EL2
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EL2-30 from the Konin lignite mine, photographed near Kleczew on
Another
one from the Konin
mine: EL2-48, photographed near Konin on
EL2-26,
photo taken on the same occasion.
Yet another ‘Crocodile’ from the Konin mine: EL2-33, photographed near Kleczew on
EL2-10
from the Adamów
lignite mine, photographed near Turek on
Two
Chinese EL2s, No.2302 and No.2303, from the Hegang Mining Railway, photographed by Duncan
Cotterill (thanks for permission!) on
Two other EL2s from the Adamów
lignite mine: No.9, also from the Vockerode
power station...
...and No.6, purchased from the Lübbenau power station (Lausitz), which was closed down in
1996; both photos taken on January 18, 2008.
Another EL2 from the Adamów
mine, photographed on a loading ramp near Władysławów on
...and a close-up, which reveals that this
locomotive has also been purchased from the Lübbenau
power station and still has old livery and service number.
Yet another EL2 from the Adamów
mine: No.4, photographed near Turek on the same day.
And yet another: No.11, photographed at nearly the
same location on
Another picture of No.11, taken near Turek on
...and No.3 with a ‘service train’, photographed on
the same occasion.
EL2-21, Konin lignite
mine, photographed in Gosławice near Konin on September 16, 2008. On that day
I paid a visit to the Konin mine; photos taken on
this occasion can be seen here. |
The majority of electric locomotives used by
Polish railways were built in Between
1951 and 1952 at LEW three basic
types of locomotives for open-pit mines were put into production: six-axle
EL1 and four-axle EL2 for standard gauge and four-axle EL3 for the 900 mm
gauge. All were based on pre-war AEG design (from late 1920s, further
developed during WWII) and had many common features. Heavy, 150-tonne EL1s
were built for export to the Soviet Union (809) and China (121) only, but two
remaining types have found more widespread use. First EL2s appeared in 1952
and subsequently this type was built in large numbers, enjoying a very long
production run: last examples left the assembly lines in 1988. According to
data provided by Florian Menius and Holger Neumann (thanks a lot!), total
output amounted to 1380; another source gives 1477. First deliveries were to
open-pit mines in East Germany. In all, German enterprises received 681
examples. Later EL2s were exported to the Soviet Union (245, between 1957 and
1970), China (186, between 1957 and 1984), Bulgaria (206, between 1960 and
1987) and Poland. Many of them still remain in use with industrial railways.
Some German examples have been modernized and fitted with single-arm current
collectors. Despite comparatively young age, EL2 has already earned itself a
heritage locomotive status: in December 2007, withdrawn 4-1124 (LEW
13605/1980) was plinthed at the Bombardier – Werk Henningsdorf
premises. EL2
is a robust and straightforward machine with the Bo’Bo’ axle arrangement,
designed to haul heavy drafts at a moderate speed. Tractive effort at the
one-hour traction engines rating is 16.7 tonnes (at 28.5 km/h); startup
tractive effort exceeds 30 tonnes. These locomotives were built for both 1435
mm and 1524 mm tracks and voltages 1.5 kV DC (for the Soviet Union) and 1.2
or 2.4 kV DC. Typically EL2s for open-pit mines have two standard pantographs
for normal overhead contact system and two or four (sometimes as many as eight!)
side-mounted ones for lateral contact systems at terminal stations, to
facilitate unobstructed loading and unloading of dump cars. From 1961 onwards
some locomotives were fitted with multiplied control systems, which were used
for double-heading or for precise remote maneuvering by the excavator or
loader operator during loading. There were also several minor modifications
and versions for individual operators differed in details; in particular,
Soviet and Chinese examples were fitted with knuckle couplers. Recently a
modernization program has been launched in Germany and is intended to include
EL2s operated by Lausitzer Braunkohle AG (LAUBAG), which has 53
examples. This is a joint venture of DB (Fahrzeuginstandhandlung
Werk Cottbus) and Kiepe Elektrik; its main point is to introduce
IGBT choppers to drive traction engines, but it includes also modified
control systems, new auxiliary power supply, new single-arm main current
collectors and modified cabs with air conditioning. Details can be found at www.vossloh-kiepe.com. First
sixteen EL2s appeared in Poland in 1958 and were purchased for the Konin
lignite mine (KWB Konin). During next seven years further 37 brand new
examples followed. Apart from KWB Konin, they went also to the nearby Adamów
lignite mine, as well as to the Bielawy limestone mine (most probably
no longer in use there) and a mining and foundry complex near Ostrowiec in
central Poland (closed down in early 1980s). Further nine examples were obtained
between 1970 and 1987. Later a number of second-hand surplus German EL2s,
mainly from lignite open-pit mines and power stations in Saxony and
Saxony-Anhalt, were also bought and according to AL their total number is about seventy. Most, if not all, have
been converted to 2.4 kV DC. The largest fleet, of the KWB Konin,
currently numbers 27 examples. They run on comparatively short lines between
an open-pit mine and a processing plant or power station. Double-heading has
never been practiced in Poland. There is no consistent designation system:
most locomotives of this type are painted dark green and have two-digit
service numbers painted in white. Some have retained original German liveries
and service numbers, at least for a time. Since 1996 some modifications have
been introduced. First of all, Oerlikon brakes have been standardized (some
early and second-hand machines had Knorr, Dako or Matrosov brakes). In some
examples more modern and reliable startup resistors and static current
converters have been fitted. Other modernizations concerned mainly control
systems. Recently KWB Konin has introduced the closed-circuit TV
systems with LCD monitors located in cabs; this has been dictated by the fact
that there are no turntables at loading stations and trains are operated in
the push/pull regime. This modification has virtually eliminated derailments
and most probably is the only system of this type used in Poland. These
somehow archaic-looking, but efficient locomotives that remind of the early
years of electrification – although some were built as late as in 1987 – will
probably remain in use for a long time. Their common nickname is ‘Krokodyl’
(crocodile). Of course they don’t enter ‘normal’ lines (electrified at 3 kV
DC) and therefore are not an easy prey for trainspotters. Apart
from EL2s, a number of narrow-gauge EL3s (probably 53 examples, supplied
between 1955 and 1964) were used by a few lignite mines in Poland that once
operated 900 mm industrial railways. The last of them was the Turów
mine in south-western Poland, where narrow-gauge railway was closed in 1981.
Afterwards some of them were sold back to East Germany; as far as I know, not
a single one has survived in Poland. Main technical data
1)
Multiplied in some
examples.
2) Modified
locomotives. 3) Later
2400 V. References and acknowledgments
Information
on Polish EL2s has been taken mainly from the monographic article by
Krzysztof Zintel (SK vol.1/2005)
and from |
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