DRG Class E 18
Encyclopedia
The Deutsche Bundesbahn
(DRG) Baureihe E 18 is a class of electric locomotive
s in Germany
, originally operated by Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft
(DRG). With exception of Class E 19 it was Deutsche Reichsbahn's fastest electric locomotive.
The Austria Federal Railways (ÖBB
) also used modified versions of the locomotives as Class ÖBB 1018.
Obviously the large single engines and the resulting power transmission by connecting rods made for poor operation characteristics at high speed. Nevertheless it was not before 1913 that first electric main line locomotives with nose-suspended, fast-going single motors were commissioned. This development was further delayed by World War I
. The decisive breakthrough was finally made in the 1920s, as large numbers of electric trainsets were developed for the electrification of the Berlin Stadtbahn in 1928. Accordingly also in 1928 the first Class E 17 electric main line express locomotive entered service.
Class E 17 was a huge success, with a total of 38 units produced. The smaller Class E 04 was derived for lighter service in the less mountainous middle German regions. However, during the mid 1930s DRG decided to speed up its express train services over the 120 km/h (74.6 mph) that Class E 17 was admitted for. The newly developed Class E 18's basic layout was accordingly based on Class E 17. The electric design was based on the newer Class E 04. With respect to the higher speeds new class E 18's shape was streamlined. The Class E 18 was capable of operating a 935 tons train at 140 km/h (87 mph) on level track, and up to 360 tons at 75 km/h (46.6 mph) on a 20 ppm gradient. Another innovation was that the Class E 18 was the first electric locomotive with an engineer's seat. Earlier models were operated standing.
- Munich
main line, due to a different layout of the overhead lines in middle Germany (World War II
prevented the planned modification). Most locomotives were used in southern Germany. Some also served in Silesia
.
During the development of the following Class E 19, DRG undertook several trial runs with Class E 18 in 1935 and 1936 on which a top speed of 165 km/h (102.5 mph) was achieved. With regards to the power, top speed and elegant design in 1939 during the Universal Exposition
in Paris
a Gold Medal was awarded to Class E 18. Austria's ÖBB
also ordered Class E 18 units in 1937 (later ÖBB class 1018) with some changes: With respect to the mountainous geography these units were equipped with stronger motors (developed for class E 19) and the top speed was reduced to 130 km/h (80.8 mph) by a different gear transmission ratio, resulting in a significantly higher tractive effort. By 1939 when the units were delivered, Austria was occupied by Germany and the locomotives were delivered to DRG as Class E 18.2, numbers 201 to 208.
With 53 units so far delivered, DRG ordered an additional series of another 48 units, which due to the war were not delivered. During the war six units were lost to air attacks and two to accidents. The seven units deployed in Silesia were in 1945 transferred to Bavaria
in order not to leave them to the advancing Red Army
.
After the war most units were deployed by Deutsche Bundesbahn
, with two additional newly built Class E 18s commissioned in 1955 respectively 1955. Class E 18 in 1968 was renumbered
to Class 118. Even though in 1956 the first serial Class E 10
locomotives (top speed 150 km/h (93.2 mph)) entered service, it was not until the deployment of the new Class 103
TEE
serial types in 1970 that Class 118 was withdrawn from main line express service. Until retirement in 1984 they were used for regional services and charter trains.
In Austria the ÖBB renumbered its seven usable Class E 18 to Class 1018 and with some modernisations (e. g. new front windows) kept them in service until the 1990s. One German Class 18.1 also remained in Austria (renumbered to Class 1118), and another class E 18 was assembled from damaged E 18 206 and E 18 046 (renumbered to Class 1018.1). These two mavericks with the German gear transmission ratio were ÖBB's fastest locomotives until Class 1042.5 was commissioned in the late 1960s.
Rather adventurous was the history of Class E 18 in Eastern Germany after the war. Five units were usable after the war, but were in 1946 seized by the Soviet Union
as war reparations. When they were returned in 1952 (in a poor condition), Deutsche Reichsbahn (DR) sold them to West Germany's Deutsche Bundesbahn
. This was also owed to the fact that much of the railway system and most of electrification equipment was also transferred to the Soviet Union in the early years of Soviet occupation, thus paralysing electric traction. When towards the second half of the 1950s DR began to restore electric services, DR needed fast electric locomotives and re-assembled three units from parts of six damaged Class E 18. These locomotives were renumbered to Class 218 in 1970. On an unrelated note, they underwent a conversion to a top speed of 180 km/h (111.8 mph) in 1969. Class 218 was in service until German reunification
, but was pulled out of regular service way earlier.
. E 18 19 is privately-owned and is kept in the former Bahnbetriebswerk
at Glachau. The town of Gemünden am Main is seeking to turn E 18 24 into a worthy monument with its long tradition as a railway hub, but at present it is being restored in Weimar by the TEV Thüringer Eisenbahn. E 18 31 (formerly in the DR fleet) belongs to the Dresden Transport Museum
and is stored in shed P. No. E 18 47 is owned by the Nuremberg Transport Museum
.
Deutsche Bundesbahn
The Deutsche Bundesbahn or DB was formed as the state railway of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany on September 7, 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft '...
(DRG) Baureihe E 18 is a class of electric locomotive
Electric locomotive
An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or an on-board energy storage device...
s in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, originally operated by Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft
Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft
The Deutsche Reichsbahn – was the name of the German national railway created from the railways of the individual states of the German Empire following the end of World War I....
(DRG). With exception of Class E 19 it was Deutsche Reichsbahn's fastest electric locomotive.
The Austria Federal Railways (ÖBB
ÖBB
The Austrian Federal Railways is the national railway system of Austria, and the administrators of Liechtenstein's railways...
) also used modified versions of the locomotives as Class ÖBB 1018.
Development
Electric traction passenger services in Germany dates back to the year 1881, when near Berlin the first public line was taken into service in Berlin. Despite successful test runs with three-phase current electric railcars up to a top speed of 210 km/h (130.5 mph) in 1903, the German state railways decided to use single-phase alternating current because the overhead line of three-phase current was very complicated. The first mainline electric locomotives were all equipped with large, slow-going single electric motors.Obviously the large single engines and the resulting power transmission by connecting rods made for poor operation characteristics at high speed. Nevertheless it was not before 1913 that first electric main line locomotives with nose-suspended, fast-going single motors were commissioned. This development was further delayed by World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The decisive breakthrough was finally made in the 1920s, as large numbers of electric trainsets were developed for the electrification of the Berlin Stadtbahn in 1928. Accordingly also in 1928 the first Class E 17 electric main line express locomotive entered service.
Class E 17 was a huge success, with a total of 38 units produced. The smaller Class E 04 was derived for lighter service in the less mountainous middle German regions. However, during the mid 1930s DRG decided to speed up its express train services over the 120 km/h (74.6 mph) that Class E 17 was admitted for. The newly developed Class E 18's basic layout was accordingly based on Class E 17. The electric design was based on the newer Class E 04. With respect to the higher speeds new class E 18's shape was streamlined. The Class E 18 was capable of operating a 935 tons train at 140 km/h (87 mph) on level track, and up to 360 tons at 75 km/h (46.6 mph) on a 20 ppm gradient. Another innovation was that the Class E 18 was the first electric locomotive with an engineer's seat. Earlier models were operated standing.
Service
In 1935 two prototypes were taken into service and tested by DRG. As no major changes were necessary, serial production began shortly afterwards. From the start these powerful locomotives took over most of the express services on electrified lines. Originally intended for service on the BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
- Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
main line, due to a different layout of the overhead lines in middle Germany (World War II
World 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...
prevented the planned modification). Most locomotives were used in southern Germany. Some also served in Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
.
During the development of the following Class E 19, DRG undertook several trial runs with Class E 18 in 1935 and 1936 on which a top speed of 165 km/h (102.5 mph) was achieved. With regards to the power, top speed and elegant design in 1939 during the Universal Exposition
Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne (1937)
The Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne was held from May 25 to November 25, 1937 in Paris, France...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
a Gold Medal was awarded to Class E 18. Austria's ÖBB
ÖBB
The Austrian Federal Railways is the national railway system of Austria, and the administrators of Liechtenstein's railways...
also ordered Class E 18 units in 1937 (later ÖBB class 1018) with some changes: With respect to the mountainous geography these units were equipped with stronger motors (developed for class E 19) and the top speed was reduced to 130 km/h (80.8 mph) by a different gear transmission ratio, resulting in a significantly higher tractive effort. By 1939 when the units were delivered, Austria was occupied by Germany and the locomotives were delivered to DRG as Class E 18.2, numbers 201 to 208.
With 53 units so far delivered, DRG ordered an additional series of another 48 units, which due to the war were not delivered. During the war six units were lost to air attacks and two to accidents. The seven units deployed in Silesia were in 1945 transferred to Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
in order not to leave them to the advancing Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
.
After the war most units were deployed by Deutsche Bundesbahn
Deutsche Bundesbahn
The Deutsche Bundesbahn or DB was formed as the state railway of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany on September 7, 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft '...
, with two additional newly built Class E 18s commissioned in 1955 respectively 1955. Class E 18 in 1968 was renumbered
Numbering scheme of the German railways
The different railway companies in Germany have used various schemes to classify their rolling stock.-From the beginning:As widely known the first few locomotives had names. The first locomotive in public service in Germany from 1835 was named Adler. The first railway lines were built by privately...
to Class 118. Even though in 1956 the first serial Class E 10
DB Class E 10
The class E 10 is an electric locomotive of the Deutsche Bundesbahn, introduced in 1952. It belongs to the Einheits-Elektrolokomotiven program and was built for express passenger service. In 1968 the series was redesignated as class 110 and class 112...
locomotives (top speed 150 km/h (93.2 mph)) entered service, it was not until the deployment of the new Class 103
DB Class 103
The Baureihe 103 is a class of electric locomotives in Germany, originally operated by Deutsche Bundesbahn. For a long period, they were perceived as flagships of the DB rolling stock.- Development :...
TEE
Tee
A tee is a stand used to support a stationary ball so that the player can strike it, particularly in golf, tee ball, American football, and rugby.- Etymology :...
serial types in 1970 that Class 118 was withdrawn from main line express service. Until retirement in 1984 they were used for regional services and charter trains.
In Austria the ÖBB renumbered its seven usable Class E 18 to Class 1018 and with some modernisations (e. g. new front windows) kept them in service until the 1990s. One German Class 18.1 also remained in Austria (renumbered to Class 1118), and another class E 18 was assembled from damaged E 18 206 and E 18 046 (renumbered to Class 1018.1). These two mavericks with the German gear transmission ratio were ÖBB's fastest locomotives until Class 1042.5 was commissioned in the late 1960s.
Rather adventurous was the history of Class E 18 in Eastern Germany after the war. Five units were usable after the war, but were in 1946 seized by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
as war reparations. When they were returned in 1952 (in a poor condition), Deutsche Reichsbahn (DR) sold them to West Germany's Deutsche Bundesbahn
Deutsche Bundesbahn
The Deutsche Bundesbahn or DB was formed as the state railway of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany on September 7, 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft '...
. This was also owed to the fact that much of the railway system and most of electrification equipment was also transferred to the Soviet Union in the early years of Soviet occupation, thus paralysing electric traction. When towards the second half of the 1950s DR began to restore electric services, DR needed fast electric locomotives and re-assembled three units from parts of six damaged Class E 18. These locomotives were renumbered to Class 218 in 1970. On an unrelated note, they underwent a conversion to a top speed of 180 km/h (111.8 mph) in 1969. Class 218 was in service until German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
, but was pulled out of regular service way earlier.
Preserved
Of the 55 Class E 18 locomotives built, six have been preserved. No. E 18 03 is in the DB Museum Koblenz. E 18 08 is owned by the Garmisch Stiftung Bahn-Sozialwerk and is stored at Augsburg Railway ParkAugsburg Railway Park
The Augsburg Railway Park is a railway museum in Augsburg on part of the former Augsburg locomotive shed owned by the Deutsche Bahn. At present the Railway Park is still under construction and is therefore only open to visitors for certain exhibitions. It will be officially re-opened on 13 April...
. E 18 19 is privately-owned and is kept in the former Bahnbetriebswerk
Bahnbetriebswerk
A Bahnbetriebswerk is the equivalent of a locomotive depot on the German and Austrian railways. It is an installation that carries out the maintenance, minor repairs, refuelling and cleaning of locomotives and other motive power. In addition it organises the deployment of locomotives and crews...
at Glachau. The town of Gemünden am Main is seeking to turn E 18 24 into a worthy monument with its long tradition as a railway hub, but at present it is being restored in Weimar by the TEV Thüringer Eisenbahn. E 18 31 (formerly in the DR fleet) belongs to the Dresden Transport Museum
Dresden Transport Museum
The Dresden Transport Museum displaysvehicles of all modes of transport, such as railway, shipping, road and air traffic, under one roof.The museum is housed in the Johanneum at the Neumarkt in Dresden, Germany...
and is stored in shed P. No. E 18 47 is owned by the Nuremberg Transport Museum
Nuremberg Transport Museum
The Nuremberg Transport Museum is based in Nuremberg, Germany, and consists of the Deutsche Bahn's own DB Museum and the Museum of Communications . It also has two satellite museums at Koblenz-Lützel and Halle...
.