Model Railroading > rack drive locomotives

Greetings fellow Board Members,

Do any of you know whether the Stadler HE-4-4 3,000 volt pantograph
powered rack drive locomotives(built for MRS Logistica in Brazil)
are being offered by the european manufacturers to be
modeled for sale (in N scale or possibly HO standard gauge)rather
than scale broad gauge?

I forgot to add:

The railroad uses seven of the Stadler HE-4-4 units
on this broad gauge railroad in pairs on Triple Lamela
ABT rack track for the the iron ore trains


FWIW and what I have read:

The locomotive is a hydrostatic drive.

Three axles are rack drive axles and and one axle is diesel
electric adhesion to contribute 25 percent of the power needed
for uphill travel and allow the railroad to use the locos for
track maintenanace with out the pantograph being extended.

The electical system is set up to be regenerative feeding power
back into the grid.

The single operator station and seat rotates 180 degrees to keep
the engineer in the right side going uphill or downhill.

Thanks much

MRS logistica has an option to buy three more of these units
(as of the 2012 order)as well.

Makes you wonder how well these beasts would do on Donner Pass in pairs or triples as
they are designed to climb a 46 degree slope, can you say VVVVRRRRRRRRRRMMMMMM!!!!

The pantograph would have to be higher for double stacks of course and they would
need snow plows.



Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 09/30/14 14:23 by leonz.

Impressive performance.

Also interesting styling. Comes in its own packing container, apparently. :-)

~ BZ

---

The first two were shipped from Europe in an open ocean going barge
The rest were shipped the same way I think because of their weight.

I would love to see these units in triples on Donner Pass
because of their power.


They are operating these locomotive pairs around the clock back
and forth from the local iron mines to the port as sea level.


I wonder if UP would consider an AC 6,000 volt unit with eight axles
at all as an option with the two lines on Donner Pass as close as they are
which would make power transmission and regenerative power fed back
into the grid a great asset with high performance backfeeding
all that power back into the local grid.

It does not mention what deadman controls are in the cab for the single
operators station.

The rotaries would be able to crawl and clear the lines with
all that tractive effort.

Whoops!!!!!!!!!

I am getting ahead of myself and dreaming of self propelled rack drive
diesel powered AEB HB1600S snow clearers on Donner Pass.

I better stop that before I get yelled at for suggesting it.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/28/14 21:52 by leonz.

Notch16 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Impressive performance.
>
> Also interesting styling. Comes in its own packing
> container, apparently. :-)
>
> ~ BZ


But beauties are they not.

Erwin from Austria

Good G scale candidate.

Hello Erwin,

Beauty is only skin deep, its the
hydrostatic transmissions, electronics,
and diesel electric power for one axle
that make it a beauty, Yes I am partial,
I will admit it.

I can see sets of triples on
Donner now moving coal, double
stacks, and pushing the rotaries.

It would be good candidate for
G scale for sure.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/28/14 21:49 by leonz.

I wonder what speed they are rated for on grade.

According to the 2010 spec. sheet

30 KM per hour uphill= 18.64 miles per hour.

25 KM Downhill = 15.53 miles per hour.

The axle arrangement is BOzz BOzz. each truck apparently is capable
of being operated independently apparently according to the
spec. sheet.



I would love to see them pulling the iron ore down
that 46-7% grade hill with the regenerative electricity
being fed back into the caternary for regenerative braking.

The units do not have a caternary brake so I guess that
when you put the automatic transmissions in park/neutral it
stays parked along with the the adhesion brakes.


3,000 volts DC

Twenty five percent of the power used is generated by
diesel electric traction-no stack for exhaust that I can see.

Three of the four axles have the ABt Triple Lamella gearing
and the individual tooth width is 60 Millimeters for a total
of 180 millimeters.

What is strange is the unit has no diesel exhaust stacks-might be
directed to the bottom of the locomotive as the cab is sealed and
air conditioned.

This is the kind of power I enjoy seeing.

VVVRRRRRRRRRRRRRRMMMMMM!!!!!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/30/14 14:25 by leonz.

leonz Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> ...
>
> I can see sets of triples on
> Donner now moving coal, double
> stacks, and pushing the rotaries.
>
> It would be good candidate for
> G scale for sure.


Sure, but on Donner you don´t need rack drive.

Erwin

Hello Erwin,

I was thinking about the amount of fuel
that UP and AMTRAK would save more than
anything.

leonz Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hello Erwin,
>
> I was thinking about the amount of fuel
> that UP and AMTRAK would save more than
> anything.

Hello Leonz,

that's right. Donner as well as Tehachapi and Cajon should be candidates for electrification.

Erwin