Adolf Klose

Adolf Klose ( born May 21, 1844 in Bern city on the self, † September 2, 1923 in Munich) was Württembergischen from June 1885 to 1896 Upper machines master of the Royal State Railways.

Life

Prior to his appointment in Stuttgart, he was a mechanic inspector of the United Swiss Railways. After a period of based on Prussian models 1865-1885 was carried out Klose's term of office a realignment of Mechanical Engineering. She was characterized by numerous own ideas and inventions. In particular, he promoted the introduction of the composite engine for steam locomotives in Württemberg.

Klose- Lenkwerk

Bears his name, the patented Klose steering work, a multi-part and complex construction with which the radial adjustment of the leading and the rearmost wheel set to improve the trackability was enforced in steam locomotives and cars.

The " Klose 's steering axles " caused a geometrical perfect centering and precise radial adjustment of the wheelsets parallel to the track axis. For narrow-gauge railways, with its many arches, this was particularly important in order to keep the wear on the superstructure and the wheel sets a minimum and to allow rapid driving. For rack railways - as the Appenzeller Bahn - there was the advantage that even with larger locomotives with two main gears and a relatively large distance drive axles for the teeth nevertheless intervened centric and scale in the rack.

In some comments, the Klose engines are referred to as susceptible to interference, which is why you have turned off the machine early. With a few votes this contradicts the very favorable judgments of operators and external observers from the early years of operation, as already existed enough long-term experience. Klose's design proved themselves excellent. Some built over a hundred locomotives and several hundred chariots that were in Bosnia and Württemberg in the heaviest service, good suitability prove. The machines were z.T. nearly 20 years, partly unchanged reordered again or brought out new genera of this variety. Tests with the Schmalspurloks in Württemberg revealed that the locomotives for speeds of 45 bis 50 km / h would have been suitable, instead of the usual 30 km / h However, since it sufficient, was scheduled to run any faster. In Bosnia, the locomotives were specifically designed for speeds up to 50 km / h and also so used to raise the average speed of passenger trains on the long journeys. During test drives were easily 65 km / h achieved in the much-vaunted smooth running. The expenses for the maintenance of the engines and steering linkage was indeed greater than in other constructions. This was, however, until the appearance of simpler designs economically, because of the exchange of prematurely worn rails, especially on long distances and inaccessible as in Bosnia would have been more expensive.

A total of over 150 locomotives were built on the system Klose, for gauges 750/760, 1000 and 1435. Thus, this type reached a much wider distribution than other specialty structures for curve-compatible engines. With good care reached Klose constructions remarkable life with the best performance. The machines in Bosnia were almost entirely over 70 years of use in the rain, until 1967, although they had long ago can be replaced by other types. They were very popular with the staff and were up to the appearance of stronger machine as a " gofer ". Thus, the type Klose proved to be more resistant than about the Mallet type. Although the successor type Gölsdorf / Helmholtz lowered the cost of maintenance in the workshops, but again produced significantly more wear and tear on the track.

None of the machines has been preserved. A memorandum of the association German Society for Railway History to the rescue of a locomotive in Bosnia came a bit too late. The machine should complement those obtained from the DGEG Württemberg narrow gauge wagons with Klose chassis. Such cars are now available from the group of German Railway Club and the Oechsle train in Upper Swabia. Car of the Bosnian models come in narrow gauge museum Pozega in Serbia and in the museum railway Šarganska osmica in Serbia / Bosnia. The cars for Bosnia and Württemberg corresponded almost entirely of the main dimensions of the chassis, as they were developed by Adolf Klose about the same time.