DB Class 210

The 210 series of the German Federal Railroad DB short, consisted of a series of eight diesel locomotives. Its peculiarity was that they had a gas turbine, which was switched on power requirements. This made her the most powerful German four-axle diesel locomotives of their time.

Gas turbines at DB

1950 tested the DB on the 4/6 1101 of the Swiss Federal Railways. This locomotive had as driving a gas turbine whose power was transmitted electrically. Due to the higher fuel consumption compared to the DB Class V 200.0 it proved uneconomical. After this test the DB refrained from diesel with gas turbine as the prime mover.

In the 1960s, the first locomotives of Class V were put into service 160. These were originally intended for moderate service. For more demanding applications such as high-quality and heavy passenger service on the non-electrified and winding route from Munich to Lindau one has thought of DB via an increase in performance of these locomotives. For this reason, for those days, was a promising concept to increase the single-engine locomotives of the series 160 V with a gas turbine. This was relatively easy to realize, because a gas turbine takes relatively little space. The high fuel consumption would be met by the turbine, diesel engine zuschaltete only when necessary to make them as to use only the economic full load condition. That was when accelerating from speeds of 25 km / h and when climbing slopes of the case. The hydraulic gear drive side was provided with an additional shaft for the turbine.

Was successfully tested this add-on drive from 1966 when the locomotive V 169 001, the EDP-compatible designation received from 1968 219 001. However, the DB decided that the successor series this locomotive should be provided with a more powerful gas turbine of the type AVCO Lycoming T53 - L13. The scheduled turbine has been in a helicopter Bell UH- 1 D, the uA was used in the Bundeswehr, is used. The Klöckner- Humboldt -Deutz factory in the former engine plant in Oberursel, now Rolls-Royce Germany, she made for the German Army under license and was able to maintain the turbines and repair for major damage. From 1970, this engine was used in the 210 series.

Technical structure

The 210 series was technically almost identical to the Class 218 you had the same twelve-cylinder V-engine manufacturer MTU of type MA 12 V 956 TB 10 diesel as the main, had the same electrical Zugversorgung and over approximately the same chassis. She was, however, designed for a maximum speed of 160 km / h and therefore had to get an extra hydrodynamic brake. In comparison to the 218 Series also reinforced drive shafts from the fluid transmission to the axle gears and increased brake pad were installed for the same reason.

The gas turbine was their power off at a speed of 19.250/min. This required a step-down gear, which reduced the speed to 6000 rpm.

The main diesel and the gas turbine were connected, as in the 219 001 having two independent drive shafts with the fluid transmission, which had two different impellers for the oil pressure. The turbine was throttled to 845 kW, in order to protect the operation. It was just like the motor is operated with diesel fuel. They run at either full speed or has been switched off, or idle. The remaining power range covered the main diesel. The turbine exhaust gases were discharged through a chimney-like exhaust shaft on the roof of the locomotive. This exhaust was the visually salient distinguishing feature to the other locomotives of the V- 160 family.

Operation

As already delivered the 219 001 sufficient evidence on the operation of the gas turbine, the series was quite taken 210 after its decline in the late 1970 / early 1971, soon to operating service. The end of 1971 the Bw Kempten had all eight locomotives and put them in a scheduled operation. This included all the excellence required in the Allgäu Railway as the TEE Bavaria and heavy express trains of the relation Zurich - Munich, which were transported from or to Lindau from the 210 series. The locomotives meet the expectations placed on them in the early years. However, the heating in winter was weak, so that the 210 were then often used in long trains in double traction with a 218 to heat the car can sufficiently.

Bw Kempten received a small specialist workshop for the maintenance of the gas turbines. The staff has been trained for the maintenance of the turbines of Klöckner- Humboldt -Deutz. Major repairs were necessary, the turbine was removed from the affected engine and sent to a special container to the manufacturer. To ensure that no locomotive in operation failed, the Federal Railroad held for eight locomotives ten gas turbines in the inventory, so that in such a case a replacement turbine could be installed. Such a turbine replacement needed in the 210 six hours.

First, the gas turbines were working satisfactorily. It was only on March 24, 1978 there was a total failure of a gas turbine during operation: The 210 003 drove in Kempten Ost train under full load with the D 1512, as a turbine wheel broke. The DB initially put all the gas turbines still and let them investigate. There are some wheels have been found to fatigue, which were replaced. Then all the locomotives returned again with gas turbine in operation back as last October 13, 1978 210 008 It was the same locomotive, in which shortly afterwards on 31 December 1978 by the passage in Eichenau a compressor wheel broke and this time in the turbine area of locomotive fire was due to a broken fuel line here. Although this was quickly extinguished by the fire brigade in Fürstenfeld Bruck train and the locomotive were spared serious damage, but the DB had then again shut down the gas turbines.

In the subsequent investigation of the turbines was found that they were restarted in railway operation to reinforce the main diesel too often, which considerably shortened the lifespan. The continuous operation in a helicopter would have withstood the turbines longer. The now necessary expenses such as more frequent maintenance, repair and replacement of the turbines operating costs such in the amount that the economy was lost. The fuel consumption of the turbine was in any case higher than that of a corresponding diesel engine.

Conversion to a series 218.9

As a consequence, the DB had to remove the gas turbines and rebuild the locomotives so the series 218.9. Here, the characteristic exhaust was removed on the roof of the locomotive, as well as the muffler and the controller for the turbine. The hydraulic transmission was also changed. To counterbalance ballast weights were installed. The top speed of the former 210 series was reduced to 140 km / h. Thus, the locomotives were adapted to the series 218. The exact re-drawing of the 210 series is given in the table. From then on, the heavy passenger trains Allgäu railway were transported with two locomotives of the series 218.

Operation as the class 218.9

The converted former Gasturbinenloks stayed initially at Bw Kempten and like the other locomotives of the series 218 were used. In 1983, the locomotives came to Bw Braunschweig, from 2001 to Stendal. Between the years 2004 and 2006, all locomotives of the series 218.9 were retired and scrapped later.

DB Class 210.4

The German Railway has twelve locomotives of the series 218 rebuilt to 160 km / h and redesignated as Class 210.4, between September 1996 and 1 January 1999. This was apparently based on the also 160 km / h fast former Gasturbinenloks. The conversion was necessary because 1996, the intercity connection from Hamburg to Berlin should be speeded up and the track was not electrified throughout.