Buchli drive
Encyclopedia
Electric locomotive
An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or an on-board energy storage device...
s. It was named after its inventor, Swiss engineer Jakob Buchli
Jakob Buchli
Jakob Buchli was a Swiss design engineer in the field of locomotive construction.- Life :Jakob Buchli was born in Chur, Switzerland, on 4 March 1876...
[Deutsch]. The drive is a fully spring-loaded drive
Vehicle propulsion
Vehicle propulsion refers to the act of moving an artificial carrier of people or goods over any distance. The power plant used to drive the vehicles can vary widely. Originally, humans or animals would have provided the propulsion system, later being supplemented by wind power...
, in which each floating axle has an individual motor, that is placed in the spring mounted locomotive frame
Locomotive frame
A locomotive frame is the structure that forms the backbone of the railway locomotive, giving it strength and supporting the superstructure elements such as a cab, boiler or bodywork. The vast majority of locomotives have had a frame structure of some kind...
. The weight of the driving motors
Electric motor
An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...
is completely disconnected from the driving wheels, which are exposed to movement of the rails.
First used in electric locomotives from the 1920s, the Buchli drive made possible the construction of faster and more powerful locomotives that required larger and heavier traction motors. The system minimises the impact on rail tracks due to the reduction in the overall unsprung weight
Unsprung weight
In a ground vehicle with a suspension, the unsprung weight is the mass of the suspension, wheels or tracks , and other components directly connected to them, rather than supported by the suspension...
. Although the drive was very successful though the 1930s, it is little used in modern locomotives, having been replaced with smaller, simpler drives that exhibit less imbalance and allow higher speeds.
Construction
In a Buchli drive a driven gear wheelGear
A gear is a rotating machine part having cut teeth, or cogs, which mesh with another toothed part in order to transmit torque. Two or more gears working in tandem are called a transmission and can produce a mechanical advantage through a gear ratio and thus may be considered a simple machine....
is securely fixed to the locomotive frame
Locomotive frame
A locomotive frame is the structure that forms the backbone of the railway locomotive, giving it strength and supporting the superstructure elements such as a cab, boiler or bodywork. The vast majority of locomotives have had a frame structure of some kind...
. Inside this gear wheel are two levers, coupled to gear segments that mesh with one another. The other end of the levers is coupled via universal joint
Universal joint
A universal joint, universal coupling, U joint, Cardan joint, Hardy-Spicer joint, or Hooke's joint is a joint or coupling in a rigid rod that allows the rod to 'bend' in any direction, and is commonly used in shafts that transmit rotary motion...
s to tension bars, which are then coupled via more universal joints to the driving rail wheel.
Vertical movement of the driving wheel results in the gear segments moving due to the internal mechanism, and the driving wheel can move in a horizontal or vertical direction with respect to the gear wheel, while still transferring the momentum of the gear wheel.
A disadvantage of the drive was the large number of moving parts, which demanded frequent lubrication
Lubrication
Lubrication is the process, or technique employed to reduce wear of one or both surfaces in close proximity, and moving relative to each another, by interposing a substance called lubricant between the surfaces to carry or to help carry the load between the opposing surfaces. The interposed...
and careful maintenance. As a result the Buchli drive system was mainly used on express train locomotives, as there were no other drive systems that gave the same performance at high speeds. However, at higher speeds the drive components became unbalanced, causing issues at speeds over 140 km per hour.
Standard design
The Buchli drive was exported to other rail companies as one sided separate traction motorTraction motor
Traction motor refers to an electric motor providing the primary rotational torque of a machine, usually for conversion into linear motion ....
drive, usually with an inside frame.
The motor framework with the wheelset bearing is located between the wheel disks of the driving wheels. The gear wheel, which is housed in an auxiliary frame outside the driving wheels and is surrounded by a protective casing, is on one side of the driving wheels. Each gear wheel is driven by an individual traction motor, which is located above the gear wheel in the locomotive body.
With this implementation, a strongly one-sided weight distribution occurs in the underframe through the remote gear wheels. In order to maintain stability of the locomotive on the longitudinal axis, heavy equipment inside the locomotive body must be arranged on the opposite side of the drive equipment.
Locomotives with a Buchli drive also typically have an asymmetrical appearance: on one side, the bearings of the drive wheels are visible, on the other side, they are almost completely covered by the wheel cover box of the gear wheels.
Other designs
Outside frame
The engine framework with the driving wheel housing is outside the wheel disks of the driving wheels. The driving wheel is enclosed by a quill camped in the locomotive cabinet, on which the gear wheel sits. Examples included the Pennsylvania Railroad O1bPRR O1
The Pennsylvania Railroad's class O1 comprised eight experimental boxcab electric locomotivesbuilt in 1930 and 1931.They had the wheel arrangement classified as 4-4-4 in the Whyte notation . Although successful, they were not powerful enough for the railroad's increasingly heavy trains...
, and the Deutsche Reichsbahn
Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft
The Deutsche Reichsbahn – was the name of the German national railway created from the railways of the individual states of the German Empire following the end of World War I....
ET11.01.
Group drive
The motor is arranged between the floating axles. A common pinion or a pinion on both motor end drives the gear wheels of the neighbouring axes. described this design, but vehicles implementing it are not known.Bilateral drive
The driving wheel is coupled with two gear wheels, and the motor has a pinion on both sides. The taps in the wheel disk are warped about 90 degrees against each other so that the drive imbalance can be reduced. This version of the driver was used for greater driving power.However with this arrangement, there is the danger of mechanical stress in the drive components. Examples included the French express train locomotives: SNCF 2D2 5400, SNCF 2D2 5500, SNCF 2D2 9100.
Two motors per axis
Two driving motors work on one common gear wheel, which is interconnected with a driving wheel. Examples include the Pennsylvania Railroad O1b.Locomotive with Buchli drive
- SBB-CFF-FFSSBB-CFF-FFSSwiss Federal Railways and SFR are not in official use) is the national railway company of Switzerland headquartered in Bern. Formerly a government institution, it is since 1999 a special stock corporation with all shares held by the Swiss Confederation or the Swiss cantons...
, Switzerland- SBB Be 2/5 (Prototype locomotive) (Deutsch)
- SBB Ae 4/8SBB-CFF-FFS Ae 4/8The Ae 4/8 was a prototype locomotive of the Schweizerischen Bundesbahnen for the testing of the electrical operation. The locomotive was equipped with two different drives - therefore the nickname Bastard...
(Prototype locomotive) (Deutsch) - SBB Ae 3/6 I (Deutsch)
- SBB Ae 4/7SBB-CFF-FFS Ae 4/7The Ae 4/7 was a universal locomotive of the Swiss Federal Railways, employing the so-called Buchli drive.Last but not least thanks to this drive construction, invented by Jakob Buchli, it was one of the longest-lasting locomotives...
- SBB Ae 8/14 (11801)(Deutsch)
- Deutsche ReichsbahnDeutsche Reichsbahn-GesellschaftThe Deutsche Reichsbahn – was the name of the German national railway created from the railways of the individual states of the German Empire following the end of World War I....
, Germany- E 16 (116) (Deutsch)
- ET 11.01 double railcars Bo'2'+2'Bo'. Constructed in 1938, implementation without frame. The vehicle was rebuilt in the 1960s and the Buchli drive system was removed
- SNCFSNCFThe SNCF , is France's national state-owned railway company. SNCF operates the country's national rail services, including the TGV, France's high-speed rail network...
- SNCF Class 2D2 5400 (mutual drive) (Français)
- SNCF Class 2D2 5500 (mutual drive) (Français)
- SNCF Class 2D2 9100 (mutual drive) (Français)
- Indonesian national railway
- 3000 - 4 Stk 1'Do1' locomotives for the 1.5 kV electrification system, manufactured by Werkspoor in the Netherlands in 1924, scrapped 1976 or thereabouts. At this locomotive was placed on the JavaJavaJava is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
rack railwayRack railwayA rack-and-pinion railway is a railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with this rack rail...
for the first time.image
- 3000 - 4 Stk 1'Do1' locomotives for the 1.5 kV electrification system, manufactured by Werkspoor in the Netherlands in 1924, scrapped 1976 or thereabouts. At this locomotive was placed on the Java
- Japanese Government RailwaysJapanese Government RailwaysThe Japanese Government Railways was the national railway system directly operated by the central government of Japan until 1949. It is a predecessor of Japanese National Railways and the Japan Railways Group.- Name :...
- 7000 - (1A)Bo(A1), constructed in 1926, later renumbered as the ED54 class (???)
- Indian RailwaysIndian RailwaysIndian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
- EC/1 4002 - 2'Co2' - constructed in 1927.
- RENFERENFERenfe Operadora is the state-owned company which operates freight and passenger trains on the 1668-mm "Iberian gauge" and 1435-mm "European gauge" networks of the Spanish national railway infrastructure company ADIF .- History :The name RENFE is derived from that of the former Spanish National...
- RENFE series 272, ordered by predecessor company NORTE, 12 constructed in 1928 as the Stk 2'Co'Co'2' for a 1.5 kV supply voltage.
- Paulista-RailwaySão Paulo RailwaySão Paulo Railway was a privately owned British railway company in Brazil, which operated the gauge railway from the seaport at Santos via São Paulo to Jundiaí...
, Brazil- 320, 1'Do1', constructed in 1932.
- Czechoslovak State RailwaysCzechoslovak State RailwaysCzechoslovak State Railways was a state-owned railway company in Czechoslovakia.The company was created in 1918, after the end of First World War and the breakup of Austria-Hungary...
- E 465.0 - 2 Stk 1'Do1' locomotive for 1.5 kV supply voltage. Built in 1927 and scrapped in 1962
- Pennsylvania RailroadPennsylvania RailroadThe Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
- Pennsylvania Railroad O1bPRR O1The Pennsylvania Railroad's class O1 comprised eight experimental boxcab electric locomotivesbuilt in 1930 and 1931.They had the wheel arrangement classified as 4-4-4 in the Whyte notation . Although successful, they were not powerful enough for the railroad's increasingly heavy trains...
- 2 Stk 2'Bo2' locomotives. Built with inside frame and two driving motors per axle.
- Pennsylvania Railroad O1b
- CircumvesuvianaCircumvesuvianaCircumvesuviana is a group of narrow-gauge railways connecting towns to the south-east of Naples, Italy. Its tracks run around the base of Mount Vesuvius, and , they completely encircle it, as well as running on down the Sorrento peninsula...
, Italy- 1'Do1' locomotive, type and number unknown.
Sources
This article was mostly translated from the German language version of March 2007.Further reading
- Gustav Nagel: Hierzulande ein Exot. Der Buchli-Antrieb. In: LOK MAGAZIN. Nr. 253/Jahrgang 41/2002. GeraNova Zeitschriftenverlag GmbH München, , S. 64-65.
- Werner Nef: Buchli-Oldtimer der Schweiz, 2003, ISBN 3-765-47125-9
- Karl Sachs: Elektrische Treibfahrzeuge, 1953, Band I, S. 298-301
- German Patent 304997