40 years of exploitation by the CFR Company of the electrical transmission Diesel Locomotives, series 060 - DA

It may seem odd for “non-professionals” but Diesel transmission - as we all know it - entered the railway world after the electrical traction. If the first attempts of constructing some railway vehicles with internal combustion engines go back 90 years and Rudolf Diesel designed the engine that bears his name, in 1897, the first railway vehicles - locomotives and auto engines - using proficient Diesel engines were only introduced a little while before World War II.
A pioneer in this field was the Swiss company belonging to the brothers Sulzer in Winterthur. Starting with 1936, Sulzer Wintherthur designed and built a few Diesel engines with common characteristics and special performances for the time. They represented the basis for modern Diesel engines. We are talking about one of the two double locomotives made for the French railway PLM (Paris - Lyon - Mediteranee) and about the double engine ordered by CFR for the Bucharest - Ploiesti - Brasov line. The common features of these engines were: double construction with two symmetrical units coupled permanently, two 12 LDA 31, 2200 HP Diesel engines and electrical transmission for continuous current.

The economic boom after the war led to the apparition of increased demand for railway transportation. During the mid ‘50s the railway capacity was limited by the absence of traction means, able to tow great payloads, especially on the lines that crossed the Carpathians. The electrification of the main arteries was already planned but works were supposed to take years.
Considering the good results obtained by the unique Swiss Diesel engine, the CFR administration oriented itself and in 1956 ordered to the Swiss industry the manufacture of a Diesel - electric engine with a Co’Co’ wheel formula in the 2100HP class (1550 kW). To this end a consortium is created of Sulzer Wintherthur (the builder of the electric engine), BBC Baden (builder of the electric equipment) and SLM Wintherthur (the builder of the mechanical part). The latter also made the general setting for the six locomotives that were entirely built in Switzerland. Following the deal they signed, the Swiss companies were supposed to deliver the technological transfer to the Romanian industry that was at the time just budding.
The six locomotives for CFR were ready in the year 1959 in the factories SLM (Schweizeriche Lokomotiv und Maschinenfabrik) in Wintherthur, surrounded by the famous Ae 6/6 series locomotives that are their closest relatives. The fabrication numbers (4246 - 4251) were at the middle of the Ae 6/6 series - hence their unofficial denomination. The next 10 locomotives baptized in the good French tradition 060 - DA were built in Romania at Electroputere Craiova with Diesel electric equipment provided by the Swiss companies. The license allowed the construction of another 40 locomotives in Romania - a number that was surpassed 60 times fold.
Ever since their delivery in Romania, the 060 - DA - 001 … 006 underwent complete testing during May - October 1938. The lines included the famous Gotthard ramp where 060 - DA - 001 towed a 66 axes, 550 tones freight train from Erstfeld to Goschenen. The 001 and 002 locomotives coupled towed 1200 tones between Winterthur and Romanshorn. Other tests included St. Galen and Bullach in the eastern Switzerland. Fortunately for railway enthusiasts, the press took pictures of the tests and those photographs were published in the catalogues of the constructing companies and amateur magazines.
Any enthusiast knows a Swiss engine the minute he lays eyes on one. The design of the cockpit, the elegance of shapes, the CFR letters chromed, the sound of the whistle, all betray its heritage - ‘50s - ‘60s Swiss engines. The builders’ solution: the Diesel with electrical transmission, integral adherence and ‘Co’Co wheels set her in the top of the very best.
The box is a self-supported construction assembled by welding. The chassis and the lateral walls are welded also some elements of the roof and structural fittings. Sliding couples on packets of springs, on two bogies with three axes linked with a SLM universal coupling support it.
The frame of the bogie is related to the one of the Swiss electric Ae 6/6. It is an enclosed, welded construction with a pivotal sleeper and is set on helicoidal springs on the ax boxes. They are equipped with SKF rollers and are led by two SLM sways and friction dampers. Between the axes exterior to the bogie there are levers to compensate for overload on ax.
The automated brake is Knorr KSS, the locomotive’s direct brake is Oerlikon and acts on four braking cylinders on each wheel.
The propeller group is made of the 12 LDA 28 Diesel Sulzer engine on four steps. It has 12 cylinders set on two parallel lines. The measured power s 2500 HP on 750 rotations per minute but in exploitation the locomotive’s power was limited to 2100HP on 750 rpm.
An interesting fact is that this type of engine had already been used for a series of French locomotives during 1955 - 1956 and were actually called 060 - DA (actually the SNCF CC 65501 - 35 series). Later on Sulzer engines equipped British Rail Class locomotives 44, 45, 46 and 47.
Initially the locomotives had multiple traction that allowed a single command post for two or three coupled locomotives.
As they were considered mainly freight locomotives they had no heaters for the trains a fact that determined the CFR management to use WIT cars or even towed steam engines.

Main data:

• Length over the buffers - 1700 mm
• Overall length of box - 3000 mm
• Maximum height over nss - 4272 mm
• Distance between pivots - 9000 mm
• The bogie axle base - 1100 mm
• Wheel diameter (new) - 1100 mm
• Mass on 2/3 provisions - 114 tones
• Weight on ax - 19 t
• Traction power on start - 32000 kgp
• UIC power - 21000 HP (1546 kW)
• Maximum speed - 100/120 km/hour

The largest European Diesel engines series or the most built Swiss engine.

After they arrived in Romania, the six Swiss built locomotives were given to tests in the care of the BRASOV Depot and were mainly used for towing heavy freight trains but also passenger cars on the route Brasov - Predeal for double traction and as “doubles” before steam engines.
During 1960 as the agreement with the Swiss companies demanded the technology transfer was made to Electroputere Craiova where ten locomotives were built - 060 DA - 007….016 with the fabrication numbers 1001 -1010. The Swiss companies furnished the equipment. Starting with 1961 the contract stated that Romania should build additional 40 locomotives. Electroputere became the main constructor and Masini Resita became the constructor of the 12 LDA 28 engine under Sulzer license (later the builder of the bogies became Caromet Caransebes).
In a short time, the Brasov depot became the first depot where steam engines only “visited.” The following depot to receive and exploit Diesel electric engines was the Craiova Depot.
The locomotive production started coyly but increased steadily. In 1960 they built 10 locomotives, in 1961 only 8, 35 in 1962, 59 in 1963, 132 in 1968 and so on until they reached a maximum of 146 locomotives in 1974. This number also included export figures. This formidable boom of the socialist industry led to the disappearance of steam engines on our railways. The silver arrow replaced the trains of young age and we only remember their whistle…
As we said before these locomotives were intended to tow freight trains. The excellent results and the increased tonnage of passenger trains determined that they be used more and more to tow passenger trains. To replace the Pacific on the routes Bucharest - Constanta, Bucharest - Urziceni - Galati, Bucharest - Rosiori - Craiova an increase in speed was demanded up to 100km/hour. The solution found by Romanian engineers was to modify the transmission quota for traction equipment - from 1:4.6 to 1:3.94 (17/67). The locomotives now ran at 120 km/hour without substantially affecting traction performance. As a matter of fact all 060-DA locomotives were updated to 120 km/hour. Such locomotives began to appear in 1968 and received the name 060 - DA1.
During the ‘70s CFR introduced a new counting scheme on a computer for motor vehicles based on UIC recommendations. 060 DA and 060 - DA1 received the nams 60 and 62. The construction for CFR included 1407 locomotives of both series and the last known series is 60 - 1407, built in 1981, presently hosted by the Satu Mare Depot where it has 60 - 1406 as companion. The number of such locomotives still in exploitation is much smaller. The first locomotive of the 060 - DA - 001 series was retired in 1994 at the Cluj Depot. A few enthusiasts took it to the Dej triage Depot where it was completely restored and exposed next to the steam engine 150.105 and 151.002.
To insure the towing of freight engines and maneuvers on wide rails in the frontier areas a number of 0606 DA were modified or built on wide axes. They were used and some are still in use today on the frontier stations like Halmeu, Vicsani - Dornesti, Iasi - Socola, Falciu and Galati - Rieni. Along with the introduction of computer counting they were called 67 and 68. However the 67 series was initially given to the LDE 3000 HP locomotives. As speed became more and more a necessity and modifications on locomotives can only be made to bogies and couples, presently we can see 67 or 68s running on normal tracks.
Aside from these locomotives for CFR, Electroputere Craiova also provided to enterprises in Romania a number of 160 locomotives 060 DA for the use of factories. We will quote some of the more important: the metallurgical industries in Resita, Hunedoara, Otelu Rosu, Calan, Galati, the mines in the Motru Jiu basin, Rovinari, to the coal power plants in Arad, Isalnita, Turceni, Mintia, Iasi, the cement factories in Bicaz - Tasca, Hoghiz, Medgidia, Turda and many other. The locomotives are identical to those delivered to CFR and have a maximum speed of 100 km/hour. They can now be used by their owners as private operators for railway. As a curiosity we would like to say that the locomotives had the entire name 060 - DA 001 or 060 - DA - 01. There are in Romania several locomotives with the same name. The only distinctive trait is the initials of the owner stenciled on the side, as the tradition requires.
Since we are talking about industrial locomotives we would like to mention also the prototypes 060 - DB - 001/002 built in 1971 probably for Iran. They were never delivered. They are similar to 0606 - DA but they have only one command post as they were intended as double units. We have precious little information about these locomotives. Apparently they are equipped with a Diesel 12 LD 28 engine in a different variant - they provide 2500 HP and considering the destination country, they were also equipped with THA clime protection, including dynamic dust absorbers n the engine room. There is information about a test run on 31 August - 4 September 1971 on the route Craiova - Turnu Severin including the 270/00 ramp in Balota. These engines do not have Swiss bogies. They resemble more the constructions used later for the ALCO 3000 HP and 4000HP engines. The prototypes are functioning as industrial locomotives at the Isalnita power plant near Craiova.
From data released to publicity by Electroputere Craiova we know that during 1960 - 1993 2404 060 DA locomotives were built for CFR, factories and export by Electroputere Craiova. This is the fact that inspired us to write this article.

(to be continued)
Engineer Antonio Bianco