ET21

ET21-100, PKP, at the Jaworzyna Śląska locomotive heritage park, October 11, 2000.

ET21-539, PKP, at Powroźnik station, August 13, 2001.

3E12 (designated ET21-1), Zduńska Wola Karsznice loco depot, June 20, 2001.

ET21-66, PKP, Railway Museum, Warsaw, July 23, 2002

ET21-71, KP Maczki Bór, new livery. Photo by Dawid Frątczak from www.kolej.pl/tabor

This ET21-618 was photographed at the Sucha Beskidzka depot on August 13, 2002…

… while this ET21-351, probably still in use, was photographed at the same location almost exactly three years later, on August 19, 2005.

ET21-331, photographed at the Jelenia Góra loco depot on November 1, 2004; an ET41 can be seen in the background.

Withdrawn ET21 (number unknown), converted into a stationary heating unit. Kielce, February 11, 2006

ET21-18, operated by CTL Rail; photo taken at Zduńska Wola Karsznice on March 3, 2006.

Another locomotive from CTL Rail: ET21-108, photographed on the same location on December 14, 2006.

3E-44, operated by PCC Rail, photographed in Konstancin Jeziorna on April 17, 2006: this track is not electrified!

Another machine from the PCC Rail fleet: 3E-45, photographed near the Żerań power plant in Warsaw on September 12, 2007.

The same location and the same operator: 3E-55, April 29, 2008.

Four ET21s, photographed at the Wałbrzych depot on May 1, 2006: ET21-418...

... ET21-422 (two more in the background)...

...ET21-606...

... and ET21-644.

This ET21-324 ...

...and this ET21-436, both probably withdrawn, were photographed at the Legnica depot on June 9, 2006.

3E/1-86 from the PTKiGK Rybnik fleet, photographed in Zduńska Wola Karsznice on July 16, 2008.

Apart from a handful of EP02s (with traction motors and electric equipment imported from Great Britain), first Polish electric passenger locomotive of indigenous design, the EP09, appeared as a prototype in 1986. Freight machines were given priority and the ET21, in production from 1957 to 1971, can be viewed as the first electric locomotive, designed and built in Poland, to be produced in series – although some traces of foreign ancestry can also be found. It was also produced in large numbers, among electric locomotives second only to its successor, the ET22.

In view of rapidly progressing electrification and the decision to terminate deliveries of steam locomotives, the need for an electric freight machine became obvious. Design work was entrusted to the Central Rolling Stock Design Bureau of Poznań, and series production to the Pafawag factory of Wrocław (pre-war Linke-Hofmann), with several sub-contractors. Two prototypes of the 3E (this was the manufacturer’s designation) appeared in 1957 and series production started the following year.

From the mechanical point of view, new machine owed much to the experience gained with the EP02 passenger electric locomotive and, although still a simple and straightforward design, had better running qualities. Traction motors and electric equipment were patterned upon those of the Soviet freight locomotive VL22^M, developed from the pre-war VL22 and produced by the Novocherkask works between 1947 and 1958 (1541 machines, never used in Poland). In 1960, after 83 machines (some sources give 73) had been delivered, a slightly modernized version was introduced, designated 3E/1; modifications were aimed mainly at improving reliability, simplifying maintenance, reducing overall weight (by some 5%) and better weight distribution. Production was halted in 1971, after 726 machines had been built. Later, during overhauls, several older machines were brought up to the E3/1 standard. Special version for industrial operators, with factory designation 5E, was not proceeded with, although later a few dozen standard machines went to industry.

PKP designated their new machine first E500, then E06 and finally, in 1958, ET21, in accordance with new Polish Standard; it was commonly nicknamed ‘Sputnik’ among crews and railway fans. PKP received 658 examples; the rest went to sand railways (PMP-PW, or Filling Materials Enterprise of the Coal Industry) that supply filling material to Silesian collieries, factory designation being retained with this operator. In fact in the 70s, due to severe shortage of electric locomotives, PKP rented several machines from industrial operators, giving them the ET21 designation and out-of-sequence service numbers. Then, in the 80s, PKP sold seventeen some sources give fourteen) machines to sand railways, which in turn retained their original class designation, but assigned new service numbers. This brought about some confusion in identification of individual examples. 3E was the most numerous electric locomotive in the PMP-PW service, as heavier and more modern 201E (ET22) proved unsuitable for tight curves, typical for sand railways. Several examples were experimentally fitted with side-mounted current collectors, typical for locomotives used in open-pit mines. This modification, however, proved unsuccessful and all modified machines were later rebuilt to their original configuration. In 1989, shortly before PMP-PW was divided into four independent companies, this operator had 79 examples and this type remained in service until de-electrification of sand railways in the 1990s. Despite the ET21 designation, which implies a freight machine, all ET21s purchased by PKP were fitted with car heating couplings (3000 V DC) and could be used with passenger trains, although their characteristics in this role were considered far from satisfactory. Machines purchased brand new by sand railways had no heating devices.

ET21s are still used by PKP, although in rapidly dwindling numbers, mainly for freight service in southern Poland. Withdrawal of these machines began in 1980 (initially being limited to the initial 3E variant) and reached its peak in late 90s, 107 of them being written off in 1998 alone. On January 1, 1999, only 107 locomotives remained in the PKP rosters and during next eighteen months their number fell to 60, of which 48 were serviceable. According to AL, in the beginning of 2002 PKP had only 44 examples, of which just a dozen or so remained in active service. Very detailed account of their assignments was available at http://www.kolej.pl/tabor/ET21; this page was maintained by Dawid Frątczak. Unfortunately, www.kolej.pl has been dead from some time. According to some sources, ET21s were intended to be withdrawn from regular service altogether in 2002, but in fact they still operate on some southern lines, even with passenger trains. In 2005, ET21s still hauled passenger trains near Krynica. According to rosters available at www.lokomotywowniapkp.republika.pl, in early 2006 PKP still had fifty ET21s, obviously not all of them serviceable. Independent operators that came into being when PMP-PW was dissolved in 1990, as well as those established later, will use these machines for much longer, as they later expanded their scope of activity to include public transport throughout Poland. Their replacement in near future does not seem likely. In fact, one of these companies bought two ex-PKP examples from a scrap-disposal company in 1999. In 2004, private operators had at least 45 examples (probably not all operational); largest fleets were owned by PCC Rail Szczakowa (since 2007 PCC Rail S.A., 18) and CTL holding (15). In 2006 two ET21s, owned by PCC Rail Szczakowa (3E-42 and 3E-53) were fitted with multiplied control systems and often double-head heavy drafts. Five more have followed until mid-2007 and further are expected to follow soon. According to SK, in mid-2007 private operators in Poland had 43 locomotives of this type; CTL group had 14, PCC Rail – 16, PTKH (until 2007, PTKiGK Zabrze) – 10, PTKiGK Rybnik – 2 and Orlen KolTrans – 1. Some of them had been modernized to various extents (even including new traction engines) and resemble old ‘Sputniks’ only externally; as far as I know, one has been re-designated ET21M.

Some – most probably six – ET21s have been preserved. One of them, now in Karsznice railway depot, is designated ET21-1, but this is not the first example built. This machine was used by K.P. Maczki Bór sand mine as 3E-12 and its factory number is in fact 23; it has retained its original color, quite different from typical PKP livery. Most probably its current designation is purely fictitious, but anyway it is an early example. One heritage machine – ET21-57, now in Chabówka railway stock heritage park – is still serviceable and can sometimes be seen with special trains in southern Poland. ET21-100, withdrawn in April 2000 and later transferred to the Jaworzyna Śląska depot (now Industry and Railway Museum), experienced a peculiar twist of fate: in 2006 it was sold to Orlen KolTrans and, after some modifications (including new control panels and Oerlikon brakes) restored in service in March 2007 as 3E-100. Externally – apart from new, bright red livery – this machine differs from others in having two windows in each front wall instead of three (middle window has been eliminated).

Main technical data

No.	Parameter	Unit	Value
1.	Years of manufacture	-	1957 – 1971
2.	Total built / used in Poland	-	726 / 726
3.	Axle arrangement	-	Co’Co’
4.	Control	-	individual
5.	Design maximum speed	km/h	100
6.	Traction motors (number X type)	-	6 X LKa634 (LKb635)
7.	Voltage	V	3000
8.	One-hour rating	kW/hp	2400 / 3260
9.	Continuous rating	kW/hp	2040 / 2772
10.	Electric current at one-hour rating	A	290
11.	Electric current at continuous rating	A	225
12.	Rotational speed at one-hour rating	rpm	710
13.	Rotational speed at continuous rating	rpm	750
14.	Engine suspension	-	nose-suspended
15.	Reduction gear ratio	-	85:24
16.	Diameter of drivers	mm	1250
17.	Total weight	kg	121 000/113 000¹⁾
18.	Axle load	T	20.16 / 18.9¹⁾
19.	Axle base	mm	12 000
20.	Overall length	mm	16 820
21.	Maximum width	mm	3 050
22.	Brake type	-	Westinghouse

1) After modernization

References and acknowledgments

Detailed description of this locomotive can be found at http://www.kolej.pl/tabor/ET21 – this page is maintained by Dawid Fratczak and is very comprehensive. Some valuable are available at http://www.kolej.pl/~jareks/wtpkp – this page is maintained by Jarek Stawarz aka Chester. Concise descriptions and statistics are given in AL.