ICE Train North America Tour

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The ICE Train North America Tour was a six-month presentation and test drive of a German ICE high-speed train through North America in 1993.

The main purpose of the tour, organized by Siemens and AEG , was to present the ICE technology in the run-up to the acquisition of 26 high-speed trains planned for 1994 by the American railroad company Amtrak . The new high-speed trains were to replace Amtrak's Metroliner fleet and operate on the Washington - New York - Boston route. An operation was planned in other corridors.

In addition to a transcontinental trip to 25 major US cities , the train ran on the north-east corridor in October and December 1993 in regular service.

Since this was something very special in the American route network and the ICE caused a sensation in Germany as well, the legendary multiple unit, scale 1:87 (H0), was included as a model by the Märklin company in 1994, with a worldwide circulation of 5,000 units recreated the number 3700.

history

background

In addition to the Northeast Corridor , a number of high-speed corridors were developed by the Federal Railroad Administration in the US Department of Transportation in 1992 . The use of high-speed trains on a total of ten networks in five metropolitan areas was examined:

Under the federal government of Bill Clinton in 1993, consideration was given to advancing these projects for a total of one billion US dollars. Here, a far-reaching should expand existing routes totaling about 3,000 kilometers in length for speeds of 200-230 km / h done. The cruising speed should be around 130 km / h. The construction of its own new lines was not planned.

Against this background, the consortium made up of Siemens and AEG decided to finance and implement the presentation program. The divisional director of Siemens Verkehrstechnik, Wolfram O. Martinsen, said he “firmly believes in the renaissance of the railroad in the USA. And that is why the 17 million DM that the ICE demonstration costs are money well spent; even if we don't get involved with the first project straight away. "

The multiple unit was hired by Amtrak from what was then the Federal Railroad . The aim of the program was to demonstrate the capabilities of high-speed travel to the US public, media and politics . Since high-speed travel was only possible on parts of the north-east corridor, a significant part of the communication focused on highlighting the comfort features of the ICE train.

In addition to Siemens Transportation Systems and AEG , the ICE offer was accompanied by General Motors , Morrison Knudsen and Fiat Ferroviaria .

Refitting and shipping

An ICE 1 shortened to six cars and two power cars was converted . Here as an execution at Ingolstadt.

Between the beginning of April and mid-May 1993, the vehicles were converted for use in the USA by Krauss-Maffei , Duewag and LHB . The subsequent commissioning took place at AEG in Hennigsdorf near Berlin . Finally, the train received the due inspection at the Hamburg-Eidelstedt depot. From there the train was towed for shipment to Bremerhaven .

The train arrived in Bremerhaven on June 16, 1993 and was loaded onto the RoRo ship Faust ( Wallenius Lines ) using trailers along with four containers of spare parts . The ship left port on June 19, 1993. There was also space for mobile cranes and tractors on the ship . After the ten-day Atlantic crossing, the trains reached the port of Baltimore on June 30, 1993. While still in port, the vehicles were coupled together and transferred to Washington DC by a locomotive ( F40PH ).

Commissioning

At the Amtrak Ivy City plant in Washington DC, the train started operating in the first few days of July. Among other things, US train protection systems , new train radios in accordance with US standards and a lower-lying “front spoiler”, which also serves as a “rail clearer”, were installed. Among other things, the train control technology and other safety devices at the stand were also approved in the factory. At the same time, an ICE trainer who was traveling with them from the Central Railway Authority in Minden instructed ten American train drivers. After the theoretical instruction, the first trips were made to Union Station in Washington, three kilometers away .

The maiden voyage on the northeast corridor took place on the evening of July 7, 1993 . With a top speed of 177 km / h (110  mph ), the journey led to Philadelphia, 217 kilometers away, and back again. Various systems were tested and optimized for further use.

The actual test drives began the following day. As part of a two-week test plan, the train was subjected to numerous tests day and night. The braking distance was investigated at speeds between 48 and 201 km / h (30 to 125 mph). For the approval, the braking distance was checked with compressed air brakes without the aid of the generator and magnetic rail brakes ( full braking ).

In addition, individual brake disks were switched off in order to compensate for the weight of the later numerous passengers. The generator and magnetic rail brakes were included in further tests. With an emergency stop with all braking systems from 201 km / h (125 mph) a braking distance of 1072 meters was achieved. With full braking from this speed, a braking distance of 1,775 meters had previously been achieved.

Other tests included the contact pressure of the pantographs, electromagnetic interference from the traction motors , noises in and on the train, acceleration ability, the brightness of the peak signal and compliance with the clearance profile . The frequency components present in the mains power were determined by means of spectral analysis. Possible effects on the track position were examined using measuring wheel sets. With a view to the planned passenger service, the expected travel times between Washington and New York and the energy consumption of such a journey were also determined.

The running tests were carried out on the routes between Philadelphia and New York and Harrisburg . Particular attention was paid to the lateral acceleration when cornering. During the test drives, the maximum cant deficit permitted in the Amtrak network was raised from 76 (DB at that time: 150 mm) to 178 millimeters, and the maximum speed permitted in curves was increased accordingly.

On the Philadelphia– Harrisburg section, in the Parkesburg– Lancaster section, no major increases in speed could be achieved with non- continuously welded tracks and curve radii of up to 400 meters. In contrast, in the northeast corridor, between New Brunswick and Metro Park (50 kilometers south of New York), cornering speeds of up to 32 km / h (20 mph) were achieved without exceeding the permitted axle forces.

This was followed by technical tests at high speed in the section between New Brunswick and Trenton (around 50 kilometers in length). One of the four tracks on which the Metroliner travels at 201 km / h (125 mph) in normal operation was closed for the test runs. Starting from 209 km / h (130 mph), the speed was gradually increased. The train reached a speed of 260 km / h (162 mph), which was reached again during a trip for invited journalists on July 24th. The maximum speed permitted by the Federal Railroad Authority for the test drives was 257 km / h (160  mph ).

Demonstration drives

Stations of the tour

5th / 6th August Pittsburgh
August 7th Harrisburg
8th August Philadelphia
August 11th Washington DC
12. August Albany
August 14th Toledo
15th of August Detroit
August 16 Chicago
18th of August Milwaukee
19./20. August Chicago
August 25 los Angeles
26th of August Sacramento
August 27 San Francisco
29th August los Angeles
August 30th San Diego
September 6th Orlando
September 10 Raleigh
September 11 Richmond
September 14th Boston
September 15th Portland
21./22. September St. Louis

On July 29, 1993, the train was presented to the public for the first time at Union Station in Washington. After the admission, demonstration drives for guests of honor took place. On July 30, 1993, at 9:46 am at Princeton Junction , the train reached a speed of 260 km / h.

In August and September, presentation trips were made to 25 cities in the western, midwest and eastern United States, particularly in those parts of the country where high-speed train services were being considered.

In the stations, the train could be viewed in stations. In addition, test drives were made for selected guests, lasting between 30 minutes and two hours. Around one hundred thousand Americans took the opportunity to view the train. It is estimated that up to 30 million people have heard of the ICE tour on television and in the press.

In allusion to the meaning of ice, the abbreviation ICE in English, the presentation rides were advertised under the slogan Experience the hottest thing on rails (in German: Experience the hottest thing on rails ).

Around 20 employees from the then Deutsche Bundesbahn , Siemens, AEG and Amtrak accompanied the train on its journeys, as did individual PR experts. Two engineers and two train drivers from Germany accompanied the train during the entire stay. The restaurant was served by a specially trained Amtrak team and the menu was adapted to the American market.

Since the majority of the US rail network is electrified, the ICE mostly of two was diesel locomotives with AC drive (series F69PH , numbers 450 and 451) drawn, had jointly developed by Siemens and General Motors in the late 1980s. This was also intended to show that the requirement for local content , a production share of around 70 to 80 percent in the USA, could have been taken into account in the event that the contract had been awarded. Siemens Verkehrstechnik had already built local transport vehicles in Sacramento, California, in previous years .

Use in the liner service

Overview of the north-east corridor

On the morning of October 4th, Federal Transport Minister Matthias Wissmann and the US Transport Minister Federico Peña opened the two-month shuttle service with the symbolic departure order . The train ran once a day in the Metroliner service between Washington and New York ( Pennsylvania Station ) with a special permit. During these trips, passengers were asked about their impressions. The results of these surveys should serve as the basis for the subsequent call for tenders.

The ICE ran north Monday through Friday on the timetable for train 112, departing Washington at 12:00 p.m. and arriving in New York at 2:53 p.m. On the 386 km route, there were stops in New Carrollton, Baltimore , Wilmington , Philadelphia and Newark . The travel time of around two hours and 55 minutes was, due to the intermediate stops, around a quarter of an hour longer than the fastest planned performance of the Metroliners without intermediate stops (two hours and 40 minutes travel time).

In the opposite direction, the train ran until the end of October in the timetable for train 223. With the departure from New York at 4:30 pm, Washington was reached at 7:14 pm. From November 1, the train ran on the timetable of train 123, with a travel time of two hours and 59 minutes. The train ran on individual Saturdays and Sundays according to other timetables.

In scheduled service, the ICE reached the top speed of 217 km / h (135 mph) specified in the timetable. On some sections, speeds of around 200 km / h could be achieved. The superstructure between Newark and Manhattan, however, did not allow for high-speed travel. The entrances and exits to the stations were also not quickly accessible.

After changes to the bogies , the running behavior of the train was improved and the maximum speed allowed by the supervisory authority (Feder Railroad Administration) increased to 140 mph (225 km / h) in early December 1993.

Operations ended on December 17, 1993. On 62 operating days, a total of more than 30,000 people used the train, an average of 520 per day. According to Siemens, there were neither delays of the ICE nor delays of other trains during the scheduled operation. About 120,000 people used the train during its nearly 50,000 mile tour of the United States.

In August and September of the same year, the Swedish high-speed train X2000 also ran as a scheduled train in the northeast corridor for test and demonstration purposes .

Planning for the series

Today's network of Acela
Acela garnish near Philadelphia

A total of six companies or consortia applied for the first order for high-speed trains in the USA. In addition to the ICE, the X2000 (1992/1993) and the Talgo (1988/1994) completed presentation drives, also with a planned deployment of several months between Washington and New York.

The application period ran until the beginning of December 1994. Ultimately, three consortia had applied. In addition to the German ICE consortium (led by Siemens), the X2000 consortium (led by ABB) entered the race. In mid-March 1996, the Siemens consortium lost to a consortium made up of GEC-Alstom and Bombardier . The French-Canadian consortium submitted an offer around ten percent cheaper than the Germans, worth around 800 million euros. The resulting Acela Express has been operating in the Northeast Corridor since 2001.

Had the consortium of Siemens and AEG won the contract, would be in cooperation with the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors have been built which has five plants in the US, 26 trains. 2000 jobs were to be secured over three years through the contract valued at approximately 400 to 450 million dollars . The trains would have been significantly changed compared to ICE 1 and adapted to the requirements of the corridor. In addition to a lower top speed (around 230 to 240 km / h), the seating capacity of around 300 should be more based on the ICE 2 . A train with active tilting technology was also considered in order to gain travel time in the winding section towards Boston (north of New Haven ). Fiat would have supplied the tilting technology.

For the 26 units designed for electric operation, two prototypes of diesel-electric trains were to be awarded for trial operation on non-electrified routes. In addition, there was an option for 25 more trains for electric operation.

Structure and technology

Used was a six intermediate cars shortened ICE 1 - multiple unit :

  • Power cars (401 084 and 401 584)
  • First class intermediate car (801 856)
  • Three intermediate cars of the second class (802 438, 802 657, 802 855)
  • A service car (803 056)
  • A dining car (804 051)

The multiple unit was 200 m (655 feet ) long and weighed 510 tons . It had 285 seats.

The power cars were converted for the US electricity system (11 kV, 25 Hz). For cost reasons, no new transformers were installed. The power, which is around 46 percent lower than that of the German electricity system (15 kV, 16 2/3 Hz), was offset by adjustments to the traction control software. Due to the shortened length of the train and the lower maximum speeds, the solution was considered sufficient. The trains have also been equipped with the signaling system used on the northeast corridor , pantographs , new air brakes , brake valves and software provided by Amtrak .

When the electrical equipment was commissioned, some modifications to the control system were required due to the non-sinusoidal line voltages in the Amtrak network. Employees of the Federal Railway Research Institute in Minden installed accelerometers and the corresponding measuring cables on site on all vehicles of the association.

An intermediate car had already received measuring wheelsets in Minden in order to be able to examine the running behavior during high-speed travel (vertical and lateral forces) on the Amtrak route network.

An Amtrak baggage car (material handling car) picked up spare parts and promotional material during the demonstration drives. A transformer was also installed in this car , which converted the heating voltage of the locomotives (480 V / 60 Hz three-phase current ) to supply the ICE train busbar .

For use in the United States, the DB logo on the side of the power cars and cars was replaced by the Amtrak emblem . The deluxe lettering was affixed to the first-class car . The two locomotives and the baggage car were painted red and white for the journeys in the ICE design. Modifications to the facility included, among other things, the replacement of the telephones in the conference compartment and telephone booth with US-standard devices.

Due to the elevated platforms of the north-east corridor, a cover mechanism for the steps was developed to enable boarding and alighting at the same level.

literature

  • ICE on tour . In: EK-Eisenbahn-Videothek , number 5120, EK-Verlag, Freiburg, VHS-Video, approx. 45 minutes, no year

swell

  • Amtrak is testing ICE . In: Eisenbahn-Kurier , 1993, issue 7, p. 46 f.
  • ICE for the USA on AEG tracks . In: Eisenbahn-Illustrierte , 1993, Issue 8, pp. 18-20
  • ICE makes US deput on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor . In: Railway Age , August 1993, p. 24
  • ICE train crossed America . In: Eisenbahn-Kurier , 1993, Issue 11, pp. 54–56
  • Amtrak's ICE train . In: Eisenbahn-Kurier , 1993, Issue 9, pp. 32–34
  • Siemens Verkehrstechnik: Verkehrstechnik Express , special edition November 1993
  • The ice train's hope run . In: Eisenbahn magazin , 1993, issue 12, pp. 16-19
  • The ICE Train demonstration tour of North America . In: Rail Engineering International Edition , 1994, Issue 1, pp. 9-11

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Dieter Eikhoff: Everything about the ICE . transpress-Verlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 978-3-613-71277-5 , p. 19.
  2. ↑ a b New ICE co-drivers for Siemens in the USA . In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , No. 103, 1994, ISSN  0174-4917 , p. 28.
  3. ↑ Message ICE-Train can go faster . In: Eisenbahn-Kurier , issue 1/1994, p. 24
  4. ↑ News The race for America's new super train: ICE consortium remains optimistic . In: ZUG , No. 1, 1995, without ISSN, p. 9.
  5. ↑ The ICE and TGV trains run together . In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , No. 75, 1996, ISSN  0174-4917 , p. 27.
  6. ^ Bob Kise: Amtrak-Siemens ICE train demonstrator 401 064. In: railpictures.net. August 1993. Retrieved December 18, 2018 .
  7. ↑ Amtrak ICE 401 564 1993, loading in Bremerhaven. June 1993, accessed December 18, 2018 .