EU07
and EP07
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First example from Pafawag
(EU07-001, s/n 1/1964) at Chabówka rolling stock heritage park, Over two years later things are not looking much
better, but restoration seems to be under way: Chabówka, EU07-027 at Stalowa Wola Rozwadów
station, May 4, 2004 EU07-144 at Piotrków Trybunalski loco
depot, October 29, 2001 EU07-114 with train 220 to Wrocław
near Jaworzyna Śląska, August 4, 2004 EU07-408 near Warszawa Rembertów station, …EP07-344, photographed on the same occasion… … and the same example in Ełk, EP07-522 near Warszawa Wawer station, EP07-383 in EU07, early version from Pafawag; side
drawing by M.Ćwikła (SK vol. 9/2002) EU07 from Pafawag, later variant; source
– as above EU07, late version from HCP with some modifications; side drawing by M.Ćwikła (SK
vol. 10/2002) EP07-355, photographed near the Łódź Widzew
station on EU07-112 at the Krotoszyn station, Several pictures taken at the Warszawa
Wschodnia station can be seen here. EP07-388, photographed near the Warszawa
Zachodnia station, EP07-332, photographed in Ełk on ...and EP07-345, photographed on the same
occasion. The same locomotive, photographed in Warsaw
on October 14, 2008, in new PKP InterCity blue livery. Two EU07s, photographed near the Warszawa
Olszynka Grochowska depot on ... and EU07-153. EU07-318 with a passenger train arriving in Leszno on Two EU07s, photographed at the Kraków Płaszów
station on ...and slightly battered EU07-321; traces of
yellow paint on the front panel are still visible. Two locomotives photographed near Rogów
station on ...and EU07-495. EU07-367
passes by EP07-388; Warszawa Zachodnia, February 17, 2007. Early production EU07-010, photographed in
Kalwaria Zebrzydowska on EP07-211, photographed near the Warszawa
Olszynka Grochowska depot on EU07-494,
Gdynia Grabówek depot, August 23, 2007. EP07-375, photographed near the Warszawa
Zachodnia station on Modernized EP07-1005 (ex EU07-352),
photographed at one of my favorite spots near the Warszawa Zachodnia station
on Two more modernized locomotives: EP07-1035... ...and EP07-1043, both photographed at the Wrocław Główny
station on EU07-496, photographed somewhere in ...and the same machine photographed after a
crash on In 2008, modernized EP07-1051 (ex EU07-054)
was externally made up as BR class
83 in the 1960s livery; photo taken in Wolsztyn on Another picture of this locomotive, taken at
the Wrocław Główny station in June 2008 by John Bryant (thanks for permission!). Two locomotives, photographed at the Poznań
Główny station on ...and modernized EP07-1002 (ex EU07-147). EU07-127, photographed at the Gliwice station
on June 15, 2008. EU07-096, photographed in Węgliniec on July
16, 2008. Modernized EP07-1053, photographed on the
same occasion. EP07-1055, photographed in Korsze on
September 9, 2008. Electrified line ends there and eastbound trains are taken
over by SU45s or SU46s. EP07-1052, Olsztyn Główny station, September
12, 2008. EP07-1018, photographed on the same occasion. Three modernized EP07s, photographed at the
Olsztyn depot on the same day. |
Efforts to design and build
electric locomotives for passenger and express trains in In the meantime, indigenous
(although based on Soviet VL22M) ET21 freight locomotive went into
production at Pafawag (pre-war Linke-Hofmann) in Despite new service designation,
EU07 did not differ much from British-built EU06 and had similar performance
and appearance. Differences concerned mainly those items of equipment that
had already been manufactured in Production of EU07 at Pafawag
lasted for about ten years and totaled 240 examples, the last of which was
accepted by PKP in January 1975.
Four more were rebuilt from EP08s in 1976 and 1977. Further deliveries were
halted, as freight locomotives were more urgently needed: this may seem hard
to explain, but in fact electrification did not progress as fast as
previously planned and main effort was concentrated on principal trunk
routes, where heavy freight traffic dominated. As Pafawag was then the
sole producer of electric locomotives in Alternative to electrification
was sought in diesel locomotives and PKP
acquired over 1800 heavy road diesels, mostly from the Machines from In early 70s a special freight version for sand railways was designed, intended to replace obsolescent 3Es (equivalent to PKP class ET21); it had different current collectors and no car heating equipment. This variant was not proceeded with. EU07s proved quite reliable in service, but soon it was found out that electric engines were prone to failures as a result of high rotational speed. It was thus decided to change the main gear reduction ratio from 79:18 to 76:21. Rebuilt machines were designated EP07 (service numbers retained) and 84 machines were rebuilt until 2004, including seven from Pafawag. This program still continues, but certainly is lagging behind schedules, as it was initially intended to convert over 200 EU07s until 2005. Until 2002, 57 machines were withdrawn due to accidents or physical wear. Modifications of the basic design concerned mainly various items of equipment (dead man’s handle, improved electric circuit elements); in some examples, rectangular headlights were fitted. Deliveries of EU07s covered over
27 years and, from statistical point of view, were moderate: about 18
examples per year. This cannot change the fact that they are the principal
electric locomotives for passenger and express trains in According to rosters quoted at www.szopa.glogow.pl, in October 2005 PKP had 91 EP07s and 336 EU07s in active service. One example was purchased by a private operator: EU07-125, built by Pafawag in 1970 and withdrawn in March 1998, was sold to PTKiGK Zabrze and remains in use, its designation changed to 4E-004. In fact this is one of very few machines of this type used for freight traffic and the only one owned by a private operator. In 2008, Koleje Mazowieckie (KM), which operate local trains around Warsaw, leased six EP07s from PKP Cargo to haul new push-pull-type drafts supplied by Bombardier. Further five are intended to follow in early 2009. In late 2006, PKP Przewozy Regionalne (a company from the PKP group), who had taken over a number of EU07s and EP07s, launched a modernization program. Initial intentions were quite ambitious, including even air-conditioned crew compartments – or so it appears – but eventually, due to modest financing, the package has included mainly new main gears with reduction ratio changed from 79:18 to 76:21, to reduce engine rotational speed (as in EP07), and removing multiple-control installation. Minor modernizations have concerned controls, crew seating and windscreen wipers; some locomotives have also been fitted with new, rectangular headlights. Lack of multiple-control sockets on the front wall is the most characteristic external feature of modernized locos, apart from new cream-yellow/red livery which has not found much approval among railway fans (to put it mildly). Modernized EU07s are re-designated EP07 but, contrary to earlier practice, are assigned new service numbers from 1001 upwards. EP07-1001 (ex EU07-137) was rebuilt by the ZNTK (Railway Stock Repair Works) of Oleśnica and rolled out in June 2007. Further rebuilds are under way; according to some sources, two examples are to be modernized by Romanian RELOC company. Initial plans included a few dozen examples (some sources give 74), but several of them were found in such bad overall condition that they had to be written off. Currently (May 2008) the highest service number known to me is EP07-1056. Despite their relatively low numerical force, ‘new’ EP07s have already become quite common.
Main
technical data – EU07
1) Rebuilt
from EP08-002 to 005 2) Second
batch (HCP, type 303E) – based on
ET41 3) Rebuilt
from ET41-036B, ET41-088A and ET41-116A 4)
Second batch – some sources give 243 examples. Main
technical data – EP07
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