Three-phase operation Brig – Iselle
| Three-phase line Brig – Iselle | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Route length: | 22.7 km | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gauge : | 1435 mm ( standard gauge ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Power system : | 3000 V, 16 Hz ∆ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The three-phase operation Brig-Iselle was from the operational opening of the Simplon Tunnel in 1906, a trial operation of the company Brown, Boveri & Cie. (BBC) with 3000 volts at 16 Hertz, with which the suitability of three-phase current on a main railway line under the difficult conditions of a long tunnel was proven. In 1908 the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) took over the Brig - Iselle electrical company from the BBC and extended it to Sion in 1919 . 1927–1930 the three-phase AC operation Sion – Iselle was replaced by the single-phase AC system with a voltage of 15 000 volts and a frequency of 16 2 ⁄ 3 Hertz.
Trial operation of the BBC
history
During the eight-year construction period of the Simplon Tunnel , electrical engineering had made great strides. Since 1899 the standard-gauge Burgdorf-Thun Railway from Brown, Boveri & Cie. (BBC) delivered vehicles with three-phase current of 750 volts and 40 Hertz . In northern Italy, the Veltlinbahn was successfully operated with three-phase alternating current with a voltage of 3000 volts at 15 Hertz from 1902 . In Germany in 1903 a three-phase powered railcar set a world record at 210.3 km / h on the military railway near Berlin .
When the construction of the 19.8 km long single-track Simplon Tunnel I began in 1898, it was hard to imagine any other way of transporting trains than steam locomotives. Extensive ventilation systems should ensure adequate ventilation of what was then the longest tunnel in the world. Nevertheless, it was feared that the smoke from the steam locomotives in connection with the high temperatures in the tunnel of around 30 ° C and the high humidity would lead to difficulties. There was a risk that carbon monoxide produced by steam locomotives in the long tunnel could pose a threat to travelers and the staff at the crossing station in the middle of the tunnel .
The construction of the tunnel was already well advanced when, in 1905, the BBC suggested to the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) to electrify the route at their own expense, to provide at least five electric locomotives and to take over the operation themselves for a limited time in return for a kilometer-based compensation . Despite concerns about the international importance of the new route and insufficient experience with electrical operation, SBB accepted the BBC's offer and signed the contract on December 19, 1905. However, the SBB waived a promise to take over the systems and vehicles after the end of the trial operation.
The BBC embarked on a rather risky undertaking. Until then, the company had no experience with three-phase high voltage and the construction of a substation in the tunnel was out of the question. In the summer of 1905 a group of experts from the SBB and BBC went on a study trip to northern Italy, where Ganz had a demonstration of the power plants, electrical installations and rolling stock.
Company opening
On June 1, 1906, the line with the single-lane Tunnel I was put into operation, equipped with a two-pole contact line with 3000 volts and a frequency of 16 Hertz. The three-phase current was supplied by a hydroelectric power station on each side of the tunnel. The electrically operated route between Brig and Iselle has a length of 22.0 km. The short time between signing the contract and starting operations was not enough to design and build locomotives. For the operation of the Simplon Tunnel BBC was able to rent three locomotives RA 361–363 of Hungarian origin from the northern Italian Rete Adriatica . The start of operations was made possible by the abandonment of the Rete Adriatica on two locomotives Fb 3/5 No. 364–365, which were already under construction by BBC and SLM for the northern Italian railway. They largely corresponded to the tried and tested RA 361–363.
Takeover of operations by SBB
Operation with three-phase current has proven its worth after eliminating some teething problems. On June 1, 1908, the fixed systems and the locomotives were taken over by the SBB. At that time it was the most important electric full-line railway operator in Switzerland.
For the electrification of 1,913 completed Lötschberg route , which meets in Brig on the Simplon line, which chose Bernese Alps Railway Company Berne-Lötschberg-Simplon (BLS) from the beginning of the single-phase system with 15 000 volts and 16 2 ⁄ 3 Hertz, so that Brig became a system transfer station . Another locomotive change was necessary in Iselle because the Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS) decided not to electrify the Domodossola –Iselle steep section . During the First World War, traffic collapsed and was practically handled by the two Fb 4/4s alone.
Expansion and end of three-phase operation
As a result of the acute coal shortage caused by the First World War, electrical operation with three-phase current from Brig to Sion was expanded on July 31, 1919 through so-called emergency electrification , although the SBB basically opted for single-phase alternating current at 15 000 volts at 16 2 ⁄ 3 hertz. The second tunnel tube opened in 1922 was also operated with three-phase current. The existing locomotives were no longer sufficient and two Fb 4/4, which were sold in 1921 as Ae 4/4 368 and 369 came into operation.
To the west of Sion, operation with single-phase alternating current began in 1923, and the section from Sion to Brig was finally converted to this system on January 17, 1927. On March 2, 1930, the now obsolete three-phase system in the Simplon Tunnel ended with the conversion to the single-phase AC system that had become the standard. At the same time, electrical operation with single-phase alternating current was started on the Iselle – Domodossola section.
Locomotives
Electrical engineering
In the case of railways operated with three-phase alternating current , the three-phase current is fed to the traction vehicles with a two-pole contact line. The rail is used as the third conductor. Because of the isolated sections of the two-pole contact line in the area of switches , two pantographs are installed to ensure an uninterrupted power supply . To ensure that the distance between the two brackets was sufficiently large, shorter locomotives had pantographs that were strangely forward.
The speed of a three-phase traction motor depends on the mains frequency of the feeding current. However, a single economic speed is impractical for rail operations. Several economical speeds are made possible with special measures:
- Stator coils having different, switchable pole pairs
- Cascade connection of two motors and operation as single or in cascade with doubled number of pole pairs.
The three-phase motors are started up:
- via series resistors in the rotor circuit, or
- by changing the stator voltage using a transformer and step switch .
If the set speed is exceeded, for example when going down a slope, the motors automatically switch to regenerative braking . Because at that time it was not yet possible to build gear drives for the required torques , the speed of the motors was reduced by reducing the mains frequency to 16 Hertz. The three-phase motors were very simple, but the switchgear in the locomotives was maintenance-intensive and the catenary in the area of switches and crossings was complicated. The locomotives had no heating and there was also no device for heating the passenger coaches, because the temperature inside the Simplon Tunnel is constantly 28 ° C. When the company expanded to Sion, heating trucks probably had to be used. The locomotives 361–365 did not have any batteries either , the headlights of the machines were provided with petrol lamps .
The start-up differed greatly from the later procedure, where the train had to be started as quickly as possible in order to avoid burns on the collectors of the single-phase series motors . Because the three-phase motors act like a transformer when they are at a standstill, start-up was leisurely. The specified speeds of the three-phase motors had consequences for the operation. Pulling trains with several locomotives, regardless of whether the leader , pushing locomotive or double traction, was only possible if both locomotives had the same synchronous speed and the same drive wheel set diameter. If one locomotive with new and one with worn wheel sets drove a train together, the first engine pulled while the second braked.
Rental locomotives 361–363
In 1906 BBC was able to rent RA 361–363 locomotives from Rete Adriatica for operation in the Simplon Tunnel. The three vehicles had three large coupled drive wheels and a wheel axle in front and behind. The setting of the fixed speed levels of 34 and 68 km / h was achieved by cascading the two double motors with a common rotor shaft. The locomotives 361 and 362 used water resistors to start up, and the machine no. 363 metal resistors. The water resistors themselves were water-cooled, which ensured that these locomotives emitted steam when it was very hot. In addition, water had to be topped up regularly.
For operation on the Simplon line, the original brackets were replaced by improved BBC pantographs . The letters “RA” in front of the locomotive number were removed, but the numbers were retained because they did not conflict with the SBB operating numbers. When enough of their own machines were available, the 361 and 362 returned to the Veltlinbahn in May 1907 and the 363 in October 1907.
Fb 3/5 (later Ae 3/5) 364–365
| Fb 3/5 Ae 3/5 |
|
|---|---|
| Numbering: | 364-365 |
| Manufacturer: | BBC , SLM |
| Year of construction (s): | 1906 |
| Retirement: | 1930 |
| Axis formula : | 1'C1 ' |
| Length over buffers: | 12 524 mm |
| Service mass: | 62 t |
| Friction mass: | 44 t |
| Top speed: | 75 km / h (from 1921: 80 km / h) |
| Hourly output : | 1060 hp (780 kW) |
| Starting tractive effort: | 8000 daN |
| Driving wheel diameter: | 1640 mm |
| Impeller diameter: | 850 mm |
| Power system : | 3000 V, 16 Hz ∆ |
| Number of traction motors: | 2 |
| Translation levels: | 2 (37/74 km / h) |
The mechanical part of this until 1920 as Fb 3/5 and from 1920 to 1921 as Be 3/5 designated machines came from the Swiss Lokomotiv- und Maschinenfabrik Winterthur (SLM). It largely corresponded to that of the three rental locomotives. The two traction motors were stored in the main frame. The two motors drove the middle laterally displaceable drive axle via a triangular coupling frame, which was connected to the two outer drive axles with a coupling rod . The driving wheels had a diameter of 1640 mm. The outer drive axles were combined with the adjacent running axle to form a steering frame.
The two pantographs, lightning protection devices and a manually operated main switch were located on the roof of this driver's cab . In contrast to the rental locomotives 361–363, there was no longer a cascade circuit with their heavy motors, but lighter motors with pole-changing stator windings with the number of poles 8 and 16, resulting in fixed speeds of 37 and 74 km / h made possible. When starting the rotor current was limited by adjustable resistors, which consisted of rheotan fabric stretched on iron frames. The special operating conditions in the Simplon Tunnel were crucial for the structural development of the engines. In winter, the temperature differences inside and outside the tunnel are up to 60 ° C. A transformer supplied 110 volts for the operation of the compressors and the interior lighting.
The locomotives seem to have proven themselves and were in use until three-phase operation on the Simplon was discontinued in 1930.
Fb 4/4 (later Ae 4/4) 366-369
| Fb 4/4 Ae 4/4 |
|
|---|---|
| Numbering: | 366-369 |
| Manufacturer: | BBC , SLM |
| Year of construction (s): | 1907-1908, 1919 |
| Retirement: | 1930 |
| Axis formula : | D. |
| Length over buffers: | 11 640 mm |
| Service mass: | 69 t (366–367) 70 t (368–369) |
| Top speed: | 75 km / h (from 1921: 80 km / h) |
| Hourly output : | 1700 hp (1250 kW) |
| Starting tractive effort: | 12 000 daN |
| Driving wheel diameter: | 1250 mm |
| Power system : | 3000 V, 16 Hz ∆ |
| Number of traction motors: | 2 |
| Translation levels: | 4 (28/37/56/74 km / h) |
The mechanical part of this until 1920 as Fb 4/4 No. 366-369 and from 1920 to 1921 as Be 4/4 designated locomotives with the wheel arrangement D also came from the SLM. In order to use the full weight of the four-axle locomotive for adhesion , running axles were dispensed with. The two outermost drive axles were designed as curved Klien-Lindner hollow axles . The two deep-seated traction motors transmitted their torque to the four drive axles via a coupling frame and coupling rods.
The locomotives, which were still commissioned by the BBC and delivered from 1907 to 1908, represented a technical advance, because they were for the first time equipped with squirrel cage rotors in the three-phase motors, so that the slip rings for exciting the rotor could be omitted. The drive motor power of 850 each kW had never before been achieved with electric locomotives. Thanks to the four possible continuous driving speeds of 28, 37, 56 and 74 km / h, a much more elastic operation was possible than with just two speeds. The four speed levels were achieved by changing the pole of the two windings of the stator and, like the reversing switches, were equipped with pneumatic servomotors.
A transformer with a tap changer was used to limit the starting currents. With this and because of the larger number of fixed speeds, the efficiency of these machines was somewhat better than that of the Fb 3/5. The electrical equipment was duplicated, so that in the event of a malfunction it was possible to continue driving at half power. A converter generated DC voltage to charge a battery, which operated the lighting. The locomotives made 1700 PS (1250 kW) and were the most powerful electric locomotives in Switzerland when they were delivered.
When three-phase operation was expanded to Sion and the demand for locomotives increased, a new development was abandoned. In 1919, BBC and SLM delivered two more copies of the tried and tested Ae type, machines nos. 368 and 369 4/4.
After the three-phase operation was discontinued, all three-phase locomotives except for the Ae 3/5 365 canceled. This machine was bought back by the BBC with the intention of building a converter locomotive with mercury vapor rectifiers and inverters . However, the lack of copper during World War II led to the machine being demolished.
Fb 4/6 (later Ce 4/6) 371
| Fb 4/6 Ce 4/6 |
|
|---|---|
| Numbering: | 371 |
| Manufacturer: | BBC , SLM |
| Year of construction (s): | 1913 |
| Retirement: | 1930 |
| Axis formula : | 1'D1 ' |
| Length over buffers: | 12 500 mm |
| Service mass: | 88 t (from 1920: 91 t) |
| Friction mass: | 69 t (from 1920: 72 t) |
| Top speed: | 75 km / h (from 1920: 60 km / h) |
| Hourly output : | 2720 hp (2000 kW) |
| Starting tractive effort: | 13 000 daN |
| Driving wheel diameter: | 1250 mm |
| Impeller diameter: | 850 mm |
| Power system : | 3000 V, 16 Hz ∆ |
| Number of traction motors: | 2 |
| Translation levels: | 4 (28/37/56/74 km / h) |
In 1914, the 1'D1 'locomotive Fb 4/6 No. 371 a new, powerful traction vehicle will be put into operation, with a weight of 88 tons and an output of 2720 PS (2000 kW) reached. The locomotive was initially built by the BBC and SLM for their own account and exhibited as the most powerful three-phase current locomotive at the 1914 State Exhibition in Bern. On January 16, 1915, it was taken over by the SBB. It can be seen as a test locomotive for the electrical operation on the Domodossola – Iselle steep ramp, which was still planned at the time, which was only then implemented in a single phase.
The mechanical part was built on the model of the Ge 4/6 of the RhB. The outermost drive axles were combined with the associated running axles to form a steering frame. The two large traction motors were stored on racks high above the frame and reached under the roof. In contrast to the previous designs, the motors were not directly coupled. Inclined drive rods led from the engine cranks to the center of the horizontal coupling rod that connected all drive axles. The V-shaped engine caused destructive shaking vibrations and had to be supplemented with a coupling rod between the two engine cranks to form a triangle. The heavy engine was not up to the original top speed of 75 km / h. The speed had to be reduced to 60 km / h in 1920, which restricted its use to freight trains, and the machine was given the designation Ce 4/6.
The four speed levels were achieved by cascade and pole switching. At the lower speeds of 28 and 37 km / h the two motors worked in cascade, at the higher speeds of 56 and 74 km / h with eight or six poles directly on the catenary. The start-up took place via resistors, which consisted of metal strips and were placed above the drive motors in the roof. The switching on and off of the resistors was done by a servomotor driven switching mechanism, which could also be operated by hand if necessary.
swell
- W. Kummer: The three-phase locomotives for electrical operation on the Simplon. In: Schweizerische Bauzeitung (SBZ), Volume 54 (1909), Issue 17. (archived in E-Periodica of the ETH-Bibliothek. PDF, 4.3 MB)
- Hans Schneeberger: The electric and diesel traction vehicles of the SBB, Volume I: years of construction 1904–1955; Minirex AG, Lucerne; 1995; ISBN 3-907014-07-3
- Guy Depraetere: Three-phase current in Italy 1902-1976. (PDF, 13.0 MB) In: Der Lok-Vogel No. 64.Retrieved on June 1, 2016 .
Notes and individual references
- ↑ Train transport and transport by the SBB
- ↑ according to SBZ and Schneeberger
- ↑ At the time, the BBC was convinced of the future of three-phase drives. In contrast, Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon (MFO) relied on single-phase alternating current with 15 000 volts voltage. Although the MFO had to close its trial operation in Seebach-Wettingen in 1909, single-phase alternating current continued at 15 000 volts at 16 2 ⁄ 3 Hertz not only in Switzerland, but also in Germany, Austria, Norway and Sweden. The three-phase operation in northern Italy could hold up the 1976th
- ↑ according to Schneeberger, page 26
- ↑ Rheotan: nickel silver alloy of copper, zinc and nickel, developed by Ernst August Geitner in Auernhammer, Saxony
Existing routes: Jungfrau Railway 1898 | Gornergratbahn 1898 | Chemin de Fer de la Rhune 1914/24 | Corcovado mountain railway 1910
Lines that were later re-electrified: Veltlinbahn | Ferrovia Alta Valtellina | Mont Cenis Railway | Trento burner | Bolzano – Merano | Firenze-Bologna | TEL Tram Lugano 1896–1910 | StEB Stansstad – Engelberg 1898–1964 | BTB Burgdorf – Thun Railway 1899–1933 | SSS / SStB Schwyzer trams 1900–1914 | SBB / BBC three-phase operation Brig – Iselle 1906–1930 | Great Northern Old Cascade Tunnel 1909–1927 | RhW Tram Rheineck 1909–1958 | RENFE Gérgal – Santa Fe-Alhama 1911–1966 | SBB Sion – Brig 1919–1927 | EB Hasle-Rüegsau – Langnau 1919–1932
Earlier three-phase electrifications : Riffelalptram 1898–1960 | Hotel tram Évian-les-Bains 1898–1908 | Wöllersdorf military track 1902–1911 | BrMB Brunnen-Morschach Railway 1905–1969 | CFHMP Luchon – Superbagnières de Luchon 1912–1966 | Mühleggbahn 1950–1975 | RAG cog railway opencast mine Gruhlwerk 1927–1949
Test operations: Three-phase test operation from Siemens & Halske | Ganz test track on Óbuda Island | Three-phase test operation Brig – Iselle