SBB-CFF-FFS Be 4/6 12302
![]() | This article includes a improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (August 2016) ) |
Be 4/6 12302 | |
---|---|
Railroad hand brake | |
Train brakes | Air |
Performance figures | |
---|---|
Maximum speed | 75 km/h (47 mph) |
Power output | Continuous: 1,240 kW (1,660 hp) at 57 km/h (35 mph) One hour: 1,415 kW (1,898 hp) at 51 km/h (32 mph) |
Career | |
---|---|
Operators | SBB |
Numbers | 12302 |
Delivered | 19 March 1919 |
First run | April 1919 |
Last run | May 1963 |
Retired | 31 May 1965 |
Withdrawn | 31 May 1965 |
Preserved | None |
The Be 4/6 12302 was one of four test locomotives ordered by the Schweizerische Bundesbahnen (Swiss Federal Railways) (SBB) in June 1917, along with the Be 3/5 12201, Be 4/6 12301 and Ce 6/8I14201. It was intended to be used on the
History
In November 1913 the executive board of the
The electrification of the Gotthard was completed in 1920, with new passenger and freight locomotives being urgently needed.
Requirements, contract and delivery
The SBB specified that the locomotive should meet their requirements of:
- Top speed of 75 km/h (47 mph)
- Ability to haul a train of 300 t (300 long tons; 330 short tons) on a gradient of 26‰ at 50 km/h (31 mph)
- Able to start from an standstill with this load and gradient, and accelerate to that speed within 4 minutes
- Three outward and return journeys Arth-Goldau – Chiasso within 24 hours - a total run of 1,360 km (850 mi)
- Electrical brake for use on downward slopes
- Multiple-unit control
The contract for the design and construction of the locomotive was awarded to Brown, Boveri & Cie (BBC). Subject to the requirements above, the company was free to implement the design as they wished.
The locomotive was delivered on 19 April 1919, the third of the four test locomotives. It was used for numerous test runs on the
Technical details
The mechanical part
Running gear
The running gear consisted of two
Transmission of tractive force
The tractive force was transmitted from the drive axles to the bogies. From there the force was carried to the bogie mounted towing hook and the buffers. The bogies were connected together with a so-called short coupling. The locomotive body did not carry any tractive forces.
Drive
Two motors were mounted in each bogie frame. The motors drove large cogwheels via spring-loaded
Locomotive body
The locomotive body consisted of a single bridging slab, onto which the body parts were fixed The locomotive body had no front cabinets. The bridging slab only rested on the bogies; no tractive forces were carried over the body.
Braking equipment
The automatic Westinghouse air brake and the locomotive brake acted in both bogies on both sides of the driving wheels of each drive axle. The idle wheels did not have brakes. Each cab was equipped with a handbrake which acted on the respective bogie.
The electrical part
Primary circuit
Two
The
Eacl of the two motor groups was provided with a reversing switch. For overload protection each also had an electrically driven oil-operated switch with an overcurrent relay.
Auxiliary systems
The locomotive's auxiliary systems, operated by 220 V, were:
- two piston compressors
- four fan groups for the motors
- one oil circulating pump for transformer cooling
- one motor-generatorfor battery charging
- cab heating, foot and oil heating plates
The train heating system was powered directly from the transformer, switchable between 600 V, 800 V or 1000 V.
Electrical brake
A resistor
The equipment for this was tested but later dismantled, because the locomotive – as with the two other Be-class prototype locomotives – was never used in regular service on the
Multiple-unit control
The locomotive was equipped with multiple-unit control, but it was never tested or used.
Service
The locomotive was delivered on 19 April 1919 as the third of the four test locomotives, but was not used for scheduled services on the SBB
Later in 1919 the locomotive operated scheduled services -
Based in the Bern depot, the locomotive mainly operated commuter and freight trains. From May 1956 onwards it was moved to Biel depot and operated similar services. From the beginning of 1959 the locomotive worked on the hump of the marshalling yard at Biel, and from May 1962 operated scheduled services again.
After the fire on Be 4/6 12301, 12302 took over the hump of the Lausanne marshalling yard at Renens. Unfortunately in May 1965 a short circuit in the transformer put the locomotive out of action. There was no fire, but due to the high cost of a repair the locomotive was withdrawn on 31 May 1965.
The Be 4/6 12302 was unique but the simple concepts of the locomotive were proven by the Be 4/6 12303-12342 series. The extremely bad running characteristics - compared with the Be 4/6 12301 - were taken account of during the scheduled services which mostly used maximum speeds of only 50 km/h (31 mph).
References
- Schneeberger, Hans (1995). Die elektrischen und Dieseltriebfahrzeuge der SBB, Band I: Baujahre 1904-1955 (in German). Luzern: Minirex AG. ISBN 3-907014-07-3.[page needed]
- Jeanmaire, Claude. Die elektrischen und Diesel-Triebfahrzeuge schweizerischer Eisenbahnen, Die Lokomotiven der Schweizerischen Bundesbahnen (SBB) (in German). ISBN 3-85649-036-1.[page needed]