DB Class E 41

The class E 41 was one for the German Federal Railroad first delivered in 1956 unit electric locomotive for passenger services on branch lines and the transport operation. It was designated as the class 141 from 1968 and was the easiest Lok within the concept of the electric unit locomotives.

• 4.1 paint variations

History of development

In 1950 the responsible technical committee of the German Federal Railroad decided the procurement of two basic types of electric locomotives with largely standardized components. This should be a six-axle freight locomotive based on the Series E 94 and an ajar to the E 44 series general-purpose locomotive. The cabs of the vehicles should be designed so that the drivers could do their work sitting in all the previous series they had to travel standing to raise the attention.

The first general-purpose locomotive was given the working title E 46, but was renamed to E 10 after it formally an express locomotive was by increasing the required speed. As of 1952, provided all major locomotive factories in Germany a total of five experimental locomotives of E 10.0 series, in which the requirements of the Federal Railroad Central Office and their respective own ideas were realized. The test program showed that two types of electric locomotives would not be sufficient to meet all performance requirements. The type of program has therefore been revised and included in the new version of the express train locomotive E 10 freight locomotive E 40 (both developed by SSW / Krauss -Maffei ), the Nahverkehrslok E 41 (developed by BBC / Henschel) and the heavy freight locomotive E 50 (developed AEG / Krupp ).

According to the revised model range E 41 locomotives came ( 1968: 141 ) the role of urban transportation and light freight locomotive to. As they should be usable on electrified branch lines, was one of the development goals, not to exceed an axle load of 15 tonnes. Compared to other types of low cost Einheitslokprogramms played a greater role. Thus, among other things, significant deviations in the electrical part explain.

Series production

Between 1956 and 1971 a total of 451 locomotives E 41 locomotives were procured; the last 16 pieces have already contributed upon delivery of the new series designation 141 All locomotives had a shuttle train. Some of them were subsequently an equipment for use on commuter trains in the Rhein -Ruhr ( trial operation at 141 248 and the Karlsruhe train 1977) and in the S- Bahn network Nuremberg from 1987.

Tentatively, given the last five 141er delivered an electric regenerative braking that can feed back into the catenary, the braking energy. These machines are distinguished by a box-shaped cover on the roof, are accommodated under the part of the necessary auxiliary equipment of the specimens without regenerative braking.

Design Features

Like all engines of the locomotive unit program, the E had 41 running with pivot bogies, which consisted of a welded box construction. The welded frame bridge is supported by coil springs and rubber elements from the bogies. Bridge frame and welded box construction form a self-supporting unit. To brake, an indirectly acting pneumatic brake type Knorr and for shunting a direct-acting auxiliary brake is used.

The traction motors of the E 41 were from those of the electric trainset ET developed 30, they are ten poles and carry the designation ABM 6651st Like all locomotives Einheitslokprogramms got the E 41 the rubber ring drive gear of Siemens - Schuckert (SSW ), which is first in the e had 10 proven.

On the roof there are the scissors - type pantograph DBS 54a, it is followed by the obligatory roof separators, compressed air main switch and high voltage transducer for monitoring the voltage in the catenary on. The transformers are three-limb transformers with oil cooling.

Safety equipment in the cab of the mechanical or electronic safety control, Point-like train control are (now according to the new requirements with software version of the PZB 90) and train radio equipment available. From the late 1990s the now mandatory for locomotives in passenger traffic door locking from 0 km / hr ( TB0 ) was retrofitted. In addition, all had S -Bahn -141, as well as for the " driving without a conductor " and several other machines, frequency of multiple train control ( FMZ ). Although this project was never realized, the investment is still paid in the FMZ but from that on the stringing of double-deck trains, the doors could be released as side selectively. A time still Konzug ( Continuous train monitoring ) was tested called early form of automatic train between Hildesheim and Helmstedt on the locomotives 141 400 and 403.

All 141 have the conventional push-pull train via the 36 -pin control cable, whereby the push-pull operation could be introduced across the board for the first time. With 141 091 a precursor to the later time multiplexing shuttle train was tested from 1960, in which the control commands are transmitted as audio frequency signal through the electrical Zugheizleitung. ( Transmitted audio frequency multiplexing control in which control pulses on the UIC cables ( speaker cables ) ) The 141er of the Nuremberg S -Bahn finally had the time-division push-pull train, making them very flexible after the end of the S-Bahn operations, such example, with bunk -pull trains, could be used, which, however, led the performance of the machine to its limits.

Control

As the only type of Einheitslokprogramms the E 41 received a derailleur on the low voltage side of the transformer, while one sat on all other series of Einheitslokprogramms on a high side control. The E - 41 rear derailleur had a characteristic noise, which led not only to the great traction jumps to the nickname " firecracker " or " corks " for these locomotives.

In addition to the low voltage side of the switching mechanism of this has over the other unit locomotives are other significant differences. So the tap selector of E is 41 designed as round voters, with two semi-circular double contact strips which stem from the fact that the transformer though has only 14 Stufenanzapfungen, but the 28 existing permanent speed steps come by three current divider about. Two contact pads in the voters are so connected to one transformer tap. Thus, the current divider have now, first, the object to perform an overshift without motor power interruption ( in the E 10 / E 40 / E 50 governed by transition resistance ), and secondly to split the flow of a tap to create two available voltages. The two contact pairs of rollers in the voters will then always shifted by two arms on a Maltese cross gradually turns a bit about the contacts, which must be de-energized because the voter is not a circuit breaker. Four outlying load switches provide the electroless transition. It always turns just a load switch (as opposed to N28h, and main contact of the E 40 / E 10, the pre-contact there is not here). That is, a contact roller is on a log, the arm moves them now to the next higher tap, opens a load switch and provides the current-free transition, the next gear is reached. Well the train driver switches to the next level, the roller moves on, but stays on the block. Again opens a circuit breaker, and the current divider now divide the voltage on the tap. The new gear is reached. This is done again and again in these alternating steps, as long as the train driver continues on.

The typical crack of the E 41 comes from the fact that the flow divider develop a kind of magnetic field when switching what the developers had not then taken into account. Each circuit breaker must absorb a quarter of the motor current of the four traction motors, which means that about 2000 amps are on a switch. Due to the irregular sinusoidal voltage comes in the flow divider into being the magnetic field, which in some cases very severe voltage spikes cause. Since the load switches were never designed for it, creates a big arc and it pops very loud. Furthermore, the voltage drops after switching for a short time again rapidly decreases, causing the partly extreme jerking of E occurs 41. BBC set out then think about how you could find a solution for it, and built an experimental basis in addition before the current dividers a transition resistance, meaning a dampened induction voltages; the Federal Railways but decided against it, which is why the locomotives until they are decommissioned, still popped.

Use

In the early years the 141 has been used not only in Wendezugdienst with Silberling cars. She came on branch lines freight trains and even express trains are used. Therefore, some locomotives of the first series carried the blue livery of the DB long-distance transport. The latter use ended when the DB in the late 1950s raised the top speed of their D- trains on 140 km / h. However, the main application area was stringing pull trains, carried out their first missions in the Munich area, the Ruhr and the Saar.

The locomotives of the class 141 were for a long time in the old Federal Republic of Germany on the go, such as in the metropolitan areas around Munich, Saarbrücken, Trier, Kiel, Frankfurt, Dortmund, after the reunification, on the Saale railway between Camburg and Probstzella until after Naumburg and Göschwitz.

In 1987, the seven locomotives were prepared 141436-141442 for use in the newly established S -Bahn Nürnberg. They received the S-Bahn livery in orange / flint gray and were used with formed from x - cart Wendezugeinheiten. These machines were up in 1994 by the Class 143 ( former BR 243 of the Deutsche Reichsbahn ) replaced and repainted.

Many transport services of the 141 were taken over by the German reunification in particular by the locomotives of the series 143. Today, even multiple units of the 425 series occupy the former fields of application of the series 141

Paint variations

The class 141 reflects the different color schemes of the German (federal) railway resist very beautiful, she was painted in six different color schemes:

The first machines were within the terms of the then valid concept as electric engine with top speed of 120 km / h express locomotive and therefore painted in cobalt blue. After the change of the concept ( raising the necessary to be classified as express train speed to 140 km / h) was changed the paint in the space provided for passenger and freight locomotives Chromoxydgrün. This was followed from April 1975, the ocean blue-beige variant, from March 1987 orient red locomotives (first in Hamburg). Last variant was verkehrsrot the current as of October 1997. Some Nuremberg 141er received a 1987 painting in the then current S -Bahn DB colors of orange - pebble gray.

The Hagen 141 248 received an asymmetric S-Bahn attempt lacquer, which resembles the general ocean blue and beige color scheme in January 1977. The locomotive should always related to the same side of a converted with blue window band test train of food from BD converted Silberling cars for the S -Bahn traffic at train so locomotive and cars harmonized color. This train, known as the "Karlsruhe train ," was the prototype for the S -Bahn trains today are frequently used, formed from locomotives of series 111 or 143, and three to five x - cart. Another nerd was 141 378 with a blue roof paint over the ocean blue - beige paint unit.

DB 141132-1 Bw Bremen Hbf, 1984

DB 141 448 freshly painted with new fan grills in Essen Hbf

141 248 in Essen Hbf 1983

141 439 and 402 in Kassel Hbf (Sept. 2006)

The museum locomotive 141 228 with a special train on the right track at Rhein Had home (July 2012)

Decommissioning

In the late eighties, presented the Federal Railroad on considerations in the medium to separate the class 141. So first inventory reductions were made in 1987, much earlier than in the other Einheitsellok series. Consequently, the series should not be included in the orient red color scheme 141, of special use areas ( City Bahn Hamburg - Wiesbaden Stade, " Wiesbaden City " Frankfurt - - Mainz ) apart tailored machines. The German reunification, the increasing clockface of transport, which required enormous additional services particularly for wendezugfähige locomotives in regional transport, and last but not least, the carried out as a result of the railway reform distribution of the series to certain business units of DB, which mainly an application of DB Cargo awarded 140 series in the plans of DB Regio belonging to class 141 under band, but made ​​sure that an early withdrawal of the series proved to be impractical. From the mid- nineties, the machines were eventually painted orientrot from 1997, they were also involved in the new traffic- red color concept of the DB AG.

So could be largely maintained until the end of the nineties, the services in the traditional areas of application; the number of active 141er at 31 December 1999 amounted to 334 of former 451 machines, which are based in Braunschweig ( after the acquisition of Seelze and hamburgers stocks during the year 1999), Dortmund, Frankfurt / M, Nürnberg and Saarbrücken distributed and were used by their points of application widely.

Only the delivery of electric railcars of series 424-426, the equipment of a greater number of locomotives of the series 110 and 143 with the 36 -pin push-pull train, and the granting of regional transport services to private railway companies meant massive cuts in the application fields of the class 141, the first to adopted from Franconia and Bavaria, Saarland, provisionally from Hessen, finally from Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine -Westphalia, Hamburg and Schleswig -Holstein, in the end also from Bremen and Lower Saxony.

The locomotives are no longer needed were mostly scrapped. A special fate befell 141 046, which was used from 1995 until being scrapped in 2007 as an electrical heating engine in Hanover, 141 068 received for training purposes at Bw Frankfurt (Main), remained 141 to 160, 1999 to 2005 also as a heating engine in Northeim used and 141 161, which served as a training object for DB Netz emergency equipment in Kreiensen and parked since 2005 to date (31 December 2011 ) at Bw Fulda.

On 31 December 2005, the number was at operating locomotives of the series 141 five copies ( exclusive of the loaned by DB Regio Frankfurt at the Railway Museum Darmstadt- Kranichstein operational 141 228 ), on its premises in Frankfurt (141 400, 401, 402 and 439 ), where the machines were due to blatant lack of locomotives returned once more, and distributed Brunswick ( 141 083 ).

After elimination of the last Braunschweiger " bang frog " ( 141 083 ) in February 2006, Frankfurt am Main, the outlet - depot of the Series 141 from December 2005 to early June 2006, the last four machines wrong schedule in RegioTram replacement bus service between Kassel and Melsungen; if required, the locomotives in the roster of other series ran across Hesse. After eliminating six much younger Frankfurt 143er in October 2006, the last four machines came along with the museum locomotive 141 228 again as planned on the Main- Weser Railway between Kassel, Giessen and Dillenburg or before special services used. After the conversion of the locomotive-hauled Main-Weser regional trains to the running of railcar Central Hesse Express to the timetable change on 10 December 2006, she lost her last application. After six months of deployment in Frankfurt were three (400, 402 and 439 ) transferred the last four not yet retired, but deferred since 29 December 2006 141er for scrapping to Opladen, 141 401 is an exhibit at Bombardier in Kassel next to a locomotive of the series get 44 remained. She was transferred from the museum locomotive 141 228 in December 2007 to Kassel.

Museum locomotives

Preserved in museums were the locomotives:

• E 41 001 ( Vorserienlok, painting: cobalt blue, DB Museum Koblenz )
• E 41 006 ( Vorserienlok, Finish: chrome oxide green, Dieringhausen Railway Museum )
• 141 011 (paint: green, DB Regio, on loan to club tradition Bw Nürnberg Hbf)
• 141 055 (paint: green, DB Museum Koblenz )
• 141 083 ( Finish: Traffic Red, DB - Museum, on loan from Bavarian Railway Museum )
• 141 228 (paint: green, DB Regio, on loan to the Railway Museum Darmstadt- Kranichstein operable )
• 141 248 ( Painting: traffic red, but again is to get the test paint, DB Museum, on loan to railway enthusiasts Betzdorf, Siegen ).
• 141 366 ( Painting: traffic red, DB Museum Koblenz )
• 141 401 ( Painting: traffic red, Kassel exhibition piece next to the steam locomotive DR Class 44)

Furthermore, there are:

For a long time been preserved and worth mentioning here is also 141 to 160, which until December 2005 was used as a stationary heating system in operation Northeim retired as the first locomotive of the series 141 and 1988; it has since been broken on the spot. Even 141 046 (paint: ocean blue-beige, former Trafolok in repair Hanover- Leinhausen ) has since been scrapped on site.