DB Class 240

Diesel locomotives of the series 240 were produced in 1989 in collaboration by MaK, Krupp and ABB as EN 1024 in three copies. Meanwhile, only the current EN 13 operative ( owned by the HGK ).

Prehistory

The German Federal Railroad had completed its procurement program for mainline diesel locomotives of the series 218. The procurement criteria of the DB 200 exclusively single-engine, four-axis machines were procured accordingly after the twin-engine V. The drive was each diesel-hydraulic. Although the six-axis prototype V 300 and V 320 impressed by her performance, but were not collected ( in series). The planning of the DB saw before, weaker machines to ride on the corresponding power requirement in double traction.

With the Henschel - BBC DE2500 the locomotive industry had built at his own expense in the 1970s three modern prototype of a choice of four - or six-axle diesel-electric locomotive. In addition to a very futuristic locomotive body especially the AC drive should be emphasized, that is, it was not only broken with the diesel-hydraulic drive concept, but also the maintenance poorer, but used hard to be controlled AC motors. Also at the DE 2500 showed the German Federal Railroad after extensive testing, no further interest, so these have been partially leased to private railways. On a copy of further experiments with the AC drive and new bogies were carried out, the results for the development of the 120 series and the ICE were very important. This loco is now at the German Technology Museum in Berlin.

Construction and engineering

In the late 1980s, three new prototypes were built that were referred to as DE 1024. The six-axis and approved for 160 km / h locomotives possessed a 2,650 kW generating diesel engine which supplied the energy for the three-phase motors via a generator. DE 1024 was designed as a general-purpose locomotive. The starting of the diesel engine by means of compressed air.

The 1989 finished locomotives were leased from the German Federal Railroad in 1990 and extensively tested, especially in North Germany, but not purchased. DB believes that there was no real need, on the one hand, the electrification of other major routes in northern Germany and on the other hand, the existing overhang after the reunification of strong diesel-electric locomotives of the series 232 of the German Reichsbahn made ​​a purchase unnecessary.

Whereabouts

After the return by DB locomotives came in a roundabout way to HGK, where they have been redrawn as EN 11-13. DE 11 and DE 12 were turned off by the cab fires in the depot of HGK in Brühl- Vochem. Thus, DE is 13, the last operational locomotive of this series.

The locomotive DE 12 was transferred on July 25, 2009 by Bruehl- Vochem to Kiel to Kiel Voith factory and rebuilt in the framework of the EU project CREAM to a dual-mode locomotive, which is presented under the name Voith Futura. CREAM stands for Customer -driven Rail -freight and will revitalize freight from the North Sea to the Bosphorus.

Developments

In formal language and conception DE 1024 was the inspiration for the DE 2700 by MaK (since 1998 Vossloh ), but that made by their susceptibility to pests both in Norway and in the NOB negative headlines. Other replicas should not be expected, as Vossloh now offers the Euro -made in Spain 4000.