SLB G 3/3

G 3/3
Numbering:	1-4
Number:	4th
Manufacturer:	SLM
Year of construction (s):	1874
Retirement:	1922-1933
Axis formula :	C.
Gauge :	1000 mm ( meter gauge )
Length over coupling:	6960 mm
Fixed wheelbase:	2140 mm
Empty mass:	15.4 t
Service mass:	20.1 t 23.6 t (2nd boiler)
Friction mass:	20.1 t 23.6 t (2nd boiler)
Top speed:	25-30 km / h
Driving wheel diameter:	900 mm
Number of cylinders:	2
Cylinder diameter:	310 mm
Piston stroke:	450 mm
Boiler overpressure:	10 atm 12 atm (2nd boiler)
Number of heating pipes:	124
Heating pipe length:	2850 mm
Grate area:	0.7 m²
Evaporation heating surface:	55.4 m² 51.0 m² (2nd boiler)
Water supply:	2.2 m³
Fuel supply:	1.0 t (coal)

The G 3/3 were meter gauge wet steam tank locomotives with a C wheel arrangement, which the Swiss Society for Local Railways SLB procured in 1874 for construction and start-up. The SLB changed its name to Appenzeller Bahn (AB) in 1885 , where three of the four machines were in operation until electrification in 1933.

construction

Type pen sketch

Because of the difficult conditions on the Winkeln – Herisau – Urnäsch line with a gradient of 37 per thousand, the SLB decided to purchase three- instead of two-axle locomotives. During the initial planning, the use of Riggenbach racks , the Wetli roller wheel system or the Fell center rail friction drive system was considered. The adhesion drive was then implemented based on the model of the Uetlibergbahn .

The locomotives came from the then still young Swiss Lokomotiv- und Maschinenfabrik (SLM) in Winterthur. With an operating weight of around 20 t, they were relatively heavy and had a large overhang due to their short wheelbase . The poor distribution of the weight led to a heavy load on the rear axle with 9.6 tons of axle load. The large boiler was designed for a steam pressure of only 10 atmospheres . The regulator pull was special, with a double lever lying on top of the boiler and a pull rod on the left. The two water boxes on the side were characterized by an unusual oval shape. The two coal chambers were on either side of the fire box . The G 3/3 of the SLB were the first locomotives in Switzerland with Walschaerts control . They had crank drives and outer frames. The wheels of the driving axle had no flanges . On delivery, the locomotives were only equipped with spindle brakes.

Operation, changes

Train with G 3/3 between Winkeln and Herisau around 1906

The machines carried 20 tons of trailer load at 16 km / h on a 35 gradient and developed an output of around 200 hp . The heavy load led to numerous axle and engine breakages, which led to reinforcements, especially in the years 1893/94. When all four machines were equipped with counter-pressure brakes from 1884 , this was used extensively. The driver's cab was equipped with a rear end wall.

In 1887, the trains of Appenzellerbahn, but not the locomotives were, with Körting - vacuum brake braked. From 1897 the vacuum brake was replaced by the Westinghouse brake , which also acted on the locomotive wheels. The air tank is mounted on the boiler instead of the signal bell, the air pump between the water tank and the boiler door.

From September 26, 1890 to July 25, 1891 the G 3/3 was leased to the Landquart-Davos-Bahn , which it needed as a leader locomotive until the G 2x2 / 2 was delivered . On October 14, 1890, it was badly damaged in a collision and had to be repaired in the VSB workshop in Rorschach . On November 14, 1909, the same machine derailed on the AB with two ballast wagons and fell down a dam. To be recovered, it had to be dismantled and pulled up with ropes.

With the electrification in 1933, the AB no longer needed the three machines that were still in existence and scrapped them.

List of G 3/3 of the Appenzeller Bahn

Company number	Surname	Factory number	Construction year	2nd boiler	discarded
1	Herisau	39	1874	1901	1933
2	Urnaesch	43		1900	1922
3	Appenzell	50		1903	1933
4th	Saentis , from 1910: Waldstatt	51		1899

literature

• Alfred Moser: The steam operation of the Swiss railways 1847-1966. 4th updated edition, Birkhäuser, Stuttgart 1967. P. 330 ff.
• Hans Waldburger: Appenzeller Bahn (AB) 1875 - 1988 (Part 6) ( Memento from February 19, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) On: Website of the Swiss Amateur Railway Club Zurich (SEAK) , 2000. ( Memento from October 25, 2007 in the Internet Archive )