What makes the Ae 6/6 so special?
The
Ae 6/6 is special because it is the SBB's first attempt at creating a
modern multipurpose locomotive with enough power to negotiate the many
very steep ramps on the Swiss railway net under its own power. Along
with the Re 4/4 light express locomotive the Ae 6/6 was a major step
forward in many fields, but the Ae 6/6 was the trendsetter as far as
Swiss locomotive design goes. The characteristic boxy look with two
large front windscreens was passed on to the Re 4/4 II and III as well
as the Ae 6/6's successor the powerful Re 6/6. It was not until the
introduction of the Lok2000 concept the design parameter was changed.
The Ae 6/6 is the symbol of SBB's transcendence into modernity.
New traction needed for the
Gotthard Route
In the years following WWII the SBB had to cope with an increasing
volume in railborne traffic especially cargo. this necessitated the
development of a powerfull six axle bogie locomotive for the heavy
hauls up the steep Gotthard ramps. The SBB had so far used a variety
of locomotives for the freight service: the Ae 4/6, Ae 4/7 and the
legendary Ce 6/8 Krokodil, but these were generally too weak to handle
the increasing workload. Hence a lot of time was lost on the Gotthard
route coupling and uncoupling extra traction power - all in all both
unpractical and economically unsound.
This led to the following design
parameters for the new locomotive:
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A six axle bogie C0-C0 locomotive
for express and freight service alike with
A service tractive effort of 6 x
1000 HP at 74 km/h; sustained tractive effort of 6 x 900 PS at 78,5 km/h,
A max weight of 120 t, with a
margin of -/+ 2%,
An electrical brake capable of
application at top speed and
Capable of:
Moving 600 t trains at 75 km/h on
the steep ramps of the Gotthard route,
Moving 750 t on mountain routes at
up to 21 ‰ incline and 1450 t at 10 ‰,
When serving as banking locomotive
at speeds between 35 and 75 km/h; repeatedly going from standstill to the given
speed,
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8 t tractive power at 125 km/h and
a 15 kV line current ,
-
Using an electric regenerative
brake, continously braking the locomotive and a 300 ton train on gradients up to
20 ‰
-
A 20% increase in braking power
within 5 minutes,
-
Increasing the tractive effort to
10% above service tractive effort within 15 minutes.
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In 1949 a consortium consisting of
SLM and BBC, later joined by Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon, took the on
task, but the technical development proved to be a different job
indeed, hence the first operational prototype the locomotive 11401
rolled out from the BBC works in Münchenstein on the 4th of September
1952. On a test drive to Zürich she proved to be four tonnes heavier
than the projected 120 tonnes. She promptly returned to Münchenstein
for further workup. On the 31st of January 1953 she was followed by Ae
6/6 11402 which also suffered from overweight.
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The prototypes never
really became fully functional according to the specifications laid
down, especially the electrical brakes proved too weak, but they
provided valuable experience and data for the development of the first
serial locomotives. Nevertheless one such prototype has been
beautifully restored to its 1953 look and very fittingly introduced to
the public in the year of the 125th anniversary of the Gotthard route.
The SBB still had confidence in the project and a total of 118 units
were ordered in two batches. These production models vary in details -
most noticable the electrical equipment on the roof and the cab - from
the prototypes but the overall look is the same.
The prototypes both had bogies with
fixed axles, which resulted in a high a mount of wear and tear on
wheel and tracks when negotiating the narrow curves that are typical
of mountain railways. This was to be expected, but not to the degree
which the test runs revealed. Nevertheless the SBB felt that they had
a winner and carried on. The production bogies were fitted with
sideways "elastical" bearings and reduced flanges on the middle wheels
and in 1954 the production started in earnest.
Even with these improvements the problems of wear and tear never
really were overcome and the Ae 6/6 were colloquially referred to as "Schienenmörderer"
(track killer) Which locomotives
will we offer?
The first batch of 25
locomotives including the two prototypes were known as "Kantonslokomotive" as they all bore the
name of a Swiss canton. They were easily recognisable with their
"moustache" of crome panels and big Swiss wappen on the front, a fact
that SBB used in brochures and on posters all over Europe. The Swiss
were rightfully proud of their achievement and the big Swiss wappen on
the front became the hallmark of all the following locomotive types
until the Re 460.
The following 95 locomotives were known as Städteloks as they carried the names and wappen of cantonal capitals
and other important towns and landmarks. Most noticable for Städteloks
is the missing moustache and the smaller Swiss wappen.
The first Ae 6/6's bore a pine green livery which were exchanged for the
contemporary SBB green and in the mid eighties, for at least half of
the remaining units, SBB red. Presently a number of units are sporting
the red and blue SBB Cargo livery. However the locomotives owned by
either SBB Historic - 11402 Uri - or private foundations or clubs -
11406 Obwalden for instance - are being
retrofitted to match the look of the year they were commissioned. This
also comprises the colour scheme hence the "veterans" again sport the
lighter pine green livery.
From the above it would
appear that we have almost unlimited options as far as versioning
goes. But true to the spirit of protovr we will try to match
the everyday look of these locomotives. Nowadays mostly battered and
grimy versions and but definitely also reflecting the pride taken in
these heavy-haulers in their glory days; that is with shiny chrome
panels and wappens and paintwork polished to a high gloss, very far
from the present day cameo performances when the modern day Re 460's,
Traxx' and Tauruses suffer breakdowns. A fate not fitting this
legendary Gotthardlok.
However the fact that SBB Cargo has taken over the remaining Ae 6/6's
and given them the new designation Ae 610 plus a spunky new paintjob
heralds new glory days for the old workhorse
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Kantonslok in Spiez 2004 |
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History |
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Built |
1952, 1955-56 |
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Train numbers |
11401 – 11520 |
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Train numbers (UIC) |
Ae 610 401
– Ae 610 520 |
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Number built |
120 |
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Purpose |
Güterverkehr |
|
Workshop |
Bellinzona |
|
Decommissioned |
seit 2002 |
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Miscellaneous |
|
Special notes |
2 Prototype locomotives
with different features |
|
Predecessor |
SBB Ae 4/6 |
|
Successor |
SBB Re 6/6 |
|
Measurements |
|
Overall length |
18400mm |
|
Width |
2970mm |
|
Height |
4500mm |
|
Weight |
Prototypes 124t
120t |
|
Technical data |
|
Makers |
SLM Winterthur
BBC Baden
MFO Zürich |
|
Wheel arrangement |
Co'Co' |
|
Max speed |
125 km/h
today: 120 km/h |
|
Power |
4300 kW (5830 HP) |
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Service tractive effort |
221 kN |
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Starting tractive effort |
392 kN |
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Climbing power |
650 Ton
with 75 km/h
on a 26 ‰ ramp |
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Nr. 11402 is now
operated by
SBB Historic |
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The Ae 6/6 for Trainz
®
We do not go too far
when saying that what we offer is one of the most detailed models for
TRS ever. The number of polygons is HIGH. Initially the 3D artist
believed that steam locomotives were the worst as far as polygon
consumption went, but when work started on the roof of the Ae 6/6 this
quickly changed. Also the bogies are tough on the polygon counter, but
an over-all aggressive LOD policy will soften the blow to your PC's
performance. Even if the protovr concept dictates that "if it
is there it is here too" we recognise the fact that detail disappear
at a distance.
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The cab at 95% completion
Initially we will settle for a
hybrid cab without scripted ZUB and Computerfahrplan |
In short the
model offers:
- unrivalled details in 3D work,
- high definition textures,
- prototypical scripted
lighting,
- prototypical enginespec
(hopefully a BRUMMELENGINE as with the Re 4/4 II and III)
accurately reflecting the locomotive's specs and
- super detailed cab with
scripted features.(see picture)
Buying an Ae 6/6 pack gives
you:
- Three Städteloks with unique
road numbers or
- Three Kantonsloks with unique
road numbers or
- Three SBB Cargo locomotives
with unique road numbers or
- One specific locomotive
matching three different historical periods *
- Free upgrade service
*this pack will be more expensive
due to the amount of 3D work involved |
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At present the model is being mapped
and the first super textures are being tested and improved
accordingly. We expect - at the present speed of development - to have
the first fully functional model ready within a month. If all
contributors give it the nod of approval we will fix the final price
and launch it for sale via the VMD website.
Acknowledgment:
We will like to stress that this
project never would have reached its state of perfection without the
contributions of our dedicated group of Swiss field researchers.
Especially Patricia_B, Stef89 and Beetsme deserves a big hand for
their work providing us with a steady stream of photographs and other
gems. Thank you and keep up the good work.
So you have a special feature or
maybe a favourite locomotive that you feel is missing?
Then tell us about it |
