Rhaetian Railway ABe 4/4 (core network)
In the years 1939 to 1940, the Rhaetian Railway (RhB) four electric railcars of the type BCe 4/4, since 1956 Abe 4 /4, with numbers 501 to 504 in service.
The electrified rail network designed for 11 kV, 16 2/ 3 Hz AC vehicles were 39 tons in weight and 65 km / h, they made 440 kW at 44 km / h The mechanical part was from the SWS, the electrical equipment of the BBC and MFO.
History
The occasion for the procurement of the vehicles was the increasing road traffic. With ponderous mixed trains that had to rank on many stations, and just 55 km / h Ge 6/6-Lokomotiven the RhB did not meet the concurrence. A new concept - light, fast, frequent train service - should first recover on the main lines, ie on the Davos lines and the Albula Railway to St. Moritz, passengers. Together with the four railcars procured the RhB eight passenger cars, also in light steel design, and applied the new offering under the name Flying Rhätier.
The attempt failed for two reasons. For one, the short trains could not cope with the increased demand. On the other hand showed so many technical flaws, mostly due to the extreme lightweight that the railcars were often out of service. More success RhB had then from 1947 with the solid built Ge 4/4-Lokomotiven.
Areas of application
Once it was the main workshop Landquart unable to fix the problems, the four railcars could be used in a light passenger train service reliable. From 1968 remote control has been installed ( socket only Erstklassabteil page ), but they could be used only from 1982, when the RhB, the three control car BDt 1721-23 took in operation. Commuter trains formed of one Abe 4 /4, if necessary, an intermediate car ( center entrance car AB in 1515 and 1516 and B 2338 ) and a control cars were used on the Engadine line between Pontresina and Samedan, isolated to S - chanf and between Davos and Filisur. The three control cars were 1991, 1994 and 1999, adjusted for the remote control of the Ge 4 /4 I. 1990, therefore, were the railcar in addition to the means for Double traction equipped ( installation of a second Vst - box page Erstklassabteil ), so that a train, with two railcars and an intermediate car could be formed. These operations culminated in the opening of the Vereina 1999 and thus established timetable concept NEVA Retica.
The cars 502-504 were the end of the 1990s scrapped and later canceled. The Abe 4 / 4501 is preserved as a museum vehicle, but is still in use today for special services in the Upper Engadine.
Construction
The railcars were compared with the existing fleet of RhB a completely new development. The single phase series motors of MFO were built so small that it was possible for the first time to incorporate them directly into the trucks and thereby allowed a Einzelachsantrieb by BBC spring drive. With this step, you turned in the final of RhB rod drive off. It was also set in these railcars on a very light construction, which then meant but also the main cause of many problems.
Conversions
- Because of the high downtime, the railcars were subjected in 1946 largely in the main workshops in the country Quart tags. Most problems are in debt to the extreme lightweight. So the bogies had to be reinforced, the gearbox was fitted with roller bearings instead of sliding bearings and for the traction motors Forced ventilation was installed. On the brakes there were two changes. Thus, the railcar brake was rebuilt by a vacuum brake on a vacuum- controlled air brake, in addition was added in a direct-acting Rangierbremse. The electronics would be changed. There the cam controller of MFO was replaced by a skip control of SAAS. The bellows in the persons transitions were replaced by those which are compatible with the rest of the rolling stock.
Coloring
The BCe 4/4 were together with the eight central entrance car the first red vehicles of RhB. For about forty years, she wore next to this painting, the web abbreviation " RhB " in chrome letters on the sidewall. Likewise, the original class numbers 2 and 3 were performed. In the transition to the two-class system 1956, the new class numbers 1 and 2 were painted in the same place. Approximately 1978 received 502 railcars with a new coat of paint then usual gold trim lines and the new RhB logo. 1982-84, the brackets were removed for the bellows at the cab II (page second class compartment ). When repainting white decorative lines and the RhB logo were installed, the doors were silver-colored. The last revised ABe 4 / 4501 won both the Signet also the full company name in German (left) and Italian (right).
List of vehicles
Steam locomotives: G 3/4 G · 2x2 / 2 · G 2/2 2 / 3 · G 2 /3 2 / 2 · G 4/5
Electric locomotives: Ge 2/2 · Ge 3 /3 * Ge 2/4 · Ge 4 /4 I · Ge 4 /4 II · Ge 4 /4 III · Ge 4/ 6 x Ge 6 /6 I ( "Crocodile" ) · Ge 6/6 II · Ge 4/ 4181 · Ge 4/ 4182
Zweikraftloks: Gem 4/4
Diesel: Gm 3/3 · Gm 4/4 · Gmf 4/4 · Gmf 4/4 II
Railcars ABe 4/4 (stem network) · Be 4/ 4 x AB ( D) e 4 /4 ( Arosa ) · ABe 4/4 I · ABe 4/4 II · ABe 4/4 III · ABe 8/12 ( " Allegra " ) · ABe 4/16 · De 2/2
Tractors: Te 2/2 · Tm 2/2 · Tmf 2/2
Snowblowers: Xrot d 9211 and 9212 · Xrot d 9213 and 9214 Xrot · e · et · Xrot Xrot m · Xrot mt
Passenger cars: ABt / ABDT BDt · · · center entrance cars unit carriage I · II · Einheitswagen Einheitswagen III · Mark IV · panorama cars · Heavy steel cars · view cart