Ty246
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Ty246-22 + 32D46-22, ALCO
75506/1947, Zduńska Wola Karsznice loco depot, June 20, 2001…
… and another view of the last ‘Truman’, this time
in the autumn sun;
Manufacturer’s
plate: according to most reliable sources, Ty246-22 is ALCO 75506,
which suggests that this plate originally belonged to Ty246-16, withdrawn in
1978. Photo taken on
Ty246-37 (ALCO 75521/1947), photographed somewhere in |
Immediately
after WWII, coal export was practically the only source of foreign revenue
for Poland, so its transport from Silesian mines to Baltic Sea ports was of
vital importance. However, there were critical shortages of suitable rolling
stock and, in particular, heavy freight locomotives. The need for such
machines in the 1920s had resulted in quantity production of class Ty23 and
its derivative, class Ty37, both with tractive effort of about 18 tonnes.
Many of these machines were regained after the war, but their technical
condition was in most cases poor. Ex-German locomotives were mostly lighter
Ty2s (tractive effort of 16.3 tonnes), with only a handful of more powerful
Ty3s and Ty4s; their condition was equally bad and only few could be
immediately put into service. Polish locomotive factories, damaged or
stripped of manufacturing facilities (taken away by either Germans or
Russians), initially commenced production of German types, BR52 (PKP
class Ty42) and BR42 (Ty43) and later switched to improved Ty37, designated
Ty45. Initial output was, however, much short of demand, so it was decided to
purchase heavy freight locomotives abroad. As locomotive industry in Europe
had suffered much during the war, the choice fell on American companies that
could supply modern machines of almost any type on favorable terms. In the
end of 1946 an order was placed for 100 freight locomotives, designated
Ty246, to be supplied by ALCO, Baldwin
and Lima. The Decapod
1-5-0 axle arrangement, favored with heavy freight machines used by PKP before WWII, was retained, as was
the two-cylinder single-expansion steam engine, but many design features were
new and untypical for Polish or even European design practice. These included
mechanical coal feeder (in Poland commonly known as ‘stoker’), multi-valve
camshaft-driven steam throttle, water supply to the boiler (either Nathan
injector or Worthington pump) and wide use of pneumatic drives. New
locomotives were economical and reliable; furthermore, working conditions of
the crew were much improved (e.g. completely closed cab with provisions to
operate all instruments in sitting position). All
ordered machines from ALCO (40), Baldwin (40) and Lima
(20) were supplied between September and December 1947 and immediately went
into service on the Coal Trunk Line between Upper Silesia and Gdynia. Most
were based at the Zduńska Wola Karsznice depot (between 1950 and 1966 their
number ranged from 69 to 76), the rest were assigned to the Bydgoszcz Wschód
depot. They were promptly nicknamed ‘Trumans’ and soon earned a good
reputation among crews for their strength, modernity and reliability. As
electrification of this principal line progressed, they were gradually
shifted to less prominent roles, starting from mid-1960s. One engine
(Ty246-84, Lima 9270/1947) was written off after a crash in June 1969.
Between 1968 and 1973 most of ‘Trumans’ (63 machines) were directed to haul
coal trains from Silesian mines to switch yards. They disappeared from
Karsznice completely until 1970 and from Bydgoszcz until 1975, but some remained
at minor depots along the Coal Trunk Line for a few years more. Total
withdrawal of this class was unexpectedly rapid: all 94 machines that had
remained in operation until early 1978 were written off before December 1979.
This was caused by several reasons: bad condition of boilers revealed during
overhauls, mounting supplies of ‘modern’ ST44 diesel locomotives and (as
history has it) determination of the PKP
management not to enter the new decade with rolling stock of American (and
therefore ‘imperialistic’) heritage still in use… After
withdrawal from PKP, twelve Ty246s were sold to various industrial
plants and survived for a few years more as stationary heating machines; last
of them were scrapped in late 1980s.
Taking care of heritage locomotives has never been a strong point of
Polish enterprises and almost all were promptly sold for scrap. Only one
example avoided – rather by chance – such inglorious end, namely Ty246-22 (ALCO 75506/1947), which was withdrawn
in September 1979 and sold to the Stomil chemical plant in Wolbrom..
This engine was transferred to the Railway Museum in Warsaw in 1981 and
externally restored. In 1994 it was taken to the Zduńska Wola Karsznice
locomotive depot and can now be seen there. According to some sources, second
example (number unknown) was still at the Konin lignite mine in mid-90s; it
probably came there in early 60s from PKP.
This engine, however, no longer exists. Ty246 was the heaviest and most
powerful steam locomotive ever used in Poland. It is worth mentioning here
that design of the indigenous Ty51, intended for the same role, was based
directly on its older counterpart; Polish machine, however, was slightly
lighter and shorter, and from the point of view of design features more
typical to indigenous practice. Main technical data
1) Were they
also built for other services? References and acknowledgments
Most
historical data has been taken from the web page maintained by ‘Doctor’ – www.parowozy.net. Concise information can
also be found in AP. Statistics have been provided by Roman Ficek –
thanks a lot! |
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