DRG Class ET 85
Encyclopedia
The DRG Class ET 85 was a German electric locomotive
with the Deutsche Reichsbahn
and, later, the Deutsche Bundesbahn
.
coach factory in Heidelberg
converted four Bavarian MCCi
steam railbuses into Class ET 85 electric railbuses with running numbers 01–04. After this conversion an order for 32 new vehicles of this type was delivered to Fuchs
and BBC
to be built from 1927 to 1933. In 1927 it was still not possible to locate the entire electric engine unter the coach floor. The transformer
and the switching (Schaltwerk) was therefore installed in an engine compartment. The nine railbuses were only a little longer than their "prototypes". The doors to the passenger section were recessed like those of their predecessors, however there was only a single door to the engine compartment on the right hand side of the vehicle. All units up to number ET 85 30 originally had front doors and gangways that were later removed.
In identical form and with the same internal layout - instead of the engine room, there was a luggage compartment - driving cars ES 85 01–34 appeared from 1927-1933. Rebuilt six-wheeled Bavarian passenger coaches, numbers EB 85 01–70, acted as trailer cars; they were later replaced by six-wheeled 'rebuild coaches', the so-called Umbau-Wagen
. Motor coaches ET 85 05 and 09 were equipped for top speeds of 100 km/h. The DB
took over the Class ET 85 and reclassified them in 1968 as DB Class 485/885. These vehicles were not just employed in Munich suburban services but also by the Deutsche Bundesbahn in the Black Forest
on the Three Lakes Railway
and the Wehra Valley Line
.
By 1977 all the vehicles had been retired; the last ones being nos. 485 005 + 885 615.
In 1949 numbers ET 85 13, 14 and 16 were converted to ET 90 01–03. After re-motoring they were used on the inclined route from Berchtesgaden
to Königssee
and occasionally also on the Ammer Valley Railway. In 1972 the ET 90s were retired.
Number 485 007 + 885 615 is preserved in the Bochum-Dahlhausen Railway Museum.
Electric locomotive
An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or an on-board energy storage device...
with 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....
and, later, the Deutsche Bundesbahn
Deutsche Bundesbahn
The Deutsche Bundesbahn or DB was formed as the state railway of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany on September 7, 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft '...
.
History
In 1924 the Waggonfabrik FuchsWaggonfabrik Fuchs
Waggonfabrik Fuchs was a German coach and wagon builders based in Heidelberg in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwestern Germany...
coach factory in Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
converted four Bavarian MCCi
Bavarian MCCi
The steam railbuses of Bavarian Class MCCi were built between 1906 - 1908 for the Royal Bavarian State Railways for suburban services in the Munich area. Seven units were produced, the coach bodies being manufactured by MAN and the engines by Maffei.The railbuses had a B'2' axle arrangement, thus...
steam railbuses into Class ET 85 electric railbuses with running numbers 01–04. After this conversion an order for 32 new vehicles of this type was delivered to Fuchs
Waggonfabrik Fuchs
Waggonfabrik Fuchs was a German coach and wagon builders based in Heidelberg in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwestern Germany...
and BBC
Brown, Boveri & Cie
Brown, Boveri & Cie was a Swiss group of electrical engineering companies.It was founded in Baden, Switzerland, in 1891 by Charles Eugene Lancelot Brown and Walter Boveri who worked at the Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon. In 1970 BBC took over the Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon...
to be built from 1927 to 1933. In 1927 it was still not possible to locate the entire electric engine unter the coach floor. The transformer
Transformer
A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another through inductively coupled conductors—the transformer's coils. A varying current in the first or primary winding creates a varying magnetic flux in the transformer's core and thus a varying magnetic field...
and the switching (Schaltwerk) was therefore installed in an engine compartment. The nine railbuses were only a little longer than their "prototypes". The doors to the passenger section were recessed like those of their predecessors, however there was only a single door to the engine compartment on the right hand side of the vehicle. All units up to number ET 85 30 originally had front doors and gangways that were later removed.
In identical form and with the same internal layout - instead of the engine room, there was a luggage compartment - driving cars ES 85 01–34 appeared from 1927-1933. Rebuilt six-wheeled Bavarian passenger coaches, numbers EB 85 01–70, acted as trailer cars; they were later replaced by six-wheeled 'rebuild coaches', the so-called Umbau-Wagen
Umbau-Wagen
The Umbau-Wagen or Umbauwagen was a type of German railway passenger coach operated by the Deutsche Bundesbahn which appeared in the mid-1950s...
. Motor coaches ET 85 05 and 09 were equipped for top speeds of 100 km/h. The DB
Deutsche Bundesbahn
The Deutsche Bundesbahn or DB was formed as the state railway of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany on September 7, 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft '...
took over the Class ET 85 and reclassified them in 1968 as DB Class 485/885. These vehicles were not just employed in Munich suburban services but also by the Deutsche Bundesbahn in the Black Forest
Black Forest
The Black Forest is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres ....
on the Three Lakes Railway
Three Lakes Railway
The Three Lakes Railway is a long line in the German state of Baden-Württemberg...
and the Wehra Valley Line
Wehra Valley Railway
The Wehra Valley Railway was a 19.7 km long branch line from Schopfheim to Bad Säckingen in southwestern Germany, that was electrified in 1913 at the same time as the Wiesen Valley Railway. For part of its length it followed the river of the same name...
.
By 1977 all the vehicles had been retired; the last ones being nos. 485 005 + 885 615.
In 1949 numbers ET 85 13, 14 and 16 were converted to ET 90 01–03. After re-motoring they were used on the inclined route from Berchtesgaden
Berchtesgaden
Berchtesgaden is a municipality in the German Bavarian Alps. It is located in the south district of Berchtesgadener Land in Bavaria, near the border with Austria, some 30 km south of Salzburg and 180 km southeast of Munich...
to Königssee
Königssee
The Königssee is a lake located in the extreme southeast Berchtesgadener Land district of the German state of Bavaria, near the border with Austria...
and occasionally also on the Ammer Valley Railway. In 1972 the ET 90s were retired.
Number 485 007 + 885 615 is preserved in the Bochum-Dahlhausen Railway Museum.
See also
- List of DB locomotives and railbuses
- List of DRG locomotives and railbuses
- List of Bavarian locomotives and railbuses
External links
- There is a relevant English-language forum at Railways of Germany