DRG Class E 77
Encyclopedia
The German DRG Class E 77 was a Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft
electric locomotive class
, which was ordered in 1923 and entered service in 1924. The 56 units of this class were specifically intended for the Halle (Saale) - Leipzig
line and for routes in southern Germany
.
s.
The engines were delivered by BMAG
, Krauss
and LHW and had originally still held the State Railways' Class EG 3 title with numbers 22 001 through 031 (Bavarian
) or EG 701 to 725 (Prussian
). BMS delivered the electrical parts.
In service, the E 77 distinguished itself with a rather limited result. One was never really satisfied with its running abilities. Moreover, there were often problems due to the many flexible electric cables. During World War II
all engines ended at the Reichsbahndirektionen Halle und Hanover
in exchange for Class E 75.
as reparations. E 77 06 and 51 were so heavily damaged that their scrapping in Leipzig was authorized in 1947/48. Nothing is known of E 77 64's post-war fate. In 1952/53, 38 of the reparations locomotives (not E 77 05, 58 and 75) were returned into DR's stock. Of them, only 10 units with numbers E 77 03, 10, 14, 15, 18, 24, 25, 30, 52 and 53 were repaired past 1955. The others were scrapped only in the 1960s. When sufficient numbers of new elektric lovomotives were available, Class E 77 was retired and save for E 77 10, all units were scrapped as well until late in 1966. For a few years, E 77 10 still served as a switch heating engine at Halle central station and was then converted to a heritage locomotive
at the Dresden railway works, whereby it was almost restored to its prior state.
was changed from (1B)(B1) to (1'B)(B1'). But even after this conversion they were not yet satisfied with the engines' smoothness.
The work schedule featured the following transportation services:
The locomotives had 15 permanent running steps.
.
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....
electric locomotive class
Electric locomotive
An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or an on-board energy storage device...
, which was ordered in 1923 and entered service in 1924. The 56 units of this class were specifically intended for the Halle (Saale) - Leipzig
Leipzig Hauptbahnhof
is, at 83,460 m², Europe's largest railway station when measured by floor area. It has 24 platforms housed in six iron trainsheds; a multi-level concourse with towering stone arches; and a 293 metre-long facade...
line and for routes in southern Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Pre-war period
The E 77 had been designated a light multi-purpose locomotive within DRG's first classification programme. Later it was mainly used on freight trainFreight train
A freight train or goods train is a group of freight cars or goods wagons hauled by one or more locomotives on a railway, ultimately transporting cargo between two points as part of the logistics chain...
s.
The engines were delivered by BMAG
Berliner Maschinenbau
Berliner Maschinenbau AG was a German manufacturer of locomotives.The factory was founded by Louis Victor Robert Schwartzkopff on 3 October 1852 as Eisengießerei und Maschinen-Fabrik von L. Schwartzkopff in Berlin ....
, Krauss
Krauss-Maffei
The Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co KG or simply Krauss-Maffei is an injection molding machine manufacturer and defence company based in Munich, Germany...
and LHW and had originally still held the State Railways' Class EG 3 title with numbers 22 001 through 031 (Bavarian
Royal Bavarian State Railways
As a nation-state, Germany did not come into being until the creation of the German Empire in 1871 from the various German-speaking states such as Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, Baden and Württemberg. By then each of the major states had formed its own state railway and these continued to remain...
) or EG 701 to 725 (Prussian
Prussian state railways
The term Prussian state railways encompasses those railway organisations that were owned or managed by the State of Prussia...
). BMS delivered the electrical parts.
In service, the E 77 distinguished itself with a rather limited result. One was never really satisfied with its running abilities. Moreover, there were often problems due to the many flexible electric cables. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
all engines ended at the Reichsbahndirektionen Halle und Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
in exchange for Class E 75.
Post-war period
At the end of the war, 53 locomotives were left. 42 thereof, as well as parts of engines E 77 02, 09, 19, 28, 56, 67, 71 and 73, which had been taken out of service due to damages, were ceded to the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
as reparations. E 77 06 and 51 were so heavily damaged that their scrapping in Leipzig was authorized in 1947/48. Nothing is known of E 77 64's post-war fate. In 1952/53, 38 of the reparations locomotives (not E 77 05, 58 and 75) were returned into DR's stock. Of them, only 10 units with numbers E 77 03, 10, 14, 15, 18, 24, 25, 30, 52 and 53 were repaired past 1955. The others were scrapped only in the 1960s. When sufficient numbers of new elektric lovomotives were available, Class E 77 was retired and save for E 77 10, all units were scrapped as well until late in 1966. For a few years, E 77 10 still served as a switch heating engine at Halle central station and was then converted to a heritage locomotive
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
at the Dresden railway works, whereby it was almost restored to its prior state.
Technical data
Save for the first series of Prussian locomotives (EG 701 - 713, later E 77 51 to 77 63), all engines had originally had cowl doors. At the reinstatement by DR though, those were dropped. The trailer axles of the threepartite linked locomotives were at first embedded steeply and later flexibly, so that the wheel arrangementWheel arrangement
In rail transport, a wheel arrangement is a system of classifying the way in which wheels are distributed beneath a locomotive.. Several notations exist to describe the wheel assemblies of a locomotive by type, position, and connections, with the adopted notations varying by country...
was changed from (1B)(B1) to (1'B)(B1'). But even after this conversion they were not yet satisfied with the engines' smoothness.
The work schedule featured the following transportation services:
- Freight trains with 1,800 tonnes at a 3 permillePermilleA per mil or per mille is a tenth of a percent or one part per thousand. It is written with the sign ‰ , which looks like a percent sign with an extra zero at the end...
slope with 30 km/h - Passenger trains with 500 t at 3 permille with 60 km/h
- Passenger trains with 500 t at 10 permille with 50 km/h and
- Freight trains with 850 t at 10 permille with 25 km/h.
The locomotives had 15 permanent running steps.
Preserved locomotives
Of the 56 exemplaries built in total, one unit has been preserved. E 77 10 is nowadays based at the Dresden Transport MuseumDresden Transport Museum
The Dresden Transport Museum displaysvehicles of all modes of transport, such as railway, shipping, road and air traffic, under one roof.The museum is housed in the Johanneum at the Neumarkt in Dresden, Germany...
.
Literature
- Obermayer, Horst J.: Taschenbuch Deutsche Elektrolokomotiven. Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart 1970; ISBN 3-440-03754-1
- Bäzold / Fiebig: "Eisenbahn-Fahrzeug-Archiv 4, Elektrische Lokomotiven deutscher Eisenbahnen", Alba- Verlag, Düsseldorf / Transpress Verlag, Berlin, 1984; ISBN 3-87-094-106-5
See also
- List of DB locomotives and railbuses
- List of DRG locomotives and railbuses
- List of Bavarian locomotives and railbuses
External links
- European Railway Picture Gallery
- There is a relevant English-language forum at Railways of Germany