30 years of railway electrification

1. Projects
Although the German engineer Werner Von Siemens at the industrial display form Berlin in 1879 presented the first electric engine in the world, railway electric traction appeared practically late, being generally used for trams and local purposes.
In our country, in 1913 the first 68-rail km were electrified in continuos electric power (1650 V) on the local route Arad-Podgoria (Arad-Hegyalijai Motors). This private rail linking the Arad to the Ghihoroc, Pancota and Radna habitats was made in 1906 and previously exploited with steam engines and gas-electrical auto-motors.
Electrification of the normal railways was limited only to studies and discussions levels of course implying some departments to undergo this task. Some few projects, some of them dating from the First World War, were never realised. The CFR Administration was permanently concerned about that, though; its delay was not only the CFR's fault. The social, political and economical conjuncture of the period between the two Wars, the lack of the technical specialists as well as the existence of the energetic resources easily exploitable (oil and carbon) are some of the reasons that delayed the electrification of our railways until the middle of the 6th decade of our century.
The first project was that made by I.S. Gheorghiu, professor engineer in 1913, when out of strategic interests, the problem of the existence of an electrified line on route Sinaia-Pietrosita proved necessary. On this occasion the prolongation of the electric traction on the route Sinaia-Predeal was accomplished as well.
The capacity of the line Campina- Brasov , the most solicited section of the entire network reached its limits even before the 30's, while the traffic showed its developing tendencies as well. The electrification of this line became an imperious necessity and the General Department of the CFR had already begun to sustain it seriously. During three stages - in 1929, 1934 and 1942- special laws for this process had been approved. The one of 1929 regarded the construction of a navigable channel between Bucharest and Danube whose difference of level to be used in obtaining the necessary electricity for the electric traction on the line Bucharest-Brasov, in a hydro-energetic station.
The War made all these projects unrealisable. The railway faced again the lack of capacity for this line, an alternative being the doubling of it for the time being. After a short while after the inauguration of the double line the increase of its capacity proved not at all as expected, the steam traction couldn't face the intensification of traffic during the War.
In this situation, the CFR Administration takes again into account the problem for the reason, of which they create the "Electrification Department" under the leadership of Dimitrie Leonida, appointed in this position on September 12, 1942. But the economic infrastructure of the country and the events of the war delayed once more this project.

2 The Electrification
Along with the realisation of the national electric system in 1959, the CFR Administration decided again to electrify the railway of Bucharest-Brasov. The most advantageous system from the technique-economic and energetic point of view-balanced current mono-phased by industrial frequency of 50 Hz on the 25 K voltage based on a study accomplished by the Rail Project Institute (IPCF) in 1958 considering the recommendations of the UIC Congress in 1951 (Annency) and in 1955 (Lille). The necessary specifications for the beginning of the workings on the Brasov-Predeal section was completed by the Russian specialists that offered technical assistance during the execution as it was "fashionable" at that time.
Workings on the Brasov-Predeal section were finished in August 1963, the inauguration occurred on December 9, 1965. Works continued then on the Predeal-Campina section that became operational on April 20, 1966 and on February 16th it was officially inaugurated the electrification of the entire double section Brasov-Bucharest through Ploiesti Vest with a length of 170 km. Electrification of the Bucharest-Brasov line was preceded by an ensemble of systematisation and adaptation works for railway constructions and equipment. Bridges and supports were consolidated, the rail type was improved and the curves were rectified. 24 stations and triages were systematised. Among them the big triages Bucharest, Ploiesti and Brasov. 1023 switches were centralised and sections were equipped with automated line blocks. To insure power four sub-stations were built in Darste, Valea Larga, Ploiesti North and Chitila. The sub-stations were coupled to the national energy system (AC DC tri-phase - 50 Hz, 110 kW) with remote tele-mechanics installations directed from the railway dispatcher that as set in the new building of the IFTE section that became operational in December 1969.
During the execution of the work tests were made for several solutions for setting and building catenary suspensions. In the stations Brasov, Predeal, Darste, Campina and Ploiesti Triage elegant elastic sleepers were set up on metallic poles 20 meters high - a solution that was later abandoned when less expensive, rigid sleepers replaced them. They preferred to use concrete poles and metallic ones were only used in limited areas where the weight did not allow for concrete poles or were special works were under way.
The first pole for electrification was planted in the Predeal station on December 27, 1960. It is a metallic tower, 20 meters high with a monolithic concrete foundation that supports the elastic sleeper no 69. On it, a marble commemorative plaque was set that reads: "The first electrification pole for the Romanian Railway for 25 kW, set up on December 27, 1960." For the traffic speed increase to 160 km/h on a plain line between Campina and Bucharest, the catenary suspension was used, completely compensated, for the rest of the rout a semi-compensated suspension was used, allowing a maximum speed of 100 km/h.
After the official opening of the first electrified section Brasov-Predeal at the end of 1965 the electrified railway network developed and made use of the planned economy investment. At the end of 1975 the electrification for the Brasov-Predeal-Bucharest line was closing as well as for the well travelled lines that cross the Carpathians: Craiova-Orsova-Caransebes; Filiasi-Petrosani-Simeria and Adjud-Ghimes-Ciceu.
The next four years - 1975-1979 electrification works were finalised for the lines: Bucharest-Craiova; Caransebes-Timisoara-Arad-Curtici; Bucharest-Constanta; Ploiesti-Buzau-Adjud-Roman; Buzau-Faurei-Galati and Brasov-Ciceu-Deda-Beclean-Dej. With these, isolated sections were united in a basic network completing the spine that most of the traffic was routed on.
The '80s meant a reduction in the electrification works but essential increments were added to the network such as: Brasov-Sighisoara-Teius-Apahida-Cluj; Coslariu-Simeria-Deva-Arad; Faurei-Tandarei-Fetesti and Roman-Suceava North. Between 1985-1992 the following were also electrified: Pascani-Iasi-Socola; Pascani-Targu Neamt; Ciulnita-Calarasi and Suceava North-Vatra Dornei-Ilva Mica-Beclean. All these works were co-ordinated and executed by an entrepreneur specialised in railway constructions - the Railway Signalling and Automation Enterprise (ISAF SA) that along with the electrification had also modernised the signalling, centralisation and telecommunication installations of the said lines.
ISAF SA constructed and mounted the contact line and the needed installations on railways with an operative length of 3400 km - representing circa 30 % of the total length of the network. 1300 km are the simple railways, and 2 100 km the double ones. Total length of the electrified railway in Romania is of 3544 exploiting km, if we take into consideration the fact that 144-km works were confided to other construction units.

3. The first engines
In 1951 in the Bucharest Railway Institute for the first time it is introduced a study in the upper educational system about the electrical engines, sustained by conf. Engineer Nicu CONDACSE. Starting with this date, the entire process of introduction, validation and development of the electrical traction at the CFR is marked by the personality of this professional specialist that was the main mentor of the younger generations of students in this field. Among the 30 engineer promotions under his guidance is also the author of these lines that remembers his railway "fairy tales" about the first period of the electrification and the first electric engines of the CFR.
When CFR had to choose the type of electric engine for the already existing section, CFR organised an international auction. Offers of the main European engine constructors were already made. To certify the performances of the engines offered by the main constructors, during spring of 1963 an evaluation comparative test was organised on the already existent electrified section Brasov-Predeal. The 26-km long line offered excellent testing conditions: mean level differences between 17-23 mm/m and a short portion with 27 mm/m and many curves with small radius. According to tendencies, electrical locomotives construction for 25 kW, 50 Hz at the beginning of the '60s only the electrical locomotive mono-continuous type made on the static converting AC DC mono phase with an industrial frequency of 50 Hz - classical principle could be considered.
The current was taken from the contact line as contiguous (undulating) and used by serial traction engines with a collector. The conversion was made inside the locomotive with Ignitron or Excitron mercury vapours reducing units. The tendency was to replace those with reducing units with semi-conductors (diode with silicates).
For the tests were elected electric locomotives presented by the companies: ALSTHOM - France, SKODA - the Czech Republic, VEB L.E.W. Henningsdorf - GDR and ASEA - Sweden, as follows:
· ALSTHOM - France - presented two electric engines, monocabin - Bo'Bo for 25 kW, 50 Hz - both exploited by SNCF at the Thionville depot: BB 12131 with an Ignitron mercury vapours reducing units and BB 12141 already equipped;
· SKODA - the Czech Republic - presented the prototype of an electric engine Bo'Bo for 25 kW, 50 Hz with silicates diode reducing units - the same type as those already delivered to Bulgaria (BDZ) but at that time they used Ignitron (the BDZE 41 series);
· VEB L.E.W. Henningsdorf - GDR - presented one of the two Co'Co prototypes for 25 kW, 50 Hz with silicates diode reducing units to experiment this technology that was new back then. The prototype was presented in 1963 at the Leipzig International Fair and it was the basis for the 15 E251 series locomotives of DR for the electrified line for 25 kW, 50 Hz Blankenburg-Harz-Konigshutte;
· ASEA - Sweden presented the two locomotive types with reducing units that were built for the Swedish Railways (SJ) - Bo'Bo the Rb1 no 1001 and 1002. These locomotives were built for the electrification system with 15 kW - 16 2/3 HZ that Sweden had but had all the characteristic of a mono continuous locomotive with silicate diode reducing units. Because all engines for auxiliary services with the exception of the reducing unit engine were electrical machines for 50 Hz fed by a converter. A simple modification by moving a phase and the power fed switched to a reducing unit turned the machine into a 50 Hz one. The engine settings were also modified for high voltage so that the 25 kW tension on the network would give the same tension on the engines, the same as for 15 kW. The two locomotives evolved also for double traction.
All participating locomotives were designed and constructed with the original country equipment. The official opening for electric locomotives traffic for the Brasov-Predeal section occurred on June 9, 1963 when, in the presence of Gheorghe Gheorghiu Dej, the BB 12141 locomotive towed the first train to Predeal.
Comparative tests meant towing freight trains of different weights on the electrified section Brasov Triage- Predeal. The monitor and reporter for CFR position was given to Adrian Udriste, chief of the Brasov depot, a former student of Nicu Condacse.
Trials lasted for two weeks and although no immediate option was formulated, the tests proved the full capacity of the fixed installations. The fact that the personnel was properly trained was also proved. Although it was expected that consecrated locomotives, already in exploitation on other networks would be the favourites, the decision denied these presuppositions. Those coming from socialist countries, "friendly countries" and not even the excellent French locomotives that opened circulation on electrified lines were convincing enough for our specialists. The modernity of the technical solutions that were adopted and why not say it - the commercial advantages of the offer tipped the balance towards the ASEA -Sweden company.

Engineer Antonio Bianco