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| A
bit of prehistory… |
| This
is a locomotive of the 600.76 series. Her photograph
was taken in the middle of the last century. The machines
in question were made by the PIERWSZA FABRYKA
LOKOMOTYW W POLSCE - CHRZANOV. The locomotives
arrived in Bulgaria in the period between 8 December
1949 and 28 March 1950. In the Bulgarian Railways,
the 600 series locomotives were the most powerful
locomotives intended to the 760 mm rail-to-rail space.
For many years they have been working hard on the
Septemvri -Dobrinishte and Varvara - Pazardjik lines. |
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“The
most powerful and heavy steam locomotives in BDZ for the
760 mm rail to rail space”. This is briefly how the 600.76
series could be characterised. The series consisted of 15
units, as by that it was the most numerous series of steam
locomotives for its wideness of the railroad. These were
the only steam locomotives of the BDZ, where the principles
of standardisation were widely applied in the overall construction
and appearance. This means that the construction and development
of all the basic parts, the nodes and repeating aggregates
were all rate-set. That is why at that point we could speak
about the real beginning of a new constructive realisation,
as it was with the normal rail-to-rail space steam locomotives
after 1930. The archives still keep the first five machines’
contract (¹ 60176-60576), signed on 27 October 1939, by
Donchev, Kosta P. (representative of the KRUPP
company in Sofia). According to the contract, the single
price per locomotive was 99 850 RM, the cost for the five
machines amounted to 499 250 RM, and with all the spare
parts and requested additional installations included, it
reached 525 286 RM. The locomotives had to be built by SCHWARTZKOPFF-Berlin,
to be tested in the factory yard and taken to Saraniovo
depot. The delivery period was 17 months since the date
of the written letter or telegraph message for the delivery
assignment. Such a message was sent just three days later
by the Head Direction of the BDZ – on 30 October 1939. The
locomotives arrived at the beginning of 1941, as on 20 January
their delivery started in the following order: ¹ 601.76,
602.76, 604.76 and 605.76. Each of them was disassembled
on two truck wagons, as ¹ 60376 came completely assembled
on a special wagon (Tiefladewagen); that
is why the tests of acceptance started on it. Later on in
the same year, from Hungary came the first three additions
of diesel moto-railers and moto-trailers. Although the start
of exploitation got prolonged almost one year, the locomotives
considerably improved the transportations on the Saraniovo-Belitza
and Varvara-Pazardjik narrow gauge lines. The above is confirmed
by the 73% increasing of the transport activity along the
line. Within three years the figures changed from 25 million
gr. t/km. to 43 million gr. t/km. in 1943. As a part of
its plans on the global deal for 1942, the Head Direction
of BFZ made steps to a delivery of other 10 locomotives
of series 600.76 (type 1-E-1 for rail-to-rail space
760 mm), but later on due to well-clarified reasons,
this never got accomplished. The intention to be delivered
more locomotives for the 760 mm rail-to-rail-space came
from the felicitous forecast of the Head Direction. As a
confirmation, following the end of the Second World War
the transportations on the narrow gauge lines Saraniovo-Dobrinishte
and Varvara-Pazardjik got a large progress, being useless
to mention that the other 760 mm narrow gauge line kept
being served by the low-power locomotives of the 176-1076
plus a few machines of the 500.76 series, which came after
the delivery of the first 600.76 series locomotives. The
contract with Poland about the delivery of 10 locomotives
of the 600.76 series was signed in 1944, as a consequence
of long ran negotiations. The 606.76-615.76 locomotives,
ordered at the PIERWSZA FABRYKA LOKOMOTYW W POLSCE-CHRZANOW
factory, started arriving in the late 1949. Their transportation
has been accomplished on a special type of wagons for normal
rail-to-rail space. That required some of the details to
be dismounted in order to fit in the gauge clearance standards
of the normal railways. Their transportation matched with
the time of overall insufficiency in Europe after the end
of the war. This explains the fact that the leather chair
covers of the driver and the fire man plus all the rubber
tubes of the first two locomotives - 606.76 and 607.76 were
ripped off somewhere en route. That made the Polish send
the next locomotives accompanied. The machines were delivered
equipped with American turbo generators “Baldwin” 2.5 KW
each as their mounting in the factory started by 608.76
and on. For the first two the turbo generators were sent
separately. It is curious to know that initially the machines
of both the first and the second delivery were equipped
with steam and hand brakes. Besides they had an automatic
and a manual mode steam ejector for the vacuum brake. Later
on between 1958 and 1961 , double stage air pumps of the
“Knorr” system were mounted on all the
locomotives of the 600.76 series.
|
A
destiny of exploitation... |
The 606.76-615.76 locomotives were temporarily accepted
and put in exploitation, once the appropriate loading tests
have been done in the following order: ¹ 606.76 on 8 December
1949 (the loading probe was along the Septemvri-Avramovi
Kolibi section), ¹ 607.7 and ¹ 609.76 on 21 December
1949 (Septemvri-Avramovi kolibi as well), ¹ 608.76 on 22
December 1949 (Septemvri-Velingrad), ¹ 611.76 on 16 January
1950 (Septemvri-Kostandovo), ¹ 610.76 on 17 January 1950
(Septemvri-Velingrad), ¹ 612.76 and ¹ 613.76 on 27 February
1950 (Septemvri-Kostandovo) and ¹ 614.76 and ¹615.76 on
28 March 1950 (Septemvri -Velingrad). As a result of the
exploitation start of the ten new 60076 series’ locomotives
on the Septemvri– Dobrinishte and Varvara– Pazardjik lines,
came the long time waited assuagement as in addition everything
got set on its own place. Mostly, the three locomotives
of the “Mallet”- 92.000 series which at that time were working
under rent at Septemvri depot, were turned back to the Yugoslavian
railways, as the 500.76 series was entirely transferred
to the Cherevn briag-Oriahovo route. Being recently an obstacle
for the increasing transportation along our own Rhodope
narrow-gauge line, the traction vastly increased its resources
at once. In 1946-1950, the progress of the transportation
activity was 32%, as in the period 1951-1955 it exceeded
72%. This growth was the biggest one in the history of the
Septemvri-Dobrinishte and Varavara-Pazardjik lines. The
600.76 series’ locomotives turned into a main series of
the Septemvri depot. A small part of them were based at
the branch depot of Bansko. Until 1960, with no exception
all the machines of 600.76 series were working on the Septemvri-Dobrinishte
and Varvara –Pazardjik lines. Then the first locomotive
of the 600.76 (¹ 611.76) series was transferred to the Cherven
briag-Oriahovo line, to be in help of the there working
locomotives of the 500.76 series. For the next 6 years the
locomotives did the main work at the Septemvri and Bansko
depots, and constantly one of the two machines was at Cherven
Briag. After the diesel traction was set in exploitation
on the Septemvri-Dobrinishte and Varvara-Pazardjik lines,
the remaining locomotives of the 600.76 series were sent
to Cherven Briag, entirely replacing the 50076 ones in the
railway operations. In 1976 when the diesel traction was
also implemented along the Cherven briag-Oriahovo line,
the locomotives: 602.76, 604.76, 606.76, 607.76, 608.76,
610.76, 611.76, 612.76, 613.76 and 614.76 were placed at
Cherven briag depot. The remaining five machines stayed
in reserve at the Septemvri and Bansko depots. In 1977 was
the first and largest exploitation ending of the 60076 series
locomotives. Then eight machines were rejected at once (¹
601.76,602.76, 604.76, 606.76, 607.76, 612.76, 613.76 and
614.76). Another machine ¹ 603.76 was also rejected and
wasted in 1980. According to the ¹ 18 directive dated 8
January 1979 ¹ 605.76 and ¹ 609.76. were kept for the museum
collection of the BDZ However, in 1983 ¹ 605.76 was rejected
and wasted.
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| Within
this article, we shall try to familiarise you
with the steam locomotives restoration technology
and particularly 609-76. Certainly, we would
not be able to cover all details, although we
shall do our best. The photo-material and the
related text are being created “on the fly”.
Consultations with specialists in the field
are constantly needed before publishing. And
we do strive to prepare the material in a language,
understandable for the people who are first-timers
in the railway meanings and terminology. |
|
And that is where the hard part starts. Well, maybe not
as hard as the restoration itself, although this is a work,
which takes months! The 609.76 locomotive stays in the yard
of the Septemvri depot, where she awaits to be transported
to the Sofia locomotive depot. The appalling condition of
the machine is well seen on the first photographs. The rust
has destroyed the locomotive at Bansko
railway station. Robbers have not missed her as well – they
have taken out a lot of parts, control devices and apparatuses
of the machine driver's cabin. The coal bunker has been
absolutely destroyed by the metal rust. Once again it has
to be cut and shaped out of metal plates with eligible thickness.
The chimney has been broken and the rods - gelatinised.
How could she be transported to the Sofia depot’s yard?
Here in help came an interesting open wagon, equipped with
rails for 760 mm., used for transportation of narrow gauge
consist. The locomotive was loaded on that wagon and thus
transported to the place of repair. The next step was the
main status check, dismounting of many of the undercarriage
nodes and full diagnostics of the steam cauldron. The first
details which were dismounted were the control cabin and
side water reservoirs. This exposed the entire cauldron
and the control nodes. A group of workers started working
on its clearing, and another team got engaged with the undercarriage
part. In the meantime, the five driving axles and the two
curve following ones were dismounted. One of the axles and
namely the third cohesion one is rim-flangless (its typical
edge for on rail leading is missing), as it is wider than
the others. The rim flangless axles help for the curve following
of the locomotive at curves with big radiuses, as it happens
by passing through many railway points.
/to
be continued/
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| Locomotive |
|
- |
| Type |
1'E1'-h2Gt |
- |
B |
760 |
mm |
V |
45 |
km/h |
nxd |
2x460 |
mm |
h |
400 |
mm |
D |
850 |
mm |
| Dv/Dh |
550/550 |
mm |
P |
16 |
kgf/cm2 |
R |
2 |
m2 |
Hv |
87,6 |
m2 |
Hu |
32,6 |
m2 |
Q |
62 |
t |
Qr |
50 |
t |
A |
10 |
t |
W |
7 |
m3 |
K |
4 |
t |
Zr |
11950 |
kgf |
|
 |
The
locomotive in her condition before the beginning of the restoration.
The photograph was taken in the yard of the Septemvri depot. |
The
locomotive in her condition before the beginning of the restoration.
The corrosion has destroyed a huge part of the locomotive’s body. |
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|
The
machine was transported on a special wagon with 760 mm rails and
was placed in the area of Sofia locomotive depot. |
The
cabin and the water reservoirs were dismounted before the cauldron
check for strength by special tools measuring the thickness of the
metal. |
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 |
The
work started on the steam cranes, reverse mechanisms, the grate
opening and all the apparatuses of the locomotive drivers’ side. |
The
external side of the cauldron was processed in the meantime. The
old paint was removed, the rivets were checked and the axles were
taken away; among them the rim flangless one. |
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 |
This
is the left steam machine of the Zwilling type. The casing was taken
out, the piston was dismounted and all the rods were decoupled for
the wearing out check. |
A
welding at the cauldron's external side got necessary. This was
done by a special technology for maximum strength. |
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 |
The
work on the internal side of the cauldron. Instead of smoke inside
the cauldron… there is a worker. |
A
big part of the tubes in the cauldron needed replacing, due to the
advanced corrosion which made them useless. |
 |
 |
The
cauldron was restored and a special orange ground coat of paint
was applied on it. In the last phase that coat will be covered by
paint. |
The
grate door is well seen. The locomotive was prepared for leaving
the hall for the mounting of its previously removed axles. This
happened on Saturday. Two huge 50 tones TAKRAFF cranes of the Repair
Service did the lifting. |
|
 |
A
machine of the 52 series takes the special 609 wagon in the yard,
where the two TAKRAFFs have just arrived. |
Workers
of the Sofia depot and Repair Service are looking at the machine.
Among them, standing at the right is "uncle Liubo ", typical
of him is his love for the steam machines and lenses! |
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 |
The
steam machine elevation is prepared. Special steal ropes were getting
underneath the frame. |
The
ropes had to stand to the multi-tone construction of the steam locomotive. |
 |
 |
The
TAKRAFFs stretched their mighty booms expecting the lifting preparation. |
| It
is time for the supporting ropes to be hanged up. |
 |
 |
The
repaired cauldron shines on the sun light. |
| A
55 series diesel machine pushes out under the locomotive hanging in
the air, the wagon is loaded with the seven axles. |
 |
 |
The
machine is already in the air. In expectation of the wagon with
the arranged axles, which has to be placed right under her. |
In
the mean time "uncle Liubo" and several other workers
are loading the axles on the wagon, by using an auto-crane.. TAKRAFF
type again. |
 |
 |
The
workers are bustling around the fitting and getting down the axles
to the tubular frames. The cranes are snarling...well, it is not
audible. |
Already
taken back to the hall, the locomotive now has axles! Now come the
other stages of the repairing. |
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 |
Common
view of the locomotive 609.76 |
Cabview
of the 609.76 in the yard of "Septemvri" depot. |
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 |
General view of the locomotive 609.76. |
609.76
viewpoint from the tender. |
 |
 |
609.76
- under steam pressure at "Septemvri" depot. |
|
Articles,
devoted to the museum activities of the Bulgarian State Railways
museum@railwaymodeling.com
