DRG Class ET 171
Encyclopedia
The DRG Class ET 171 is a three-car electric multiple unit
train built for the Hamburg S-Bahn
.
, decided to switch the current collection method from overhead catenary (AC
6,3 kV/25 Hz) to third rail
(DC
1,2 kV). The new Class ET 171 trains were built to replace the old overhead line trains. The first unit appeared in Hamburg
in December 1939.
interrupted production and it was not resumed until 1954. A further 21 units were built from 1954 to 1955 in order to enable the overhead line traffic to be withdrawn.
Additional 5 units (171 082-086) were built in 1958 to service the new line between Hamburg Central Station and Bergedorf.
trains. Retirement began in the late 80s for single trains, in late 90s most trains were taken out of service and replaced by the Class 474
. The last 471s were retired from regular service in October 2001. Unit 471 082 from 1958 is still operational and is used as a heritage train. Also 471 039 and 471 062 are still existing but can not be moved by own power.
all the time. In 1965, the trains were also equipped with PZB to make the train traffic more safely.
Electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
train built for the Hamburg S-Bahn
Hamburg S-Bahn
The Hamburg S-Bahn is a railway network for public rapid mass transit in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region. Together the S-Bahn, the Hamburg U-Bahn, the AKN railway and the regional railway form the backbone of railway public transport in the city and the surrounding area...
.
History
The first electric Hamburg S-Bahn trains appeared on the Hamburg-Altona City and Suburban Railway in 1907. In 1937, the main-line railway operator, Deutsche ReichsbahnDeutsche Reichsbahn
Deutsche Reichsbahn was the name of the following two companies:* Deutsche Reichsbahn, the German Imperial Railways during the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich and the immediate aftermath...
, decided to switch the current collection method from overhead catenary (AC
Alternating current
In alternating current the movement of electric charge periodically reverses direction. In direct current , the flow of electric charge is only in one direction....
6,3 kV/25 Hz) to third rail
Third rail
A third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost...
(DC
Direct current
Direct current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...
1,2 kV). The new Class ET 171 trains were built to replace the old overhead line trains. The first unit appeared in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
in December 1939.
1939-1974
The first 47 trainsets were built from 1939 to 1943. There were to have been 67 units in total, but the World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
interrupted production and it was not resumed until 1954. A further 21 units were built from 1954 to 1955 in order to enable the overhead line traffic to be withdrawn.
Additional 5 units (171 082-086) were built in 1958 to service the new line between Hamburg Central Station and Bergedorf.
1975-today
In the 70s and 80s, some trains received a new livery, alike the one of the new Class 472DB Class 472
The DB Class 472/473 is a three-car electric multiple unit train for the Hamburg S-Bahn. They were built to service the new lines through the city tunnel , to Harburg and to Neugraben . The livery was beige blue at first, but it was changed to verkehrsrot in 1997...
trains. Retirement began in the late 80s for single trains, in late 90s most trains were taken out of service and replaced by the Class 474
DBAG Class 474
The DBAG Class 474/874 is a three-car electric multiple unit train for the Hamburg S-Bahn. The class 474 were built to replace the nearly 60 year old class 471 trains. Some units have a pantograph to service the 2007 opened line to Stade on an overhead catenary track....
. The last 471s were retired from regular service in October 2001. Unit 471 082 from 1958 is still operational and is used as a heritage train. Also 471 039 and 471 062 are still existing but can not be moved by own power.
Equipment
All units had an dynamic brake to reduce the wear of the brake pads. All doors can be automatically closed from the driver's cab by the train driver but can be opened again after a short time. This was possible until the 1970s due to safety reasons. All trains had a 2nd class in the end cars and a 1st class in the centre car. The first class was removed from all Hamburg S-Bahn trains in November 2000. The lighting was done by light bulbs. All trains are equipped with SifaSifa
Sifa or the deadman's control system is a safety device in a train intended to bring the train automatically to a stop if the driver becomes incapacitated.-Description:...
all the time. In 1965, the trains were also equipped with PZB to make the train traffic more safely.
External links
- http://www.hish.de - German - Historische S-Bahn Hamburg e.V. - Historical Hamburg S-Bahn