RhB BCe 4/4 501-504
| ABe 4/4 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Numbering: | 501-504 |
| Number: | 4th |
| Manufacturer: | SWS / MFO / BBC |
| Year of construction (s): | 1939/1940 |
| Axis formula : | Bo'Bo ' |
| Gauge : | 1,000 mm |
| Length over buffers: | 18,000 mm |
| Width: | 2,650 mm |
| Service mass: | 39 t |
| Top speed: | 70 km / h |
| Hourly output : | 440 kW |
| Starting tractive effort: | 78 kN |
| Hourly traction: | 43 kN (at 41 km / h) |
| Driving wheel diameter: | 850 mm |
| Motor type: | MFO / BBC ELM 1381 St. |
| Motor type: | Single-phase series motor |
| Number of traction motors: | 4th |
| Seats: | 1st class: 12 2nd class: 28 |
In the years 1939 to 1940, the Rhaetian Railway (RhB) put four electric multiple units of the type BCe 4/4 , since 1956 ABe 4/4 , with the road numbers 501 to 504 into service.
The vehicles, which were designed for the route network electrified with 11 kV , 16 2/3 Hz alternating current, weighed 39 t and had a speed of 65 km / h ; they had an output of 440 kW at 44 km / h. The mechanical part came from SWS , the electrical equipment from the BBC and MFO .
history
The reason for the procurement of the vehicles was the increasing road traffic . With cumbersome mixed trains that had to maneuver at many stations , and the Ge 6/6 locomotives with a speed of just 55 km / h , the RhB was unable to cope with this competition. A new concept - light, fast, more frequent trains - was initially intended to win back passengers on the most important lines, i.e. the Davos line and the Albula line to St. Moritz . Together with the four railcars, the RhB procured eight passenger cars , also in light steel construction, and advertised the new offer under the name Fliegender Rhätier .
The attempt failed for two reasons. For one thing, the short trains could not handle the increased demand. On the other hand, there were so many technical defects, mostly due to the extreme lightweight construction, that the railcars were often out of service. The RhB then had more success from 1947 with the more solidly built Ge 4/4 locomotives .
Areas of application
After the main workshop in Landquart had succeeded in solving the problems, the four railcars could be used reliably in light passenger train service. From 1968 the remote control was installed (socket only on the first-class compartment side), but it could only be used from 1982, when the RhB put the three BDt 1721-23 control cars into operation. Shuttle trains made up of an ABe 4/4 each, if necessary an intermediate car (center entry car AB 1515 as well as 1516 and B 2338) and a control car were used on the Engadine line between Pontresina and Samedan, occasionally to S-chanf and between Davos and Filisur. The three control cars were adapted for remote control of the Ge 4/4 I in 1991, 1994 and 1999. In 1990, therefore, the railcars were additionally equipped with the facility for double traction (installation of a second Vst box side first-class compartment) so that a shuttle train with two railcars and an intermediate car could be formed. These missions ended with the opening of the club line in 1999 and the NEVA Retica timetable concept introduced with it .
Vehicles 502 to 504 were scrapped in the late 1990s and later abandoned. The ABe 4/4 501 remains as a museum vehicle.
construction
Compared to the previous RhB fleet, the railcars were completely redeveloped. For the first time, the single-phase series motors from MFO were built so small that they fit directly into the bogies and thus a single-axle drive via BBC spring drive was possible. With this step, the RhB finally turned away from the rod drive . A very light design was also used for these railcars, which was the main cause of many problems.
Conversions
- Because of the long downtimes, the railcars were subjected to extensive modifications in the main workshop in Landquart from 1946 onwards. Most of the problems are due to the extreme lightweight construction. The bogies had to be reinforced, the gearbox was equipped with roller bearings instead of plain bearings, and external ventilation was installed for the traction motors. There were two changes to the brakes. For example, the railcar brake was converted from a vacuum brake to a vacuum-controlled compressed air brake, and a direct-acting shunting brake was also added. The electrics would also be changed. The cam switch mechanism from MFO was replaced by a hopper control from SAAS . The bellows at the pedestrian crossings have been replaced by ones that are compatible with the rest of the rolling stock.
- From 1968 to 1971 the driver's cabs were modernized and the multiple controls installed. During this conversion, the bellows were removed.
- 1982-84 the railcars were made suitable for shuttle trains. The driver's cabs and brakes were again slightly adjusted. In addition, a bellows was again attached to driver's cab I of the railcar.
- In 1997, railcar 503 was converted into a control car on a trial basis, as it was very susceptible to damage and could no longer be used in normal operation. The attempt was unsuccessful, however, and railcar 503 was canceled together with 504 in 1998.
Coloring
The BCe 4/4, together with the eight center entry cars, were the RhB's first red vehicles. For around forty years, in addition to this coat of paint, they had the railway abbreviation “RhB” in chrome letters on the side wall. The original class numbers 2 and 3 were also implemented. With the transition to the two-class system in 1956, the new class numbers 1 and 2 were painted in the same place. Around 1978, railcar 502 was repainted with the golden decorative lines that were common at the time and the new RhB logo. 1982 to 84 the brackets for the bellows were removed from driver's cab II (second class compartment side). When it was repainted, white decorative lines and the RhB logo were added, and the doors became silver. The most recently revised ABe 4/4 501 received not only the logo but also the full company name in German (left) and Italian (right).
List of vehicles
| Company number | Installation | Remote control | status | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 501 | December 7, 1939 | R3 02/17/1984 | Remains as a historic vehicle | |
| 502 | December 11, 1939 | R3 05/20/1983 | Discarded January 2000, canceled August 2002 | |
| 503 | 6.2.1940 | R3 01/28/1982 | Canceled August 1998 | |
| 504 | March 5, 1940 | R3 ... 10.1982 | Canceled August 1998 |
: Steam engines G 3/4 · G 2x2 / 2 · G 2/2 + 2/3 · G 2/3 + 2/2 · G 4/5
Electric locomotives: Ge 2/2 · Ge 3/3 · Ge 2/4 · Ge 4/4 I · Ge 4/4 II · Ge 4/4 III · Ge 4/6 · Ge 6/6 I ( "crocodile") · Ge 6/6 II · Ge 4/4 181 · Ge 4/4 182
Two-motor locomotives: Gem 4/4
Diesel: Gm 3/3 · Gm 4/4 · Gmf 4/4 · Gmf 4/4 II
Railcar: ABe 4/4 · ABe 4/4 (main network) · ABe 4/4 I · ABe 4/4 II · ABe 4/4 III · ABe 8/12 (“Allegra”) · ABe 4/16 (“STZ “) · ABe 4/16 (“ Capricorn ”) · ABDe 4/4 · Be 4/4 · De 2/2 · De 4/4
Tractors: Te 2/2 · Tm 2/2 · Tmf 2/2
Snow blowers: Xrot d 9211 and 9212 · Xrot d 9213 and 9214 · Xrot e · Xrot et · Xrot m · Xrot mt
Control car: ABt / ABDt · At · BDt · Bt · low-floor control car
Passenger Cars: Mitteleinstiegswagen cars · Einheitswagen I · FFA Umbauwagen · Einheitswagen II · Einheitswagen III · Mark IV · Panoramawagen · Heavy steel cars · Observation Car · Albula Gliederzug
Individual evidence
- ^ Bernhard Studer: Rhaetian Railway - Railway experience in Graubünden. Verlag Dietschi, Olten and Waldenburg 2002, ISBN 3-905404-23-0 , pages 144 and 177
- ^ Claude Jeanmaire: The electric and diesel traction vehicles of the Swiss railways. 13th part: Rhaetian Railway: trunk network locomotives. Archive No. 219, Verlag Eisenbahn, Villigen AG 1995, ISBN 3-85649-219-4
literature
- Hans-Bernhard-Schönborn: Swiss traction vehicles , 2004, GeraMond, ISBN 3-7654-7176-3
- Wolfgang Finke, Hans Schweers: The vehicles of the Rhaetian Railway . Volume 3: Locomotives, railcars, tractors. 1889-1998 . Schweers + Wall, Aachen 1998, ISBN 3-89494-105-7 .