An electric locomotive for CFR and not only….

    In April 1964, a delivery contract for ten complete engines and for an electrical installation for another 28 engines that were to be built in Romania was signed between CFR and the Swedish company ASEA. For 21 engines, ASEA insured the complete electrical devices and for the other 17 a part of the electrical installation had already been produced under pattern in Romania. The Romanian company designated to execute the setting and sub-assemblies of the mechanical and electrical parts was Electroputere, in Craiova (EPC) that already had a license to manufacture electrical Diesel 2100 CP engines.
    The type of engine ordered by the offer tender was totally different from the prototypes Rb1, being assembled on six axes (Co’Co) with a power of 5400 kW and electrical brakes. The conception of the electrical system was typical for ASEA: mono-contiguous engine with silicate diode and high voltage tractor engine tuning.
    The first of the ten complete engines delivered by ASEA with the register number CFR 060-EA-001 was finished by the end of 1965, the next eight were delivered in 1966 and the last one under no 060-EB-001 had an experimental electric device with semi-commanded reducers with mixed joints. The locomotives 060-EA-001…008 had a maximum speed of 120 km/hour and 060-EA-009 had a maximum speed of 160 km/hour. The design and construction of the engines was made so that the exploitation maintenance will be as reduced as possible. Thus, by using rubber elements on joints and elastic element on the mushroom caps, the need to oil them was eliminated. The electric equipment was placed in drawers that could be easily replaced just like a piece of furniture. The engine casing was a mobile welded construction. The two mushroom caps with three axes were bound by transversal elastic coupling acting to reduce the bending forces. The primary suspension was made of rubber and metal springs in V and the secondary suspension was made of helicoidal springs. The tractor engines were totally suspended on the mushroom caps and the transmission was made by rubber coupling systems – torsion tree, distanced couplings and tubular tree, ASEA brevet.
    The electric equipment had two symmetrical ASEA-type copiers, later replaced by asymmetrical EPC copiers, automated switch BBC-DBTF 30 replaced by EPC equipment, the main transformer 5790 kW, adapter for 40 voltage stages, 6 reducing blocks with venting diodes, one for each tractor engine, flat coil and six electrical LJE 108-1-type tractor motors for ACDC with serial excitation - 850 kW each.
    Taking into account the traffic conditions stipulated in the tender book – train towing up to 800 tones on 26 mm/m ramps and curves with a minimal radius of 272 meters – the locomotive were endowed with resistant electrical braking. The braking coils block were cooled forced with a power fan of 11 kW. It dissipated a power of 2600 kW (3500 HP) with a braking force of 21 tones on 45 km/hour.
    Here is the technical info of the locomotives:

    After the assimilation in Romania of the sub-assemblies and equipment the electrical 060-EA locomotive became a product of the Electroputere plant, delivered both for CFR and abroad. Between 1967 – 1994 Electroputere produced and delivered over 1080 electrical locomotives on six axes, of which 932 type 060-EA and EA1 (currently 40 and 41) for CFR, 103 of the 461 series for the Yugoslavian Railway, 45 of the 46 series for the Bulgarian Railway (BDZ) and 2 for the People’s Republic of China Railway. The locomotives delivered to Yugoslavia for the new mountain rail Belgrade – Bar (476-km) were the object of a specific transaction for the socialist economies. Since 1967 the Yugoslavian Railway had electrical Bo’Bo locomotives resembling the ASEA type RB1 that received the serial number 441; then they were produced on a larger scale by companies in Nis and by the renowned company Rade Koncar in Zagreb. Because of the common ASEA license a part of the equipment produced in Craiova and Yugoslavia was identical. Starting with 1972, between the two countries a convention was concluded for reciprocal delivery for locomotives. It also involved the Romanian companies Electroputere and UCM Resita. Thus the Romanian party delivered to Yugoslavia a number of 103 Co’Co locomotives of the 461 JZ series and sub-assemblies for 130 Bo’Bo locomotives of the 441 JZ series, delivered to Romania and registered with CFR under the number 040-EC. The Yugoslavian locomotives derived directly from the already renowned prototype ASEA RB1 improved in the mechanical construction under the RC1 series pattern. Those 195 Bo’Bo locomotives for monophase voltage 25 kW, 50 Hz were produced and delivered between 1967 – 1969 by the newly created Group for Promoting the Industrial Frequency electrification of 50 Hz led by the French company ALSTHOM and included companies as ASEA, ELIN, Secheron, Rade Koncar and SGP. Leadership of this new project was assigned to the Swedish company ASEA. It delivered tractor motors, starter systems, bogies, dampers and part of the electric device.
    The Austria bound company ELIN produced the main transformer for the high voltage graduator and part of the flat coil system. Switzerland bound company Secheron delivered part of the dampers, adapters and part of the equipment for the auxiliary services. Austrian bound company SGP (Graz) mounted the general setting. Zagreb bound company Rade Koncar (Croatia) that initially delivered only the less important equipment assimilated the majority of the building elements and became the main producer.
    The construction of bogies for the tractor engines and for the axes is an ASEA type, similar to that used for CFR 060 EA locomotives. The main adapter cooled in oil has a power of 4576 k VA and is joined to a high voltage graduator with 44 stages including three stages for field dampening. The dampening diode blocks are similar to those used for 060 EA locomotives, one for each electrical tractor motor combined with a ventilation kit. The transmission report was established for the maximum seed of 120 km/hour and it was replaced with devices for 160 km/hour (at CFR for 040-EC 1 locomotives).


Reporting Engineer Antonio Bianco

To be continued…

 

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