FM P-12-42
| Fairbanks-Morse P-12-42 NH class EDER-7 B&M class DP-2a |
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 FM P-12-42 on the No. 1 Boston and Maine Railroad
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| Numbering: | NH 3100 and 3101 B&M 1 and 2 |
| Number: | 4th |
| Manufacturer: | Fairbanks-Morse |
| Year of construction (s): | 1957-1958 |
| Axis formula : | B '+ 2' |
| Gauge : | 1435 mm ( standard gauge ) |
| Length over coupling: | 18,280 mm |
| Height: | 3660 mm |
| Width: | 3050 mm |
| Trunnion Distance: | 11,890 mm |
| Bogie axle base: | 2794 mm |
| Empty mass: | 90.7 t |
| Top speed: | 188 km / h |
| Installed capacity: | 895 kW |
| Driving wheel diameter: | 1016 mm |
| Impeller diameter: | 1016 mm |
| Motor type: | 38D8-1 / 8 |
| Motor type: | 8 cylinder opposed piston engine |
| Rated speed: | 850 rpm |
| Power transmission: | diesel-electric |
| Power system : | 660 V = |
| Power transmission: | Busbar |
| Number of traction motors: | 2 × GE Type 752 |
The diesel locomotives of the P-12-42 "Speed Merchant" from Fairbanks-Morse were procured in 1957/58 by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (NH) and the Boston and Maine Railroad (BM). They served as the locomotive for the ACF Talgo trains of the two companies .
history
In the competition against car and air traffic, the American railroad companies saw themselves forced to offer faster and more comfortable trains . Here, aerodynamically favorable and light trains were seen as a feasible route.
In order to be able to make a better offer on the New York - Boston connection, the most important for the New Haven , the new President Patrick McGinnis decided to test different systems. The Train-X with two BLH RP- 210s called “Dan'l Webster” was ordered from Pullman, the “ Roger Williams ” train based on the RDC from Budd and the one based on the Talgo principle from American Car and Foundry (ACF) based train "John Quincy Adams" with the P-12-42 delivered by Fairbanks-Morse. One of the locomotives was coupled at each end of the train . Together with the installed pantographs for the conductor rail in the New York area of the line , time-consuming locomotive changes in the terminal stations were avoided.
When McGinnis moved to Boston & Maine in 1956, he made sure that a similar train was acquired in 1957 for the Portland – Boston route, but without the busbar equipment.
However, the trains were not satisfactory in use. Due to their lightweight construction, the trains ran very restlessly, so that the ride comfort suffered. Due to the acquisition of three different new types of vehicle concepts for the New Haven, maintenance also turned out to be very cost-intensive and complex. Then there were the various teething problems. These negative phenomena ultimately overshadowed the overall positive concepts. The planned higher speeds were not realized either, as adapting the signaling technology and the routes would have been too cost-intensive and operation would have become too expensive due to diesel consumption. In addition to the Talgo trains, the locomotives later also ran with the Budd passenger cars of the Pioneer III series .
On the NH route, the trains were finally replaced by trains with the two-system EMD FL9 locomotives . The NH locomotives were scrapped in the late 1960s, the B&M locomotives were retired in 1964 and sold to National Metal Converters in 1970, where they were used as stationary diesel until 1979.
Constructive features
The locomotive body was built on the basis of the C-Liner from Fairbanks-Morse. In order to be able to drive the trains faster through the curves and into the Grand Central Terminal , the height of the locomotive has been reduced. The center of gravity was lowered around 40 cm and the overall height was reduced by 91 cm. This was made possible by the machine floor being 1.75 m lower. To improve cornering ability, the distance between the main suspension springs was increased from 1.52 m to 2.34 m.
The bogies were redesigned based on the standardized AAR design. Compensating elements were located between the axles, and the coil springs with friction shock absorbers were attached to the outside. The two drive motors from GE were housed in the front bogie, as the axle load remained constant on this, while the axle load on the rear bogie changed due to the diesel tank located there. To facilitate engine maintenance, the bogies had no cross members at the ends.
The eight-cylinder opposed piston engine was normally designed for 1175 kW. The power output was reduced especially for the lightweight train, and there were also some additional power consumers, so that a power of 895 kW was available for the pure drive. The control was designed so that the engine ran at a speed of 850 rpm and the speed control was carried out exclusively via the electrical control. This made it possible to save space, weight and costs. The train was supplied with power at 415 volts and 56.7 Hertz via a three-phase busbar .
Both locomotives were constantly in operation during train operation. To avoid synchronizing the alternators, the busbar was split into two equal halves that could be connected together in an emergency. For this it was necessary that each generator had to be designed for the power supply of the entire train.
The New Haven locomotives were equipped with two pantographs for the conductor rail so that the train could travel to the Grand Central Terminal without changing locomotives. The customers sat on the inner axles of the bogies. A 600-volt motor was used to drive the main generator, which in diesel mode served as a generator for the auxiliary units (blower, cooling fan, compressors).
To keep the engine compartment free from dirt, a higher internal pressure was built up by a fan. The unit was designed in such a way that it sucked in enough filtered air to be able to supply the motor, the air compressor and the drive motor fan.
At the rear end, the locomotives were fitted with a special, laterally movable, mounted coupling . This coupling simultaneously transmitted the busbar , control lines and the brake air line. Compared to the conventional couplers, it was attached at a height of 48 cm above the tracks . The ability to move sideways supports the curve linkage of the first axle of the following car.
literature
- Louis A. Marre: Diesel Locomotives: The First 50 Years . Kalmbach Publishing Co., Waukesha, WI 1995, ISBN 0-89024-258-5 , pp. 354 .
- Robert Aldag Jr .: The Speed Merchant . In: Trains . Kalmbach Publishing Co., March 1995, ISSN 0041-0934 , p. 48-53 .
