British Rail HS4000
Encyclopedia
HS4000, named Kestrel, was a prototype high-powered mainline diesel locomotive built in 1967 by Brush Traction
, Loughborough
as a technology demonstrator for potential future British Rail
and export orders The locomotive number is a combination of the initials of the owner of Brush Hawker Siddeley and the power rating of its Sulzer diesel engine (4000 HP).
It was of Co-Co wheel arrangement
and was fitted with a Sulzer 16LVA24 engine rated at 4000 hp providing a maximum speed of 125 mi/h and weighed 133 tonnes. It was painted in a livery of yellow ochre
with a broad chocolate-brown band around the lower bodyside separated by a thin white line running around the body.
responded with a 4000 hp locomotive for British Rails appraisal. The design principle was that a single engine would require less maintenance than twin-engined vehicles, and that the very high power would mean that double heading for freight trains would be unnecessary.
's 16-cylinder Vee 16LVA24 engine made in Winterthur
. Previous experience with Sulzer's 12-cylinder twin parallel-bank dual-crank 12LDA28 engine had gone well, but the highest power available from Sulzer in this form was the 12LDA31 of 2350 hp see The Sulzer engine in diesel traction : A potted and incomplete history. Not only did the V engines provide over 3000 hp, but being single-crank with the consequently lighter engine block (over the dual-bank design) gave a better power-to-weight ratio.
The engine is a four-stroke turbocharged oil-cooled design, with the oil being cooled by water in a heat exchanger, and the water-cooled in radiators. The piston diameter is 240 mm with a stroke 280 mm.
A smaller auxiliary generator (~40 kW) was used to charge the batteries or start the engine etc.
circuit of 84 silicon diodes producing ~2,500 kW of power for electric traction from the diesel engine. An auxiliary alternator, also brushless and producing three phase electrical power gave ~500 kW for electrical train heating, and also supplied power to electrical fans etc. in the locomotive The rotors for both alternators were electrically energisedie not permanent magnet type by DC produced by the rectified output of brushless alternators.Thus the excitor alternators, and the main alternators's rotor were coaxial and connected, with the rectifying diodes also undergoing rotary motion
Each of the 6 axles were powered by its individual traction motor which were four pole force ventilated types. Connection of the axle to the motor was via a reduction gear (giving 110 mi/h top speed), then through a flexible hollow shaft drive to the axle.
The fans (blowers) to cool the traction motors and engine radiators were of the three phase asynchronous type, the motors driving the compressors, pumps, fans for the dynamic (resistive) brake etc. were DC motors.
body construction with welded, stressed steel skin was used on the sides of the locomotive which supported the transverse load of the main engine entirely.
After the Hither Green rail crash
, British Rail issued a directive that all locomotives should have an axle weight of no-more than 21 tons. In an attempt to comply with this, Brush fitted the locomotive with modified British Rail Class 47
bogies. The lighter construction and traction motors helped but the attempt was ultimately unsuccessful leaving Kestrel at 22.5 tons per axle. Kestrel continued to be used but the axle-weight problem contributed to the decision to sell the locomotive and prior to this, in March 1971, the original bogies were refitted.
. Test runs were performed with both passenger and freight stock; the locomotive was primarily used to haul heavy freight trains - including a coal train of over 2000t weight - the locomotive achieved an 88% availability figure after 14000 miles (22,530.8 km).
Following the fitting of its new bogies the locomotive was used on express passenger trains. On a London Kings Cross to Newcastle railway station
service diagrammed for British Rail Class 55
('Deltic') operation the unit was 14mins faster than required even though the new traction motors meant reduced power at the rail.
In March 1971 it was withdrawn from service in the UK and sent back to Brush for refitting.
to St Petersburg docks by the MV Krasnokamsk in July 1971. The locomotive was regauged to 1520 mm, and tested on a circular test railwaySee :ru:Экспериментальная кольцевая железная дорога ВНИИЖТ : Experimental test railway VNIIZhT in the Yuzhnoye Butovo District. VNIIZhT (ВНИИЖТ) is the Russian railway research institute of railway transport (Всероссийский научно-исследовательский институт железнодорожного транспорта)
See Экспериментальное кольцо ВНИИЖТа 'Experimental ring VNIIZhT' www.vniizht.ru as well being used on some parts of the Russian rail network.
After testing of the locomotive the engine was removed for static testing, and the locomotive body ballasted for use in high load tests of other vehicles.
The remains of the vehicle are believed to have been scrapped in 1993.
More notably the axle bearings, traction transmission and spherical rubber metal joints in the suspension were considered of interest.
of Denmark have produced a highly detailed OO scale model of the Kestrel, now available as part of a limited run of 4000 units.
The Swanley New Barn Railway
, in Swanley, Kent, operates a 7 1/4 inch gauge overscale version of the 'kestrel' which was built by Mardyke Miniature Railways. Unlike the full size, this model is a diesel-hydraulic.http://www.snbr.co.uk
Brush Traction
This article is about a British rail-locomotive maker. For the Detroit auto-maker, see Brush Motor Car CompanyBrush Traction is a manufacturer and maintainer of railway locomotives, part of the FKI group , based at Loughborough in Leicestershire, England situated alongside the Midland Main Line.-...
, Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
as a technology demonstrator for potential future British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
and export orders The locomotive number is a combination of the initials of the owner of Brush Hawker Siddeley and the power rating of its Sulzer diesel engine (4000 HP).
It was of Co-Co wheel arrangement
UIC classification
The UIC classification of locomotive axle arrangements describes the wheel arrangement of locomotives, multiple units and trams. It is set out in the International Union of Railways "Leaflet 650 - Standard designation of axle arrangement on locomotives and multiple-unit sets". It is used in much...
and was fitted with a Sulzer 16LVA24 engine rated at 4000 hp providing a maximum speed of 125 mi/h and weighed 133 tonnes. It was painted in a livery of yellow ochre
Ochre
Ochre is the term for both a golden-yellow or light yellow brown color and for a form of earth pigment which produces the color. The pigment can also be used to create a reddish tint known as "red ochre". The more rarely used terms "purple ochre" and "brown ochre" also exist for variant hues...
with a broad chocolate-brown band around the lower bodyside separated by a thin white line running around the body.
Background and design
In the mid 1960s British rail produced specifications for type 5 locomotives weighing less than 126t with more than 3000 hp of power for both passenger and freight working. Brush Electric Engineering Ltd. (Brush traction) in association with Sulzer Brothers Ltd.Sulzer (manufacturer)
Sulzer Ltd. is a Swiss industrial engineering and manufacturing firm, founded by Salomon Sulzer-Bernet in 1775 and established as Sulzer Brothers Ltd. in 1834 in Winterthur, Switzerland. Today it is a publicly owned company with international subsidiaries...
responded with a 4000 hp locomotive for British Rails appraisal. The design principle was that a single engine would require less maintenance than twin-engined vehicles, and that the very high power would mean that double heading for freight trains would be unnecessary.
Diesel engine
Brush employed SulzerSulzer (manufacturer)
Sulzer Ltd. is a Swiss industrial engineering and manufacturing firm, founded by Salomon Sulzer-Bernet in 1775 and established as Sulzer Brothers Ltd. in 1834 in Winterthur, Switzerland. Today it is a publicly owned company with international subsidiaries...
's 16-cylinder Vee 16LVA24 engine made in Winterthur
Winterthur
Winterthur is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. It has the country's sixth largest population with an estimate of more than 100,000 people. In the local dialect and by its inhabitants, it is usually abbreviated to Winti...
. Previous experience with Sulzer's 12-cylinder twin parallel-bank dual-crank 12LDA28 engine had gone well, but the highest power available from Sulzer in this form was the 12LDA31 of 2350 hp see The Sulzer engine in diesel traction : A potted and incomplete history. Not only did the V engines provide over 3000 hp, but being single-crank with the consequently lighter engine block (over the dual-bank design) gave a better power-to-weight ratio.
The engine is a four-stroke turbocharged oil-cooled design, with the oil being cooled by water in a heat exchanger, and the water-cooled in radiators. The piston diameter is 240 mm with a stroke 280 mm.
A smaller auxiliary generator (~40 kW) was used to charge the batteries or start the engine etc.
Electrical transmission and auxiliary electrical system
To transmit this power to the rail Brush utilised a brushless salient poleSalient-Pole Machines General description of salient pole machines as both motors and generators mysite.du.edu three phase alternator connected to a rectifyingRectifier
A rectifier is an electrical device that converts alternating current , which periodically reverses direction, to direct current , which flows in only one direction. The process is known as rectification...
circuit of 84 silicon diodes producing ~2,500 kW of power for electric traction from the diesel engine. An auxiliary alternator, also brushless and producing three phase electrical power gave ~500 kW for electrical train heating, and also supplied power to electrical fans etc. in the locomotive The rotors for both alternators were electrically energisedie not permanent magnet type by DC produced by the rectified output of brushless alternators.Thus the excitor alternators, and the main alternators's rotor were coaxial and connected, with the rectifying diodes also undergoing rotary motion
Each of the 6 axles were powered by its individual traction motor which were four pole force ventilated types. Connection of the axle to the motor was via a reduction gear (giving 110 mi/h top speed), then through a flexible hollow shaft drive to the axle.
The fans (blowers) to cool the traction motors and engine radiators were of the three phase asynchronous type, the motors driving the compressors, pumps, fans for the dynamic (resistive) brake etc. were DC motors.
Braking system
Locomotive braking was either by vacuum, air (high pressure) or dynamic (electrical regenerative resistive braking), the dynamic brakes were preferentially used at high speeds, with the air brake being activated at lower speeds where dynamic braking was less effective; speed sensors automatically determined the braking type to be used. Additionally a hydraulically activated parking brake was fitted.Electronic devices
Plug in solid state modules were used for voltage and power control including monitoring wheelslip and monitoring engine temperature.Superstructure construction
A Warren girderGirder
A girder is a support beam used in construction. Girders often have an I-beam cross section for strength, but may also have a box shape, Z shape or other forms. Girder is the term used to denote the main horizontal support of a structure which supports smaller beams...
body construction with welded, stressed steel skin was used on the sides of the locomotive which supported the transverse load of the main engine entirely.
Bogies
The bogies side frames were of one piece cast construction with coil spring suspension, connected by 4 transverse members; two internal and two at either endAfter the Hither Green rail crash
Hither Green rail crash
The Hither Green rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 5 November 1967 near Hither Green maintenance depot, between Hither Green and Grove Park railway stations, in south-east London....
, British Rail issued a directive that all locomotives should have an axle weight of no-more than 21 tons. In an attempt to comply with this, Brush fitted the locomotive with modified British Rail Class 47
British Rail Class 47
The British Rail Class 47, is a class of British railway diesel-electric locomotive that was developed in the 1960s by Brush Traction. A total of 512 Class 47s were built at Crewe Works and Brush's Falcon Works, Loughborough between 1962 and 1968, which made them the most numerous class of British...
bogies. The lighter construction and traction motors helped but the attempt was ultimately unsuccessful leaving Kestrel at 22.5 tons per axle. Kestrel continued to be used but the axle-weight problem contributed to the decision to sell the locomotive and prior to this, in March 1971, the original bogies were refitted.
Cabs
The driver's cab is attached to the frame below by rubber fittings. Driver controls were similar to that of Class 47.British Rail
Construction of the locomotive (Brush works No. 711 of 1967) started in 1966 and was complete by 1967. However the locomotive was considerably over the 20t axle-load limit specified by British Rail for its procurement requirements. The locomotive was officially handed over to BR on the 29th of January 1968 at Marylebone StationMarylebone station
Marylebone station , also known as London Marylebone, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. It stands midway between the mainline stations at Euston and Paddington, about 1 mile from each...
. Test runs were performed with both passenger and freight stock; the locomotive was primarily used to haul heavy freight trains - including a coal train of over 2000t weight - the locomotive achieved an 88% availability figure after 14000 miles (22,530.8 km).
Following the fitting of its new bogies the locomotive was used on express passenger trains. On a London Kings Cross to Newcastle railway station
Newcastle railway station
Newcastle railway station , is the mainline station of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, England and is a principal stop on the East Coast Main Line. It opened in 1850 and is a Grade I listed building...
service diagrammed for British Rail Class 55
British Rail Class 55
The British Rail Class 55 is a class of diesel locomotive built in 1961 and 1962 by English Electric. They were designed for the high-speed express passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between and Edinburgh. They gained the name "Deltic" from the prototype locomotive, DP1 Deltic, which...
('Deltic') operation the unit was 14mins faster than required even though the new traction motors meant reduced power at the rail.
In March 1971 it was withdrawn from service in the UK and sent back to Brush for refitting.
Sale to Soviet Union
The locomotive was sold to the Soviet Union in 1971 for £127,000, being shipped from Cardiff DocksCardiff Docks
Cardiff Docks is a port in south Cardiff, Wales. At its peak, the port was one of the largest dock systems in the world with a total quayage of almost...
to St Petersburg docks by the MV Krasnokamsk in July 1971. The locomotive was regauged to 1520 mm, and tested on a circular test railwaySee :ru:Экспериментальная кольцевая железная дорога ВНИИЖТ : Experimental test railway VNIIZhT in the Yuzhnoye Butovo District. VNIIZhT (ВНИИЖТ) is the Russian railway research institute of railway transport (Всероссийский научно-исследовательский институт железнодорожного транспорта)
See Экспериментальное кольцо ВНИИЖТа 'Experimental ring VNIIZhT' www.vniizht.ru as well being used on some parts of the Russian rail network.
After testing of the locomotive the engine was removed for static testing, and the locomotive body ballasted for use in high load tests of other vehicles.
The remains of the vehicle are believed to have been scrapped in 1993.
Russia
Some of the observations of Russian railway engineers relate to different practices between Russian and British locomotive design, specifically:- Due to the smaller loading gauges in Great Britain, the cab windows were set too low for signals to be seen if the driver is standing.
- The passages too narrow.
- The bogies were considered overly large.
- The requirement to sling the engine and compressor below the main frame considered unusual.
- The stressed skin construction was noted as being not suitable. Due to corrosion increasing the susceptibility to structural weakening, as the load-bearing skin is thin and point welded.
More notably the axle bearings, traction transmission and spherical rubber metal joints in the suspension were considered of interest.
Possible developments
It has been speculated that some of the HS4000's technology was used to form the basis of, or improvements in, subsequent locomotives built in the Soviet UnionModels
HeljanHeljan
Heljan A/S is a Danish model railway company based in Søndersø. Originally specialising in decorations and accessories for model railways, it has now also developed a substantial range of rolling stock. It has diversified into modelling the British scene, and since 2002 have released several OO...
of Denmark have produced a highly detailed OO scale model of the Kestrel, now available as part of a limited run of 4000 units.
The Swanley New Barn Railway
Swanley New Barn Railway
The Swanley New Barn Railway is a gauge railway located in Swanley Park, Swanley, Kent, United Kingdom. It has eight steam locomotives, with five more currently being built on site. In addition to this it also has ten diesel locomotives...
, in Swanley, Kent, operates a 7 1/4 inch gauge overscale version of the 'kestrel' which was built by Mardyke Miniature Railways. Unlike the full size, this model is a diesel-hydraulic.http://www.snbr.co.uk
Images
- HS4000 in 1985 Photograph of HS4000 in Russia in a bad state of repair, still in Hawker Siddeley livery.