SLM Ed 3/4
In the years 1902 to 1908, the Swiss Locomotive and Machine Factory in Winterthur (SLM) supplied several Swiss private railways under the designation Ed 3/4 standard-gauge tender steam locomotives of the 1'C n2t type for mixed service. 3 different standard types were produced.
Type Ed 3/4 type Seetalbahn
| Ed 3/4 type Seetalbahn | |
|---|---|
| Length over buffers: | 8380 mm |
| Fixed wheelbase: | 2500 mm |
| Total wheelbase: | 4530 mm |
| Service mass: | 39.5-39.7 t |
| Friction mass: | 33.4-33.6 t |
| Top speed: | 45 km / h |
| Indexed performance : | 500 hp |
| Driving wheel diameter: | 1030 mm |
| Impeller diameter: | 750 mm |
| Control type : | Walschaerts (Heusinger) |
| Cylinder diameter: | 380 mm |
| Piston stroke: | 550 mm |
| Boiler overpressure: | 13 bar |
| Grate area: | 1.5 m² |
| Evaporation heating surface: | 91.0 m² |
| Water supply: | 4.0 m³ |
| Fuel supply: | 0.8–1.5 tons of coal |
Locomotives of the Seetalbahn
This type was developed in 1902 for the Seetalbahn , which was built as a tram and therefore has steep gradients (up to 38 ‰). Accordingly, relatively small drive wheels (1030 mm diameter) were installed to increase the pulling force. This restricted the top speed, but this was to be tolerated, because of the line routing through the villages (with many unrestricted level crossings) in one way or another in sight.
In contrast to the steam locomotives with the designation Ec 3/4 previously delivered to JN (SBB No. 6551-6558) and JS (SBB No. 6501-6512), the drive rod acted on the third drive axle in these locomotives , a consequence the compact design with a total wheel base of the drive axles of only 2.5 m. For the same reason, there was only room for one brake pad per drive wheel. In view of the poorly built route, the locomotives also had a friction weight of only around 11 t per drive axle.
The running axle was designed as a Bissel axle , on which the locomotive frame is supported by a triangular stilt (base on the left and right in pans). If this triangular stilt is tilted to the side when the barrel axis is deflected, it acts as a return device because of the weight on it. In contrast to the use of springs, the restoring force does not increase with increasing deflection, but even decreases. In this way, on the one hand, optimum stabilization is achieved when driving straight ahead and, on the other hand, the tendency to climb up in the curves is reduced, in particular because, due to this construction, the outer wheel is more heavily loaded when it is deflected.
As the Seetalbahn was electrified in 1910, none of these locomotives have survived.
Locomotives of the Saignelégier-Glovelier region
Three locomotives of the same type (no. 1-3) were then also delivered to the Régional Saignelégier – Glovelier (RSG) in 1903 . After the procurement of two steam railcars, the locomotives were only used in front of freight trains and heavy passenger trains.
Ed 3/4 No. 1, which was the only one to have a superheater in 1939 , was sold to Sulzer at the end of 1952 after the Saignelégier – Glovelier line had been changed to narrow gauge , where it was used in the Winterthur plant .
Locomotive no. 2 came to the Régional Porrentruy-Bonfol (RPB), which was in a joint operation with the RSG, in 1934 and was then also sold to the Sulzer company for the Oberwinterthur plant in 1949 . Ed 3/4 No. 3 then took over her job at the RPB.
Ed 3/4 No. 1 was canceled in 1957, while No. 2 was taken over in 1972 by the Zürcher Oberland Steam Railway Association (DVZO). It is the only remaining steam locomotive from the Saignelégier-Glovelier region. Ed 3/4 No. 3 was canceled in Romont in 1956.
Locomotives of the Bern-Schwarzenburg-Bahn
In 1907 two more locomotives (No. 51 and 52) were delivered to the Bern-Schwarzenburg-Bahn (BSB), whose route also has steep gradients of up to 35 ‰.
The first two locomotives performed so well on the winding route that it was decided to procure a third locomotive (No. 53). With the exception of the route to Schwarzenburg, these locomotives were rarely used on other routes operated by the BLS operating group , as other locomotives were more suitable there. The mileage of the three locomotives averaged just 79 km per day, as a train on the BSB needed a lot of time to complete the entire route. Including regular maintenance, this only allowed just under two journeys in both directions per day.
In 1911, a hardy tar oil furnace was installed on locomotive No. 53 on a trial basis. The aim was to reduce the consumption of coal and use the cheaper tar oil instead. The facility did not seem to have proven itself, however, because the locomotive was sold to France in 1916.
With the electrification of the Bern – Schwarzenburg line in 1920, the other two steam locomotives also became superfluous. No. 52 was sold to the Régional du Val-de-Travers in 1926 (classified as No. 9) and retired in 1946. No. 51 was first transferred to BLS, which then sold it in 1932 to the Holderbank cement works , where it had to prove itself in the strict works traffic. In 1955, the SLM carried out another major overhaul with replacement of the firebox tube wall . In 1956, the Holderbank cement works acquired their first diesel locomotive, but the steam locomotive No. 51 was initially kept as a reserve vehicle and was not taken out of service until 1967.
In 1970, the Steam Locomotive Association 51, founded for this purpose, acquired Ed 3/4 No. 51 and had it transferred to its former home in Schwarzenburg. At that time, however, it was not necessary to get the locomotive ready to run, so it was erected as a memorial at Schwarzenburg train station.
The increasingly popular intention of getting the locomotive operational again became more concrete when the owners' association decided to work with the Steam Railway Association in Bern (VDBB). In July 1998 the locomotive was lifted onto a low loader in Schwarzenburg in front of numerous onlookers and then taken to the depot in Burgdorf. After the main overhaul, it has been used by the VDBB for extra steam trips and public steam trains since summer 2008.
Still preserved Ed 3/4 of the Seetalbahn type
| train | Installation | Whereabouts | current designation | Unique vehicle number | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Régional Saignelégier – Glovelier | 1903 | Zurich Oberland Steam Railway Association | 2 Hinwil | 90 85 0007 422-8 | operational |
| Bern-Schwarzenburg Railway | 1906 | Steam Railway Association Bern | BSB 51 | 90 85 0007 451-7 | operational |
Type Ed 3/4 type Sensetalbahn
| Ed 3/4 type Sensetalbahn | |
|---|---|
| Length over buffers: | 9015 mm |
| Fixed wheelbase: | 2800 mm |
| Total wheelbase: | 5000 mm |
| Service mass: | 42.9-44.2 t |
| Top speed: | 50 km / h |
| Indexed performance : | 500 hp |
| Driving wheel diameter: | 1230 mm |
| Impeller diameter: | 850 mm |
| Control type : | Walschaerts (Heusinger) |
| Cylinder diameter: | 420 mm |
| Piston stroke: | 600 mm |
| Boiler overpressure: | 12 bar |
| Water supply: | 4.3 m³ |
| Fuel supply: | 1.0 t coal |
Locomotives of the Sensetalbahn
In 1903 two locomotives (No. 31 and 32) were delivered for the Sensetalbahn , which were derived from the Seetal type, but had larger drive wheels (1230 mm diameter instead of 1030 mm) and larger cylinders and a greater friction weight (12.5 t instead 11 t per drive axle). The drive axle was still the third drive axle (see type sketch).
The locomotives proved to be too heavy and were soon replaced by so-called glass boxes , Ed 2/2 steam locomotives. As a result, Ed 3/4 No. 31 was sold to the Régional Porrentruy – Bonfol (RPB) as early as 1911 , and after the electrification of this line in 1954, it was broken off in Chavornay. Ed 3/4 No. 32 was sold to France in 1916 and later also canceled.
Locomotives of the Solothurn-Münster-Bahn
Three locomotives (no. 1-3) of this second type were then also delivered to the Solothurn-Münster-Bahn (SMB) in 1908 .
After the electrification of the line in 1932, Ed 3/4 No. 1 was sold in 1934 to the Dreispitzverwaltung Basel (as No. 6 Ruchfeld ), came to Lonza in Visp in 1945 (as No. 1) and was then used by Technorama in Winterthur from 1965 reserved. The locomotive has been in a depot at the DVZO in the Zurich Oberland since 1972 and is waiting for an overhaul.
Locomotive no. 2 reached the Zurich gas works in 1932 (as no. 2) and from there to Holzverzuckerungs AG (Hovag) in Ems in 1946 (also as no. 2). In 1973 the locomotive was bought by two private steam locomotive enthusiasts in Langenthal and thus saved from the cutting torch. After a comprehensive overhaul, the locomotive was fully operational again from 1985 and ran extra trains. In 1996 the association "Dampflok Freunde Langenthal" was founded and the steam locomotive was handed over to the association for operation. At the end of 2013, this association was integrated into the Historical Emmental Railway Association (VHE), which is now responsible for the maintenance and operation of the SMB No. 2 steam locomotive.
The only one of the SMB's steam locomotives that has so far been scrapped is No. 3, which was sold to the Bulle-Romont-Bahn (BR) in 1933 , where it was decommissioned in 1951 and transported to Belgium as scrap in 1953.
Still preserved Ed 3/4 of the type Sensetalbahn
| train | Installation | Whereabouts | current designation | Unique vehicle number | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solothurn-Munster Railway | 1907 | Zurich Oberland Steam Railway Association | number 1 | inoperable | |
| Solothurn-Munster Railway | 1907 | Emmental Historical Railway Association | SMB 2 | 90 85 0007 402-0 | operational |
Type Ed 3/4 type Huttwil-Bahnen
| Ed 3/4 type Huttwil-Bahnen | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Length over buffers: | 9020 mm |
| Fixed wheelbase: | 3000 mm |
| Total wheelbase: | 5050 mm |
| Service mass: | 39.4 t |
| Top speed: | 50 km / h |
| Driving wheel diameter: | 1130 mm |
| Impeller diameter: | 750 mm |
| Control type : | Walschaerts (Heusinger) |
| Cylinder diameter: | 380 mm |
| Piston stroke: | 550 mm |
| Boiler overpressure: | 12 bar |
| Grate area: | 1.5 m² |
| Evaporation heating surface: | 66.6 m² |
| Water supply: | 3.0 m³ |
| Fuel supply: | 1.0 t coal |
For the line from Ramsei to Huttwil and Wasen of the Ramsei-Sumiswald-Huttwil-Bahn (RSHB) opened in 1908, the Langenthal-Huttwil-Bahn (LHB), which was responsible for the operation of the, made its previous experience with steam locomotives of the type E 3/3 and ordered three much more powerful and also faster machines of the Ed 3/4 type (No. 21–23) from SLM in Winterthur. Additional Ed 3/4 were also purchased for the own route from Langenthal to Huttwil and for the Huttwil-Wolhusen-Bahn (HWB), which is also operated in a joint venture .
In contrast to the other two standard types, these locomotives had the second drive axle as the drive axle, which was possible because the total wheelbase of the drive axles had been extended to 3 m. In addition, instead of the side water tanks, the locomotives had a central water tank under the long boiler (like the E 3/3 of the Tigerli type built at the same time in the SLM ). This meant that less water could be taken with you (3 m³ instead of 4 m³), but this was sufficient for the short distances of the three railways. All of these adaptations now resulted in the locomotives getting the face of a real mainline locomotive.
Only one of these locomotives is still operational today, LHB No. 11.
Ed 3/4 No. 11 was converted from wet to superheated steam operation in 1922 and in 1941 it even received electrical lighting. In 1949, the United Huttwil-Bahnen (VHB), which resulted from the merger of the LHB, HWB and RSHB, sold the locomotive to the Von Roll company in Gerlafingen, where it was in operation until 1973.
Then the locomotive was handed over to the then Eurovapor Group Emmental and parked in Eriswil. As a result, the steam locomotive was regularly used in front of special trains. Although the steam locomotive had to be taken out of service in 1981 due to its age, after a complete overhaul by members of the then Eurovapor Group Emmental, today's Association of Historical Railways Emmental, it was ceremoniously put back into operation in 1984.
Ed 3/4 of the Huttwil-Bahnen type still preserved
| train | Installation | Whereabouts | current designation | Unique vehicle number | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Langenthal-Huttwil Railway | 1908 | Emmental Historical Railway Association | LHB 11 | 90 85 0007 411-1 | operational |
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jahn, John: The steam locomotive in a development-historical representation of its overall structure . Springer, Berlin 1924, p. 131 ff .
- ^ The steam locomotives of the Chemins de fer du Jura: Steam locomotives Ed 3/4 1 to 3 , accessed on March 31, 2016
- ^ The steam locomotives of the BLS - Bern-Schwarzenburg-Bahn , accessed on April 4, 2016
- ^ Rolling stock of the Bern Steam Railway Association , accessed on March 31, 2016
- ↑ Type sketch Ed 3/4 of the Sensetalbahn , accessed on March 31, 2016
- ↑ The steam engines of the Chemins de fer du Jura: Steam locomotive Ed 3/4 31 , accessed on April 23, 2016
- ^ Association of Historical Railways Emmental - Rolling Stock , accessed on August 21, 2019
- ↑ The Solothurn – Münster Railway - Steam Locomotives , accessed on April 1, 2016
- ↑ Steam locomotives, passenger, baggage, mail and freight cars , accessed on April 1, 2016
- ^ Association of Historical Railways Emmental - Rolling Stock , accessed on August 21, 2019
literature
- Yannik Kobelt, Cyrill Seifert: Historic locomotives & railcars: Swiss standard gauge railways. Edition Lan, Bäretswil 2014, ISBN 978-3-906691-79-4