StLB) in 1971 and there was relocated to 760 mm ( Bosnian gauge ). The two other diesel locomotives 251 902 and 251 903 now on the route from Warthausen to Ochsenhausen (Öchsle) remained in service in front of the freight trains there until the line was closed on March 31, 1983.
Whereabouts
The 251 901 was sold to Austria to the Steiermärkische Landesbahnen (StLB) in 1971 , where it was re-gauged to 760 mm ( Bosnian gauge ). There it was still used in the original color scheme as "VL 21" before it was bought by the Rügen Kleinbahnen at the beginning of 1999 in order to support the steam locomotives there as V 51 901 after renewed gauge change to its original gauge of 750 mm . The locomotive has belonged to the Rügen district since 2008 and is used for the PRESS - Rügensche BäderBahn.
The 251 902 remained on its home route, the Öchsle. After the official shutdown, it was kept there for about two years and came on June 29, 1985 to the Öchsle Museum Railway, which opened there . After internal disputes, it was deposited in 1996 by its private owner in Bad Waldsee, and from 2002 with Biberach. In 2006 the locomotive was dismantled for possible later refurbishment.
Locomotive 251 903 was sold to the Italian company Gleismac Italiana SpA in Gazzo di Bigarello / Province of Mantua in 1984 through an intermediary ( NEWAG from Oberhausen ) . There it was equipped with swap bogies for 1000 mm meter gauge , 1435 mm standard gauge and 1668 mm wide gauge in 1985 and sold to Spain , where it was used in construction train service by the track construction company COMSA from Barcelona . In 2009 it was bought by Öchsle Bahn AG and has been back in Ochsenhausen since September 2009 .
technology
The four-axle, narrow-gauge diesel-hydraulic locomotives with two bogies were a pioneering modern design at the time, which, with its driver's cab located in the middle between the two long front ends and the rounded superstructure, revealed the typical style of the manufacturer MaK for diesel locomotives. Technically, the machines were largely identical to a MaK 400 BB for 860 mm track that MaK delivered to Alsen'schen Portland-Zementwerke in Itzehoe in 1959 , where the power was also transmitted via hydraulics and a rear-mounted gearbox.
The concept of this industrial octotype was completely different from the machines usually supplied to the Federal Railroad, such as the standard-gauge V 100 series, despite a certain external similarity. While the state railway relied on large diesel engines, MaK consciously built two relatively small industrial diesel engines into the industrial type. In this way, it was not only possible to drive in a fuel-efficient manner with just one engine system at low loads. Even if an engine failed, the locomotive was still operational. MaK's recommendation to industrial locomotive customers was to buy an additional engine as a replacement. An engine could have been constantly serviced and, if necessary, quickly replaced overnight without the locomotive having to stand still during the day, so that commercial customers could keep their industrial railroad running at all times. The industrial engines could be serviced by common workshop fitters, the spare parts were commercially available. The way the Federal Railroad took the entire locomotive for maintenance or in the event of failure in one of its own large-scale repair shops was completely different. In case of doubt, the industrial and private railways did not have these options, they had to operate more economically and more effectively.
The somewhat long-legged and relatively narrow appearance of the vehicles was due to the fact that the basic concept of this locomotive type was a standard-gauge, three-axle industrial locomotive, which was also available in the modular system as a two-axle version as well as for narrow gauge. For the narrow-gauge version, the main dimensions of the three-axle standard gauge locomotive should be largely retained in order to accommodate all components without too great changes. Because the narrow-gauge version was designed for the smallest required track width of 750 mm, there were additional constraints on space. In this way, however, the locomotives could also be manufactured for larger gauges within the narrow-gauge area without any major changes. All machines had two MWM - diesel engines with an output of 270 hp (199 kW) at 1600 / min in front long stem, with the shorter rear porch of the auxiliary diesel engine , the batteries , the compressor and the compressed air and diesel tanks into place had. The auxiliary diesel was only installed in the V 52 series because it was needed for the power supply for heating and lighting the passenger cars. The V 51 series was only intended by the Federal Railroad as a temporary solution for the handling of freight traffic, which was planned for the time being, and no longer for passenger trains. Therefore, it could only run in front of passenger trains outside the heating season.
The power transmission took place via a torque converter of the type TwinDisc 11500 MS450 as well as a secondary gear of the type MaK 3.162.04 manufactured by MaK. In contrast to the standard-gauge diesel-hydraulic locomotives of the German Federal Railroad, which have a self-contained fluid transmission with variable torque converters, the TwinDisc transmission installed in the V 51 and V 52, which cannot be separately regulated, works with the locomotive fuel as the transmission medium. After leaving the tank in the short front section above, the fuel first passes through the two fluid drives before it is fed to the engines. This solution requires a permanent frictional connection of the fluid transmission, which is why the locomotives also have an interposed two-disc compressed air clutch. The locomotives were designed for a maximum permitted service speed of 40 km / h, the actual possible maximum speed was around 65 km / h. The starting tractive effort for a diesel locomotive of this size was an impressive 130 kN (13,200 kp) maximum and 115 kN (11,800 kp) on average. The locomotives had a safety driving circuit (Sifa), but not a train control ( Indusi ), as this is not used on branch lines with low speeds. All machines in this series had a funnel coupling typical of narrow-gauge railways .
The locomotives were designed for both 750 and 1000 millimeter gauges for an on-board speed of 40 km / h. However, this could not be driven on 750 mm because the routes were not approved for it. Technically, it could have been driven much faster at 750 mm, as was the case in Austria and Bosnia and is still today (up to 80 km / h). With the V 51, however, the unfavorably high center of gravity quickly became noticeable. Even if the machines have proven themselves operationally very well in terms of tractive power and reliability, they could not deny the character of an interim solution from the modular system. Other similar types of diesel locomotives for narrow-gauge from that era, which were specifically designed for narrow-gauge, showed more favorable driving characteristics, be it the series 2095 of the Austrian Federal Railways, the series VL 11 - 16 of the Styrian State Railways or the series 740 of the Yugoslav State Railways (all for 760 mm). Above all, the fuel tank located below the frame between the bogies ensures a significantly lower center of gravity and more favorable dynamics on the track. The Austrian companies mistrusted the relatively new power transmission via cardan shafts at the time. They rely on the robust and tried and tested drive technology with jackshafts (ÖBB series 2095) and diesel electrics (Steiermärkische Landesbahnen).
Vehicle history
- V 51 901 (from 1968: 251 901-0 ): 1964 DB V 51 901; 1968 DB 251 901; 1971 StLB VL 21 (gauge to 760 mm); 1998 WBB intermediary; 1998 RüKB V 51 901 Rügensche Kleinbahn , since 2008 the locomotive has belonged to the Rügen district and is used for the PRESS - Rügensche BäderBahn.
- V 51 902 (from 1968: 251 902-3 ): 1964 DB V 51 902; 1968 DB 251 902; 1984 Öchsle Schmalspurbahn GmbH; 1996 withdrawn from the Öchsle and deposited in Bad Waldsee; Backed by Biberach since 2002.
- V 51 903 (from 1968: 251 903-1 ): 1964 DB V 51 903; 1968 DB 251 903; 1984 Gleismac, Gazzo di Bigarello; 1985 Comsa, Barcelona (bogies for 1000 mm, 1435 mm and 1668 mm); Owned by Öchsle Bahn AG since September 2009 . The reconditioning of the locomotive is already running and after the reconditioning the locomotive will be used on the Öchsle Museum Railway. The bogies, which have been retrained to a 750 mm gauge, have been back in Ochsenhausen since 2020, so that the locomotive can now be reassembled after being dismantled for around ten years. A donation campaign by the Öchsle Schmalspurbahn eV association to finance further work is ongoing.
Technical specifications
Construction data of the V 51 series from 1964 according to Gmeinder & Co. GmbH
Dimensions
- Smallest drivable rounding on the drainage mountain: 50 m
Weights
- Weight per running meter: 4.07 t
Machine system
- Operating speed: 500–1600 rpm
Auxiliary engine
- Number of auxiliary motors: 1
- Auxiliary engine manufacturer: MWM
- Type: MWM AKD 412Z
- Power: 21.75 PS (16.2 kW)
- Operating speed: 2000 / min
Power transmission
- Torque converter manufacturer: TwinDisc
- Type: 11500 MS450
- Gearbox manufacturer: MaK
- Type: 3.162.04
- Gear ratio: 1.31: 1
- Control: pneumatic
Power transmission
- Manufacturer axle drive: Gmeinder & Co.
- Counter axle drive type: GM 170 EVA / 398
- Gear ratio: 3.98: 1
- Axle drive type: GM 170 E / 285
- Gear ratio: 2.85: 1
- Manufacturer of cardan shafts: GWB
- Motor-gearbox: 367.5
- Transmission axle drive: 167.5
- Axle drive-axle drive: 167.5
traction
- Max. Tractive effort on the wheel circumference: 130 kN (13,200 kp)
- Average tractive effort at the wheel circumference: 115 kN (11,800 kp)
- Tensile force at Vmax: 20 kN (2,000 kp)
brake
- Knorr - compressed air brake with brake valve guide and direct brake via precision control valve
- Maximum operating pressure: 10.8 bar (10 atü)
- Drive: hydrostatic, max. 6.4 kW (8.7 PS)
See also
- Class V 52 - version of this locomotive for a track width of 1000 mm
- List of locomotive and multiple unit series of the Deutsche Bundesbahn
Web links
- Page about the V 51 on the narrow-gauge railways in Baden-Württemberg with a picture of the 251 903 in Warthausen
- Pictures of the V 51 901 at the Rügen Kleinbahn (August 2006)
- Picture of the former V 51 903 in use at COMSA in Spain (around 2000)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjh4GjtFHYM Video of the 251 901-5 (formerly V 51 901) in winter use at the Rügenschen Bäderbahn in March 2013
- Information on the surviving locomotives of the V 51 series on the "Railway Museum Vehicles" website
literature
- Journal article: Rudolf Heym, Martin Weltner: Series V 51/52. Simply indestructible . In: LokMagazin . No. 6 , 2006, p. 44-55 .
- Hans-Joachim Knupfer: Five reds from Mosbach (and one from Kiel). About the meaning and purpose of the series V 51 and V 52 of the Bundesbahn, part 1. In: Eisenbahn-Geschichte Nr. 89, Verlag DGEG-Medien GmbH, Hövelhof 2018, ISSN 1611-6283 , pp. 46–59.
- Hans-Joachim Knupfer: "The layman hardly suspects ...". The narrow-gauge diesel locomotive series V 51 / V 52 of the Deutsche Bundesbahn. The unusual technology of locomotives, part 2. In: Eisenbahn-Geschichte Nr. 90, Verlag DGEG-Medien GmbH, Hövelhof 2018, pp. 26–32.
Individual evidence
- ^ Rossberg, Ralf Roman: German Railway Vehicles - From 1835 to Today; Springer Verlag, Berlin / Heidelberg 1988, page 84.
- ↑ http://www.privat-bahn.de/