SNCF 242 A 1
| SNCF 242 A 1 | |
|---|---|
 242 A1
|
|
| Number: | 1 |
| Manufacturer: | Fives-Lille |
| Year of construction (s): | 1932 as 241-101 État 1943 conversion to 242 A 1 |
| Retirement: | 1960 |
| Type : | 2'D2 'h3v |
| Gauge : | 1435 mm ( standard gauge ) |
| Length over buffers: | 27.33 m |
| Service mass: | 148 t |
| Service mass with tender: | 226 t |
| Friction mass: | 4 × 20.66 t |
| Top speed: | 130 km / h service speed 158 km / h in test drives |
| Indexed performance : | 3900 kW |
| Driving wheel diameter: | 1950 mm |
| Impeller diameter front: | 970 mm |
| Rear wheel diameter: | 970 mm |
| Control type : | Walschaerts |
| HD cylinder diameter: | 600 mm |
| LP cylinder diameter: | 680 mm |
| Piston stroke: | 720 mm HD / 760 mm ND |
| Boiler overpressure: | 20 bar |
| Grate area: | 5 m² |
| Superheater area : | 120.22 m² Houlet type |
| Evaporation heating surface: | 252.7 m² total heating fl. |
| Service weight of the tender: | 77 t |
| Water supply: | 34 m³ |
| Fuel supply: | 11.5 t |
The 242 A 1 the SNCF was an express train locomotive rendered, the exceptional as a single piece for a conversion of another type services. With a three-cylinder compound engine of the 2'D2 'h3v design and an indicated peak power of 5300 PSi or 3900 kW , it is considered the most powerful steam locomotive ever built in Europe.
prehistory
_241-101_(recto).jpg)
The state railway company Chemins de fer de l'État (ETAT) was looking for powerful locomotives for its routes from Paris - Montparnasse to the Atlantic ports of Cherbourg and Le Havre at the end of the 1920s . The higher trailer loads - the passenger coaches with wooden superstructures had been replaced by those with steel coach bodies - had often led to the need to split the heavy trains in order to meet travel times. To avoid the resulting additional costs, ETAT tested the 231 "Super Pacific " from the Compagnie des chemins de fer du Nord (NORD) and the 241 A from the Compagnie des chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée (PLM). These attempts were not convincing, which is why ETAT opted for the EST 241 , the prototype of which was put into service in 1925 and improved several times. She joined the order of the Compagnie des Chemins de fer de l'Est (EST) and ordered 49 identical locomotives in 1931 (company numbers 241-001 to 241-049).
Initially, the machines were approved for a top speed of 120 km / h. In October 1932 a 241 of the Est derailed, after which all locomotives of this type were only allowed to run at a maximum of 90 km / h. The ETAT's 241s were then transferred to subordinate services, and the company now had a new, even more powerful express locomotive developed by itself. The company Fives-Lille built the "Super Mountain " 241-101, a 2'D1 'h3 locomotive, whose performance, contrary to expectations, hardly surpassed that of the EST 241. It remained a one-off and was converted by André Chapelon into a 2'D2 'h3v locomotive between 1943 and 1946 .
Conversion of the 241-101
Chapelon carried out the conversion of the 241-101 from 1943 onwards, following plans laid down in 1938. A composite steam engine with a central high pressure cylinder and two low pressure cylinders attached to the outside of the frame was installed. The steam lines were readjusted and a Kylchap blowpipe installed. The tender was that of the original model with mechanical fire loading , which carried 34 m³ of water and 11.5 t of coal. When it was delivered in April 1946, the machine produced more than 4,000 HP of drawbar power , while the original model had "only" 2,550 HP.
Details of the steam engine control
The working points of the two low-pressure cylinders were offset from one another by 90 ° during one drive wheel revolution, the working point of the central high-pressure cylinder is indicated with an offset of 135 ° in the center of the two 90 ° working points opposite. An intermediate container was provided for the uptake and distribution of the low-pressure steam of 14 kg / cm² from the high-pressure cylinder to the low-pressure cylinders.
The previous Du-Bousquet-De-Glehn start-up devices were replaced by an individual valve control. With this, various controls of the cylinders were possible:
- To start up, all three cylinders could be supplied with live steam of 14 kg / cm² with simple steam expansion via the intermediate container via a low pressure regulator. At a speed of around 25 km / h, the low-pressure regulator was closed and the high-pressure regulator opened, and the machine then ran in regular interconnected operation.
- On the other hand, a process that was easier for the train driver was possible, in which only the high pressure regulator was fully opened; an automatic valve control then let live steam into the intermediate container at reduced pressure for operation with simple steam expansion. The valves closed again automatically at 25 km / h and switched to interconnected operation. In operation, this control turned out to be so efficient that it was used for most cases; control "by hand" with the low-pressure regulator was only necessary for trains weighing more than 1000 tons.
With this machine Chapelon wanted to introduce a number of powerful and economical machines, but his intentions ran counter to those of the management of the SNCF, which at that time intended a general electrification of the entire railway system. According to the reports, the board of directors was rather angry at the successful demonstration of a powerful steam locomotive.
Whereabouts
The locomotive was assigned to the Le Mans depot in 1951 . Despite its remarkable performance, the 242 A1 was only used sporadically after a successful series of tests, so that its mileage on the day of its shutdown was only 66,500 km. After a repair on December 23, 1955 due to damage to the high-pressure cylinder, it was shut down on October 21, 1960 and scrapped at the end of February 1961.
Web links
- Technical details
- Pictures of the 242 A1
- The most powerful steam locomotive in Europe
- André Chapelon
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Les 241 A de l'Est et de l'Ouest in: Ferrovissime 91, p. 28 ff.
- ^ A b French Compound Locomotives, 242 A 1