DB Class E 50

The E 50 is a series first built for the German Federal Railroad in 1957 unit electric locomotive for heavy freight. It was designated as the class 150 from the year 1968. The last ones were taken in 2003 by Deutsche Bahn, the run- Bw of the vehicles was Kornwestheim.

History of development

1950 decided by the responsible technical committee of the Federal Railroad procurement of two basic types of electric locomotives unit 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 should be built so that the drivers could do their work sitting. In all the previous series they had to drive standing to raise the attention.

The first general-purpose locomotive was given the working title E 46, but was renamed in Series E 10 after it formally an express locomotive was by increasing the required speed. The heavy freight locomotive was designated Series E 50 The development that led to largely uniform assemblies, began in 1952 with the delivery of five experimental locomotives of the class E 10.0, in which the requirements of the Federal Railroad Central Office and the ideas of the manufacturer were realized.

Series production and use

The built after 1957 e 50 ( designated as the class 150 from 1968) was the first heavy freight train locomotive electric locomotive of the unit program. By 1973 a total of 194 locomotives were delivered in several series, which first took on the same responsibilities as the heavy locomotives E 94 series before the Second World War and this replaced later.

The 150 series found its successor in the series 151, because their performance was no longer sufficient for the 1969 adopted new operational executive for heavy freight service. In addition, had been criticized by the operating service on the 150 series has always been that their tension above 80 km / h partly collapsed. Inserts at speeds above 80 km / h at higher tensile forces often led to traction motor damage. With the appearance of the modern three-phase locomotives of the series 152 series 150 was decommissioned reinforced. Last Bahnbetriebswerk for use was Kornwestheim, from where they were used in addition to the heavy freight service in pusher service on the Geislingen and the Spessart ramp. At the end of 2003, the locomotives of the series 150 retired completely from the service of the DB.

Design Features

Like all engines of the locomotive unit program had the E 50 series or the later 150 bogies of welded box construction with pivot pin and welded box structures with fan grills. The framework was based on helical springs and rubber elements from the bogies. The two bogies have been connected to a cross- coupling with each other in order to prevent a lifting of the front bogie when starting heavier trains. As an indirectly acting brake air brake type Knorr and for shunting a direct-acting auxiliary brake was used.

On the roof, the scissors - type pantograph DBS 54a, from which emanated the lines to the roof separator, compressed air main switch and high voltage transducer for monitoring the voltage of the contact wire were. The transformers were three-limb transformers with oil cooling, in which the rear derailleur (up to E50 127 BBC N28I, from E50 128 SSW W29T ) is connected with 28 steps. The controller was designed as a follow-up control, in which the train driver the gear selecting and switching mechanism starts the selected position independently. In emergency manual control via a crank or, from 150 128 with an up / down pinball control is possible.

The traction motors of series 150 are designated EKB 760 and are smaller, lighter and weaker than the SSW engines WBM372 -22 series 110/ 140 Compared with a rated output of 925 kW, they only have one such on of 735 kW. They are twelve poles and technically come from the AEG motors used in the E 94 from. Six radial fans for each drive motor provide cooling. Should the engineer forgot to manually turn on the fan drive motor, these come from gear 9 automatically. The first series of E 50 ( 001-025 ) still got the best nose-suspended drive, because you did not trust the rubber ring drive gear of Siemens - Schuckert (SSW ), combining high performance without excessive wear on the rails. After these concerns proved unfounded, and the following E 50 received the rubber ring drive gear.

In the cab of the mechanical or electronic safety control mechanism, the point-like train control were (most recently in accordance with the new requirements with software version of the PZB 90) exists and train radio equipment to safety equipment.

Design changes

From 150 042 double lamps and vertical nozzle grille from the factory were used.

From 150 128, the time of SSW newly - developed rear derailleur W29T was installed with Thyristorlastschaltern from the factory. This made it possible to dispense with the transition resistance and resistance load switch because the thyristors turn off the load current much faster and arc -free, and always switch at the zero crossing of the current and the mechanical inertia is no longer given. Similarly, the 150s got this number from a revised roof cover for transformer recording. Many 150s under the number 128 were in transformer or derailleur damage as a W29T installed. This highly reliable and low-wear derailleur performs well in the series 140, 110 ( later model series ), 111 and 151 its service.

From 150 128 accounted for the gutters.

From 150 156 locomotives were delivered with wear Pufferbohle and integrated heated windows in the cab.

From 150 165 was abandoned on the cross- coupling, because they suspected a higher wear of the rails what so however was significantly reduced Directions traction by itself. Similarly, the pivot bearing was from this series changed to the shape of the later with the BR 151 used and it was Flexicoil like feathers used and subsequently attached to the side until later yaw damper to the stability of the locomotive body to the bogies out to mitigate the swaying of the machine somewhat. Also, these machines were grown a cowcatcher.

Museumsloks

The DB scrapped almost all of their locomotives of the series 150 in the years 2003/04. Have been preserved only two machines as Museumsloks. These are:

For a 150, the first production series and a 150 from the last production run have been preserved. The Heilbronner 150 186 tends to be unique, since it is one of the most equipped with Switzerland package 150s; it has a Swiss pantograph contact strip and the Swiss train radio.