Krupp-AEG ME 1500
The ME 1500 diesel locomotive was built by Krupp and AEG in 1964 for their own account as a diesel-electric prototype machine, because they did not want to miss the connection to the locomotive market abroad. After a modification in 1967 the machine was named DE 1500 . The one-off was owned by the Schweizerische Südostbahn (SOB) as Am 846 033 from 1990 to 2014 and was then sold to Swiss Rail Traffic AG in Glattbrugg, Switzerland.
| ME 1500 / DE 1500 | |
|---|---|
| Numbering: | DB: 201 001 WLE: DE 0901 DEG: VE 151 |
| Number: | 1 |
| Manufacturer: | Krupp, AEG |
| Year of construction (s): | 1964 |
| Retirement: | (1990 remodeling) |
| Axis formula : | Bo'Bo ' |
| Gauge : | 1435 mm ( standard gauge ) |
| Installed capacity: | (1500 hp) |
| Motor type: | Maybach MD 655 |
| Motor type: | 12-cylinder four-stroke engine with charge air cooler and exhaust gas turbocharger |
| Rated speed: | 1500 rpm |
| Power transmission: | Diesel-electric |
| Number of traction motors: | 4th |
| Drive: | Three-phase generator - rectifier - direct current motor |
| Brake: | Electric brake |
| Train brake: | Automatic brake |
| Train heating: | Steam heating |
history
development
The Deutsche Bundesbahn almost exclusively procured diesel-hydraulic locomotives such as the V 80 or V 100 series . The market that the Federal Railroad offered the German locomotive industry, however, was very limited. There was demand for diesel-electric locomotives abroad.
Sufficiently powerful diodes appeared in the early 1960s . In 1962, this led Krupp and AEG to the decision to develop a diesel-electric locomotive for export. This locomotive should be universally suitable for passenger and freight trains, have an asymmetrical center driver's cab and, with 1500 hp, be in the medium performance class. The maximum speed should be 100 km / h. In addition, despite the diesel-electric drive, there should be an axle load of only 14 tons.
With these requirements, the ME 1500 by Krupp with the serial number 4400 was built in Essen in 1964. AEG in Berlin supplied the electrical equipment under manufacturer number 8440. DC motors were used, which were fed with traction current via a three-phase generator via a rectifier. Because the required axle load could never have been achieved with a DC generator that was common at the time. The ME 1500 was lighter than the V 100 and had 10% more power.
Time in Germany
testing
The ME 1500 was not tested until the turn of 1965/66. From March 21, 1966, the ME 1500 was on loan from the Soest depot in front of light express freight trains between Hamm , Hagen and Münster . On July 14th of the same year she came to the Hagen-Eckesey depot. There it was intended for express, passenger and freight trains. However, problems arose with the first combination of generator and gearbox that was not found to be railway-proof. It was replaced in 1967 by a more modern three-phase generator. There was no gearbox between the motor and generator. After this conversion, the locomotive was named DE 1500.
201 001-5 of the DB
From January 1968 the machine with the computerized DB number 201 001-5 came to the Hamm depot. It was used in front of passenger and freight trains, where it proved itself. She stayed there until May 31, 1969. Then she was briefly stationed again at the Hagen-Eckesey depot until she was transferred to the Westphalian State Railroad on September 17, 1969.
DE 0901 of the WLE
The Westfälische Landeseisenbahn (WLE) initially rented the locomotive and referred to it as DE 0901. It was used in freight train service on the Warstein – Lippstadt – Beckum route , which had gradients of 25 ‰. The machine proved itself again. It could run in the same plan as the existing diesel-hydraulic locomotives with 2 × 800 HP, and it had good anti-skid protection . On November 1, 1971, the WLE bought the locomotive. Between January 5 and August 9, 1974, the Reuschling company in Hattingen carried out a general inspection with repairs. It also received a raised driver's cab for better all-round visibility. However, operations were overshadowed by a few accidents: On September 20, 1975, the locomotive derailed between Lippstadt and Warstein. On February 27, 1979, she was damaged in a collision on an unsecured level crossing. After all, she achieved a mileage of 357,577 km at the WLE. At the WLE, the locomotive was sometimes used in front of special passenger trains such as those of the DGEG .
VE 151 of DEG
In August 1981, bought German Railway Company (DEG), the locomotive and operate them in the Teutoburg Forest Railway , however (TWE) called VE 151. There was a year later by the VE 152, a MaK DE 1002 replaced . VE 151 was parked. DEG carried out the general inspection on April 15, 1983 and increased the service weight by seven tons. The locomotive was also given a new color scheme in the DEG scheme. On June 24, 1983 it was transferred to Farge and from then on used on the Farge-Vegesacker Railway . In spring 1990 the locomotive was parked again and temporarily transferred to the TWE. There it was sold to the Swiss SOB through a locomotive dealer.
Time in Switzerland
| Conversion to Am 846 | |
|---|---|
 On the 864 033-9 in the current version
|
|
| Numbering: | Am 846 461 Am 846 033 (from 2006) |
| Number: | 1 |
| Manufacturer: | SOB Saturdayern workshop |
| Year of construction (s): | 1993 |
| Axis formula : | Bo'Bo ' |
| Gauge : | 1435 mm ( standard gauge ) |
| Length over buffers: | 14390 mm |
| Trunnion Distance: | 7000 mm |
| Bogie axle base: | 2600 mm |
| Fixed wheelbase: | 2600 mm |
| Total wheelbase: | 9600 mm |
| Service mass: | 68 t (2/3 stocks) |
| Friction mass: | 68 t |
| Wheel set mass : | 17 t |
| Top speed: | 80 km / h |
| Installed capacity: | 990 kW |
| Traction power: | 848 kW |
| Hourly output : | 212 kW (4 ×) |
| Driving wheel diameter: | 1040 mm (new) 960 mm (worn) |
| Motor type: | Caterpillar 3512 series |
| Motor type: | 12-cylinder four-stroke engine with charge air cooler and exhaust gas turbocharger |
| Rated speed: | 1500 rpm |
| Power transmission: | diesel-electric |
| Number of traction motors: | 4 × UZ 8448 |
| Drive: | Three-phase generator - rectifier - direct current motor |
| Brake: | Electric drag brake |
| Locomotive brake: | P brake |
| Train brake: | UIC 5 bar compressed air brake |
| Train control : | Signum with hold evaluation |
| Train heating: | no |
| Coupling type: | UIC |
Acquisition of the VE 151
Since extensive renovation work was pending at SOB, at the end of the 1980s it was looking for a suitable traction vehicle that was not dependent on the contact wire. This had to be able to move a construction train on the 50 ‰ gradients. The strongest vehicle of its kind at the time, the SOB's Tm 33 from 1983, was able to carry a little more than 100 tons uphill. That was not enough for the upcoming work. The SZU was also interested in renting such a machine if necessary in order to make the maintenance of the Uetlibergbahn more efficient.
Because it was clear from the start that the vehicle would not achieve any longer mileage, the acquisition of a new vehicle was excluded for economic reasons. Therefore one began to look around for a suitable used vehicle. By chance it was learned that the VE 151 diesel locomotive parked at the Teutoburg Forest Railways was for sale. The SOB employees examined the locomotive on site and found that it had only driven half a million kilometers in its 25 years of operation. The machine was also in good structural condition, although it was quite dirty. They agreed on a demonstration drive. Cooling water broke in cylinder 8 after just three kilometers. The diesel engine at least had to be completely overhauled if it could still have been repaired. Nevertheless, an agreement was reached and the locomotive was bought through an agent in August 1990. At the beginning of September she was transferred to Wädenswil in freight trains.
Conversion to Am 846 461-2
The following points had to be fixed:
- The deadline for the locomotive had expired.
- An adaptation of the braking system is essential for use on steep stretches of up to 80 ‰.
- The severely damaged diesel engine could no longer be repaired in an economically justifiable manner due to a lack of spare parts. Therefore it was exchanged.
Therefore, the diesel locomotive received an R5 (total overhaul).
In August 1991 work began on dismantling the machine. The conversion was completed at the beginning of 1993, so that the machine was able to carry out its first commercial journey at the media orientation on May 19, 1993. In the time after that, test drives were carried out to set the diesel engine control. Since August 27, 1993, the machine has been officially approved by the authorities with the designation Am 846 461-2. The number was later changed in view of the merger of the SOB with the Bodensee-Toggenburg Railway , or BT for short. The new number is Am 846 033-9.
Since the SOB saw only a few possible uses for the locomotive over time, the well-preserved machine had a rather modest existence. She spent most of her time in front of the Saturdayern depot and was rarely seen in action. In mid-2014, the private EVU Swiss Rail Traffic AG from Glattbrugg acquired the machine in order to use it for test drives, shunting work or construction site services.
technology
Original version of the ME 1500
Generators
At the beginning of the 1960s there was still no usable three-phase generator that could work with a sufficiently high power and frequency in the range of speeds from 600 to 1500 rpm of the built-in Maybach motor in such a way that the traction motors were supplied with sufficiently undulating direct current. For this reason, a 1: 4 transmission gear was installed between the diesel engine and the generator, which increased the speed of the diesel to a speed of 2400 to 6000 / min for the generator. A planetary gear of the Krupp-Stöckicht type was used for this. The gearbox and the first generator were very prone to failure. Another improved generator had to be developed in a short time. In 1967 the more modern AEG three-phase synchronous generator type DBL 570/41/12 with a continuous output of 980 kVA was installed. It met the requirements and could be operated directly at the lower engine speed without the gearbox. By eliminating the gearbox, the extra weight of the generator could be compensated. The exciter machine was integrated into the second generator.
Rectifier
A pioneering act in the construction of the ME 1500 was the use of the new silicon rectifiers , which were only available with sufficient performance in the 1960s. In order to master all operating states, a parallel connection of 2 by 4 diode elements was necessary for each phase and a series connection of two groups per phase was necessary (six-pulse bridge circuit with two elements per string). Each bogie has its own rectifier group, which feeds the two traction motors connected in parallel.
Traction motors
The traction motors are a total of four non-compensated series-connected full-pole claw-bearing motors, which are supplied with undulating direct current. Each motor drives its own axis via a straight-toothed gear. The motors are externally ventilated and insulated according to class H. This allows the locomotive to perform well for a long time, even at low speeds, as the cooling does not depend on the engine speed. Exactly this point was later a decision criterion for the SOB for the purchase, as it is therefore suitable as a construction locomotive on the steep sections. This is because a large pulling force in the low speed range is desired over a long period of time.
Anti-skid
In order to reduce the skidding (spinning) of the wheel sets by relieving the load on the bogie running in front according to the direction of travel, the terminal voltage is reduced for the two motors installed in it. This is done by connecting a three-phase choke coil in front of the rectifier group of the corresponding bogie. This choke causes the voltage to drop depending on the speed, without reducing the current and thus the torque. The two motors on the rear bogie are also not negatively affected. In addition, the control electronics can prevent skidding. This checks whether all four traction motors have approximately the same armature current and thus the same torque. If an axis spins, the armature current is reduced because the work to be performed (torque) is smaller when the axis is spinning (higher speed = lower armature current). This armature current comparison reduces the excitation current from the synchronous machine of the generator if the difference is too great. This means that the voltage generated drops until all four traction motors have reached the same armature currents again. This automatically leads to a drop in the torque for all motors, the speed adjusts itself and the spinning is almost always stopped. The control then automatically regulates itself up to the setpoint set from the driver's cab. This type of control only has problems in the case of adhesion problems such as oil on the rails. However, it is very well suited to prevent the skidding if the vehicle starts up too quickly. A warning light also lights up in the driver's cab during the spin. This shows the engine driver that he should operate the sander in order to increase the adhesion between the rail and the wheel, which reduces the tendency to skid. This technology has proven itself in operation and was adopted during the conversion to Am 846 461-2.
Braking system
An externally excited resistance brake with an output of 850 kW was installed as the electric brake. This achieved a braking force of 7.36 kN on the wheel. The braking resistors were built into the front wall of the large porch and were located in the exhaust air flow of the diesel engine fan. Since the ventilation of the braking resistors was not optimal, they were repeatedly damaged. The other braking system consisted of a direct and an automatic Westinghouse type brake. A handbrake operated from the driver's cab was used as a parking brake and acted on the brake linkage via cables. The parking brake was only designed to secure the stationary locomotive and was poorly performing. No brake slack adjusters were installed, the block play could only be adjusted with adjusting screws.
cooling
The fans of the traction motors and the cooler of the diesel engine are driven hydrostatically. The oil pump required for this is driven directly by the crankshaft of the diesel engine. The speed of the various fans is regulated by regulators that work depending on the temperature.
Other ancillary units
The air compressor was also driven directly by the diesel engine. Steam heating for passenger coaches was installed in the short front end of the locomotive. Since the diesel engine is started electrically, powerful batteries are installed.
Rebuild in 1993
During the comprehensive overhaul, the locomotive was dismantled into its individual parts, which were fundamentally revised. Where this was no longer possible, parts available from the SOB were used instead.
Replacement of the diesel engine
The diesel engine was so badly damaged that it was no longer worth repairing for lack of suitable spare parts. It was replaced by a four-stroke Caterpillar engine from the 3512 series, which was procured following a tender. In contrast to the old engine, this has a common cooling water circuit for the engine block, intercooler and exhaust gas turbocharger and, together with the generator, it also fitted into the front structure in such a way that no major structural changes were required to the mechanical part of the locomotive. In contrast to the Maybach engine, the starter no longer worked with 110 volts, but only with 32 volts. Another version of the starter was not available. However, a powerful alternator (direct current generator) for 32 volts is attached to the motor . This is why the machine now has two control circuits: a 32-volt circuit for the motor and its control electronics and a 110-volt circuit for the unchanged electrical components. Due to the changed control voltage of the motor, the inverters for the electronics also had to be replaced. But this is an advantage, because the locomotive has modern inverters with better efficiency that will certainly not cause any problems for some time.
Electric drag brake
The electrical braking resistors were removed from the front wall of the large stem and moved to the small stem. With the expansion of the steam heating, there was enough space. In addition, some braking resistors were mounted on the cab roof. They wanted to get an increased braking power of approx. 1000 kW. At the acceptance one entered 983 kW. Brake resistors from demolition vehicles were used. To ventilate the resistors in the small front end, the fan from the former cooling system of the charge air cooler was first used and placed in a higher, easily recognizable fan tower on the previous front end. The fan was later replaced and the stem got its original look again.
Driver's cab
The driver's cab could be adapted to the Bm 4/4 of the SBB. The German controls were replaced with Swiss ones from demolition vehicles. It is therefore not necessary to train the locomotive drivers on this diesel locomotive for a long time if they can master the Bm 4/4.
Apparatus boxes
No new disposition was necessary for the equipment group for electrical line transmission and could be left in their original locations. However, the brake conversion made it necessary to re-arrange the pneumatic components. The entire compressed air distribution and control of the pneumatic brake was summarized on a new device panel as recommended by the UIC.
Braking systems
The braking systems were rebuilt because this was the only way to achieve steep sections. The adopted compressor, which is driven directly by the diesel engine, has too little pumping capacity in the idling range of the diesel engine. Since the 110-volt partial generator still has enough power reserves due to the absence of the diesel engine supply, an additional, electrically operated piston compressor was installed. This guarantees a sufficient air supply even when the locomotive is idling, which is quite common in construction. For this reason, a compressed air feed line (high pressure line 10 bar) could also be installed for the train. The driver's brake valves for the direct and automatic brakes were replaced by those of the OKE type. The control valve of the automatic brake is designed as a passenger train brake without a changeover device. The previous parking brake was completely inadequate for the new area of application. Therefore, four brake cylinders with a spring-loaded system were installed. This means that if the air brake fails, every wheel is still braked. Slack adjusters have also been built into the brake linkage for automatic adjustment of the block play. Since a second independent braking system is required for use on a route with a gradient greater than 60 ‰, magnetic rail brakes were installed. They are of the same type as the then newly delivered Be 4/4 21-28 railcars of the Uetlibergbahn.
Changes to maximum speed and traction
The diesel locomotive was only approved by the Swiss Federal Office of Transport for a maximum speed of 80 km / h in train series A, which is completely sufficient for its area of application. 100 km / h are still permitted when towed. The normal load depends on the duration of use and speed. It is allowed to transport 240 t on a 50 ‰ gradient for 10 minutes and 15 km / h, this value drops to 180 t at 30 minutes and 25 km / h. Up to 6 ‰ it can transport a maximum of 1200 t in all speed ranges. That means: At the Gotthard with the 28 ‰ it would be 410 t - 345 t. Compared to other Swiss four-axle diesel locomotives, this is one of the highest values.
literature
- Ulrich Koenig: Diesel-electric locomotive Am 846 461 of the Swiss Southeast Railway. In: Swiss Railway Review. No. 9, 1993, pp. 389-394 ISSN 1022-7113
- Mattias Maier: The DB diesel locomotives . Franckh Verlag, Stuttgart 1988, ISBN 3-440-05870-0
- Ingrid Zeunert (editor): Die Kleinbahn Volume 2 , pp. 43–45. Verlag Ingrid Zeunert, Gifhorn 1989 ISSN 0343-2866
- Markus Hehl: EK Special 72 German diesel locomotives . EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2004 ISSN 0170-5288
- Josef Högemann: The Teutoburg Forest Railway . Kenning Verlag, Nordhorn 1997, ISBN 3-927587-69-9
