Rhaetian Railway G 4/5
The steam locomotives of type G 4/5 were purchased in 1904 in a total of 29 specimens through the Rhaetian Railway (RhB). The built by the Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works Tender locomotives came up to their electrification mainly on the Albula Railway used. To date, two copies have been preserved operational at the Rhaetian Railway.
History
As early as 1902 made the SLM two eight-coupled composite wet steam locomotives for the Ethiopian Railway. With one of these locomotives test drives were carried out on the Rhaetian Railway network in the same year. The positive results of these experiments led the Board of RhB, at a price of 61,500 francs to order four largely identical machines at the SLM. This arrived from June to August 1904 in Graubünden, they were given the operating numbers 101 to 104, the performance program provided for trailer loads of 90 tons on slopes of 35 ‰ at a speed of 18 km / h conveyed, while of on flat roads a top speed 45 km / h should be achieved. Test runs showed, however, that the machines were able to carry the required load on slopes with a 22 km / h while a top speed of 52 km / h could be achieved on flat roads.
The further increasing traffic soon required more powerful locomotives. The RhB decided in 1906 to purchase four additional G 4/5 with higher performance. Tensile loads of 95 tons should now be transported to 35 ‰ with a maximum speed of 32 km / h. While the locomotives were 105 and 106 still running in the traditional wet steam construction, came to locomotives 107 and 108 for the first time hot steam is used. The performance was the same for both types, with 800 hp they were considered the world's most powerful narrow gauge steam locomotives.
As proven, the hot steam construction, all subsequent G 4/ 5 were equipped with superheaters. By 1915, so a total of 21 additional locomotives were still obtained in a total of five series. The last locomotive with the number 129 also received a preheater. With a total of 29 copies, so did the today 's largest uniform Locomotive series of the Rhaetian Railway.
The coal shortage of World War I had questioned the meantime the further use of steam locomotives. The Rhaetian Railway, therefore, decided to electrify all routes along the lines of 1914 opened Engadine line. This project was completed in 1919. 1920, the now surplus locomotives were 109, 110 and 111 sold to Spain in the Ferrocarril de La Robla, from 1949 to 1952 they were followed by locomotives 102 and 104 to 106 There remained the G 4/ 5 is still in use until about 1970. 1924 came the locomotives 101 and 103 to Brazil.
The locomotives 112-129 arrived in 1926 and 1927 to Thailand, where some specimens were in use until the 1960s. Locomotive 118 has been preserved as a monument in Chiang Mai, 123 Lok said to have been kept for a railway museum.
Only the locomotives 107 and 108 remained with the Rhaetian Railway as catenary independent reserve for snow removal, the construction services and freight trains. Since the 1960s also came increasingly special trains for railroad enthusiasts added. Lok 107 is now stationed in the country Quart, while No. 108 is located in Samedan. On the occasion of the Grisons steam Festival 2006 and the concurrent 100th anniversary of both locomotives were named, No. 107 now bears the name of Albula, No. 108 the name Engadine.
Construction
The G 4/ 5 is an eight-coupled locomotive with a tender with a movably mounted in a bissel leading axle. During the first six examples were delivered as a wet steam locomotives composite, occurred in all the following sheets, a hot steam machine with single-stage steam strain used. The coupling shafts having a diameter of 1050 mm are mounted in a 30 mm thick sheet the inner frame, to increase the turning performance, the second and fourth coupling axis by 30 mm each in both directions of sliding. The drive takes place on the third coupled axle. The outside cylinders are inclined at the wet steam machines in the ratio of 1:20, the cylinders of superheated steam machines have a slope of 1:40 on. In the wet steam engine of the high pressure cylinder on the right side is disposed Lokomotiv, the low pressure cylinder on the right side.
The zweischüssige Langkesselwagen has at the Lokmomotiven 101 to 104 of 176 heating pipes in the locomotives 105 and 106, the number increased to 196. The hot steam engines 107-129 each have 112 heating and smoke tubes 18 and a superheater Schmidt-type. The boiler pressure was initially 13 atm and was increased to locomotives 105 and 106 to 14 atm. The hot steam locomotives of this value could be finally lowered to 12 atm. The boiler itself is connected to the smoke chamber through a cast-iron saddle fixed to the frame, while the steel firebox rests movable to compensate for the temperature-induced elongation on the frame. On either side of the boiler is a high-lying Umlaufblech available. As a single specimen of the locomotive No. 129 had a Oberflächenvorwärmer, this was mounted on the right Lokseite below the circulation.
The locomotive tenders summarized in the first four machines, two tons of coal and 5,000 gallons of water. To reduce the travel time of express trains between Chur and St. Moritz, the locomotives were from No. 105 larger tenders that preconceived 2.5 tons of coal and 9800 gallons of water. This has made it possible to account for most intermediate stops to supplement the stocks, only in Thusis had still water are added. From Locomotive No. 123, the tender were slightly enlarged again, they took an unchanged carbon stock now 10,000 liters of water.
The lighting of the locomotives was initially using kerosene lanterns. The three locomotives from 1906 feature electric lighting by means of accumulators, which is charged by a generator driven by the rear axle Tender generator. The locomotives 102 and 104 who remained after 1924 RhB, nor an electric lighting from battery received without generator. The braking equipment consists of a force acting on the tender axles hand spindle brake as well as a force acting on the first and third coupled axle and on both axes Tender vacuum brake of the type Hardy. For use on slopes, and a back-pressure Brake type Riggenbach is also available.
List of G 4 /5 of the Rhaetian Railway
1943 CB ( Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil ), there # 1230; 1963 in EFL ( Estrada de Ferro Leopoldina ), shortly after decommissioning
1943 CB ( Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil ), there # 1231; 1963 in EFL ( Estrada de Ferro Leopoldina ), shortly after decommissioning