Tram locomotive

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Disguised tram locomotive with a condenser on the roof
Historical steam tram of the Bern tram
Machine of the local railway Reutlingen – Eningen with only partially disguised chassis

As tram locomotive is known especially for trams developed locomotives .

Steam operation

Before reliable electric drives were available, the steam trams that appeared in the 1870s - but also numerous local or small railways - used small, mostly partially or completely clad steam locomotives . They were also called tram locomotives , (steam) tram locomotives , (steam) tram locomotives or box locomotives and in many places replaced the draft horses that were common at the time in order to increase the performance compared to horse-drawn trams in passenger transport . Above all, suburban lines or overland trams were operated with such machines. Even after the establishment of the electric tram, they still played a role, mostly on less frequented routes on which the costs of electrification were initially avoided or which later never received an overhead line. However, many routes , such as that of the Frankfurter Waldbahn , were electrified and integrated into the network of electric tram lines.

The covering of all moving parts should protect other road users such as pedestrians from serious injuries in the event of an accident. It also prevented horses from shying away and protected the gearbox from dirt and dust on the natural and macadam roads that were common at the time . Often there was no stoker on tram locomotives , that is, they were operated by the driver in one-man operation. The short wheelbases also made it possible to negotiate tight curves in city centers. Often standing kettles were used for reasons of space . The cladding sometimes hampered maintenance. That is why it was partially removed from some locomotives.

As early as 1884, a fireless soda locomotive was also running on the Aachen tram . This was also used experimentally in Berlin-Charlottenburg .

On tourist and museum railways , individual steam tramway locomotives are still in operation today for the transport of passengers , for example on the Blonay – Chamby museum railway , the Chiemsee railway , the Bruchhausen-Vilsen – Asendorf museum railway or at Stoomtram Hoorn Medemblik in the Netherlands.

Internal combustion engine

Tram locomotive with internal combustion engine on the Schöneiche tram near Berlin

In the tradition of the steam-powered tram locomotives, the benzene locomotive was still used on the Schöneiche tram near Berlin around 1910.

Electrical operation

With the establishment of the electric drive for trams is set short two- or four-axis electric locomotives , in order - to narrow- networks by means of trolleys or dollies - freight cars determine to industrial customers within the urban area, and can pick up. These freight tram machines mostly had a central driver's cab and sloping front ends sloping forward. This construction gave the driver an all-round view and a clear view of the rest of the traffic, even when shunting . In addition, there was no need to change the driver's cab when changing the direction of travel - which was quite common in tram freight traffic.

Occasionally, such machines also carried local or small train trains within urban areas, for example on the Pforzheim tram or the Pressburger Bahn . In addition, they were often used as locomotives for internal work trains .

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : Steam Tram Locomotives  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ In the Locomotive entry in the Encyclopedia of Railways , Victor von Röll differentiates "according to the type of railway" between main railway locomotives , secondary railway locomotives , small railroad locomotives and tram locomotives .
  2. ↑ Two press releases from the City of Meissen about the previous use and current exhibition of an old tram locomotive: Thursday, June 28, 2012 and Monday, July 16, 2012