Eurotunnel Class 9
Encyclopedia
The Eurotunnel Class 9 or Class 9000 are a series of 6 axle high power Bo'Bo'Bo'
single ended electric locomotives built by the Euroshuttle Locomotive Consortium (ESCL) of Brush Traction
and ASEA Brown Boveri
. The class were designed for, and are used exclusively to haul the Le Shuttle road vehicle services through the Channel Tunnel
.
/Eurotunnel
and the British and French governments also required that there be a locomotive on either end of the train, allowing splitting and reversing of the train.
The design specifications infered a minimum power of 5.6MW, and also meant that a 4 axle design would not be guaranteed to be able to supply sufficient tractive effort. The french railway lobby was suggesting using three 4 axle Bo'Bo' locomotives (such as the SNCF BB 26000
), ESCL proposed a 6 axle Bo'Bo'Bo' locomotive derived from narrow gauge locomotive supplied by Brush Traction
to the New Zealand Railways (NZR EF class
), and won the contract with an initial order of 40 in July 1989.
The main traction electrical system of each locomotive consists of; a pantograph (2 per locomotive, duplicated for redundancy) collects a 25kV AC supply which feeds the main transformer
, separate output windings are rectified
to a DC link (one per bogie
) using four quadrant converters, the direct current then is used to drive a three phase inverter which powers two asynchronous three phase induction motor
s. There are two additional output windings on the transformer for the locomotive's auxilliarys and to supply power to the train vehicles.
The bogies were a fabricated steel design, with coil spring primary suspension. The traction motors and gearboxes (one per axle) were mounted to the bogie frame and connected to the wheels by a flexibly coupled quill drive
. Traction links were connected to the bogie frame at a height of 200mm above rail. The locomotive superstructure is supported on coil springs on a central swing bolster, the centre bogie allows 200mm of lateral movement to negotiate tightly curving track. Yaw dampers are also fitted.
The locomotive superstructure is a stressed skin monocoque design.
The driver's cab and exterior design of the locomotives was undertaken by DCA Design, Warwick, UK. Side windows in the locomotive cab are omitted to prevent 'segment flicker' caused by fast running a the tunnel, which is a potential distraction or cause of driver drowsiness. The diving position was air conditioned and pressurised, and incorporated in-cab TVM 430 signalling. The locomotive's driving cab also incorporated the train managers facilities, which included safety systems including CCTV, alarms and communication links. A second driving position for shunting at the rear of the locomotive was also provided.
travelling on a shuttle through the tunnel.
In 1996 a fire occurred in the tunnel (1996 Channel Tunnel fire) which damaged locomotives 9030 and 9006; No. 9030 was considered damaged beyond repair. In 1997 Eurotunnel ordered five more locomotives, and in 1998 nine more locomotives were ordered. One of the second batch was numbered 9040, the others were given the numbers 9101 to 9113.
In 2000 seven more units were ordered; these had an increased power of 7MW; deliveries of these ended in 2003, these locomotives were given the number range 97xx. After 2000 twenty units were upgraded from 5.6MW to 7MW machines to match the increasing length of truck shuttles - the process involved replacing main transformer, traction converters and motors.
As of 2011 Eurotunnel had a fleet of 57 locomotives, of which 34 are 7MW machines, the remainder 5.6MW. The company plans to uprate 11 more machines to 7MW by 2013.
The locomotives are maintained at the Eurotunnel depot at Coquelles
near Calais, France.50.922664°N 1.822448°W Coquelles Eurotunnel depot
Bo-Bo-Bo
thumb|Italian articulated Bo-Bo-Bo [[FS Class E656|E656]] locomotive, [[Rome]], June 2, 2006.A Bo-Bo-Bo in UIC classification is a locomotive with three independent two-axle bogies with all axles powered...
single ended electric locomotives built by the Euroshuttle Locomotive Consortium (ESCL) of Brush Traction
Brush Traction
This article is about a British rail-locomotive maker. For the Detroit auto-maker, see Brush Motor Car CompanyBrush Traction is a manufacturer and maintainer of railway locomotives, part of the FKI group , based at Loughborough in Leicestershire, England situated alongside the Midland Main Line.-...
and ASEA Brown Boveri
Asea Brown Boveri
ABB is a Swiss-Swedish multinational corporation headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, and best known for its robotics. ABB operates mainly in the power and automation technology areas. It ranked 143rd in Forbes Ranking ....
. The class were designed for, and are used exclusively to haul the Le Shuttle road vehicle services through the Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
.
Background and design
Tendering for the locomotive procurement began in 1989, the specifications for the locomotive design included; a top speed of 160km/h with a terminal to terminal travel time of 33 minutes (pulling a 2100 tonne train), an axle load limit of 22.5 tonnes, and an operating temperature range of -10 and 45C. The locomotives were to have a loading gauge within the UIC 505-1 standard, with a minimum curve radius of 100m. Additionally the locomotives were to be able to start a shuttle train on a 1 in 160 gradient with one of a locomotive bogies inoperative (at 0.13ms-2) and a single locomotive should also be able to start the train on a 1:160 gradient if the other locomotive failed. The operating concession agreement between Transmanche LinkTransManche Link
TransManche Link or TML was a British-French construction consortium responsible for building the Channel Tunnel under the English Channel between Cheriton in Kent, United Kingdom, and Sangatte in France.-History:...
/Eurotunnel
Eurotunnel
Groupe Eurotunnel S.A. manages and operates the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France. The Company operates the car shuttle services and earns revenue on other trains passing through the tunnel...
and the British and French governments also required that there be a locomotive on either end of the train, allowing splitting and reversing of the train.
The design specifications infered a minimum power of 5.6MW, and also meant that a 4 axle design would not be guaranteed to be able to supply sufficient tractive effort. The french railway lobby was suggesting using three 4 axle Bo'Bo' locomotives (such as the SNCF BB 26000
SNCF Class BB 26000
The SNCF BB 26000 locomotives are a class of dual voltage, four axle B'B' electric locomotives capable of a top speed of 200 km/h built by GEC Alsthom between 1988 and 1998 for SNCF...
), ESCL proposed a 6 axle Bo'Bo'Bo' locomotive derived from narrow gauge locomotive supplied by Brush Traction
Brush Traction
This article is about a British rail-locomotive maker. For the Detroit auto-maker, see Brush Motor Car CompanyBrush Traction is a manufacturer and maintainer of railway locomotives, part of the FKI group , based at Loughborough in Leicestershire, England situated alongside the Midland Main Line.-...
to the New Zealand Railways (NZR EF class
NZR EF class
The NZR EF class is a class of 22 25 kV AC electric locomotives that operate on the North Island Main Trunk between Palmerston North and Te Rapa in New Zealand...
), and won the contract with an initial order of 40 in July 1989.
The main traction electrical system of each locomotive consists of; a pantograph (2 per locomotive, duplicated for redundancy) collects a 25kV AC supply which feeds the main 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...
, separate output windings are rectified
Rectification
Rectification has the following technical meanings:* Rectification, in astrology* Rectification , a concept found in biology and industrial chemistry* Chinese history: see Cheng Feng...
to a DC link (one per bogie
Bogie
A bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. In mechanics terms, a bogie is a chassis or framework carrying wheels, attached to a vehicle. It can be fixed in place, as on a cargo truck, mounted on a swivel, as on a railway carriage/car or locomotive, or sprung as in the suspension of a caterpillar...
) using four quadrant converters, the direct current then is used to drive a three phase inverter which powers two asynchronous three phase induction motor
Induction motor
An induction or asynchronous motor is a type of AC motor where power is supplied to the rotor by means of electromagnetic induction. These motors are widely used in industrial drives, particularly polyphase induction motors, because they are robust and have no brushes...
s. There are two additional output windings on the transformer for the locomotive's auxilliarys and to supply power to the train vehicles.
The bogies were a fabricated steel design, with coil spring primary suspension. The traction motors and gearboxes (one per axle) were mounted to the bogie frame and connected to the wheels by a flexibly coupled quill drive
Quill drive
A quill drive is a mechanism that allows a drive shaft to shift its position relative to its driving shaft. It consists of a hollow driving shaft with a driven shaft inside it...
. Traction links were connected to the bogie frame at a height of 200mm above rail. The locomotive superstructure is supported on coil springs on a central swing bolster, the centre bogie allows 200mm of lateral movement to negotiate tightly curving track. Yaw dampers are also fitted.
The locomotive superstructure is a stressed skin monocoque design.
The driver's cab and exterior design of the locomotives was undertaken by DCA Design, Warwick, UK. Side windows in the locomotive cab are omitted to prevent 'segment flicker' caused by fast running a the tunnel, which is a potential distraction or cause of driver drowsiness. The diving position was air conditioned and pressurised, and incorporated in-cab TVM 430 signalling. The locomotive's driving cab also incorporated the train managers facilities, which included safety systems including CCTV, alarms and communication links. A second driving position for shunting at the rear of the locomotive was also provided.
Testing, operations, and subclasses
The initial order for 40 units was reduced to 38 machines, these were numbered 9001 to 9038. The first locomotive was completed in 1992, and two units were tested at the Velim test track in Czechoslovakia. The formal opening took place on 6 May 1994 with Queen Elizabeth II and François MitterrandFrançois Mitterrand
François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
travelling on a shuttle through the tunnel.
In 1996 a fire occurred in the tunnel (1996 Channel Tunnel fire) which damaged locomotives 9030 and 9006; No. 9030 was considered damaged beyond repair. In 1997 Eurotunnel ordered five more locomotives, and in 1998 nine more locomotives were ordered. One of the second batch was numbered 9040, the others were given the numbers 9101 to 9113.
In 2000 seven more units were ordered; these had an increased power of 7MW; deliveries of these ended in 2003, these locomotives were given the number range 97xx. After 2000 twenty units were upgraded from 5.6MW to 7MW machines to match the increasing length of truck shuttles - the process involved replacing main transformer, traction converters and motors.
As of 2011 Eurotunnel had a fleet of 57 locomotives, of which 34 are 7MW machines, the remainder 5.6MW. The company plans to uprate 11 more machines to 7MW by 2013.
The locomotives are maintained at the Eurotunnel depot at Coquelles
Coquelles
Coquelles is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department near Calais in northern France.It is known informally as the town of the Channel Tunnel. The town comprises a shopping centre, hotels and farm in vieille Coquelles , part of the L'Européene autoroute and the Channel Tunnel terminal.The...
near Calais, France.50.922664°N 1.822448°W Coquelles Eurotunnel depot
| Number range | Built | Power | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9001-9038 | 1992-1994 | 5.6MW | 9030 withdrawn due to fire damage |
| 9040 | 1998 | Built to replace fire-damaged locomotive 9030 | |
| 9101-9113 | 1998-2001 | Dedicated to freight shuttles | |
| 9701-9707 | 2001-2002 | 7MW | |
| 9801- | Rebuilt 2004-2012 | Rebuilt from 5.6MW machines |