Kálmán Kandó

Kálmán Kandó of Egerfarmos and Sztregova (* July 10, 1869 in Pest, † January 13, 1931 in Budapest) was a Hungarian engineer and inventor.

Life and work

Kandó visited the Fasori Evangélikus Gimnázium and studied from 1888 to 1892 mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Budapest, then he completed a one-year service as a volunteer in the kuk Navy. He then worked for the Compagnie de Fives Lille in Paris, where he devoted himself to the novel multi -phase induction technology.

Kandó gained there a good reputation, so the director of Ganz & Cie in Budapest, András Mechwart, could move him in 1894 to enter his company, where he also met Károly Zipernowsky, Ottó Titusz Bláthy and Miksa Deri. Shortly thereafter, he became head of the design department, where he has focused particularly on the application of AC for railway lines. To this end, he set up a 800 -meter test track one on the premises. The first result was the construction of a three-phase tram in Evian- les- Bains, used to transport hotel guests. After a study trip in 1897 by the U.S. railway electrification was his other main activity. When in the same year, the Italian railway company Rete Adriatica wanted to electrify their route along the Lake Como, was just full ready to perform this work. Kandó developed for a special three-phase system, in which almost everything was new. On September 4, 1902, the operation could be added. Also in 1902, a similar line was taken in the ammunition factory in Wollersdorf in operation. This system then spread throughout northern Italy and was until 1976.

Since the railway electrification and the Elektrolokomotivbau in Hungary was set to pressure from big banks, Kandó moved in 1907 to Vado Ligure, where he constructed the freight locomotive FS E.550 for Giovì line. From her and her successor designs 369 pieces were built until 1930. After his wife had died in 1913, he sent after the outbreak of the First World War, his children back to Hungary and then soon returned with a detour through Switzerland itself back. He was called up for military service, and referee for coal supply to the railways in the Ministry of War in Vienna. The emerging coal crisis led to a study of the supply of the railway network with the 50 Hz alternating current system. At the instigation of all- he was exempt from military service in 1917 and Chief of the entire company. Nevertheless, he also continued his work as a locomotive engineer and designed locomotives for the Compagnie des Chemins de fer Paris - Orléans and the Italian locomotive factory Romeo. This was followed by a check with the locomotives BBÖ 1180 and BBÖ 1470, the Kandó built at the request of the Director of the locomotive factory Floridsdorf, Arnold Demmer, although the applied phase converter system for the Austrian 16 ⅔ Hz/15 kV system was hardly suitable.

In 1922 he presented because of the strong claims made by the construction work down his role as General Manager and was obliged, among others, the American company Westinghouse as a consultant. In the same year he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University. 1923 tentatively a 15 km line was electrified, starting from Budapest Western Railway Station under the new system, which revealed that Kandos considerations were correct, but there were still a number of problems to solve. The sample locomotive - the later series V50 - was rebuilt and the test drives in 1928 such a success that the electrification between Budapest and Hegyeshalom was decided after 50 Hz/16 kV system. The completion of the first section 1932 did not live Kandó but since he died in 1931 of a heart attack.

The locomotives of the series V40 were known under the name Kandó.

Appreciation

The Hungarian post dedicated to him both in 1948 and in 1966, one each stamp.