Heilmann locomotive
Encyclopedia
The Heilmann locomotives were a series of three experimental steam-electric locomotives produced in the 1890s for the French Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest
(CF de l'Ouest). A prototype
was built in 1894 and two larger locomotives were built in 1897. These locomotives can be considered the ancestors of diesel-electric locomotives, and other self powered locomotives which use an electric transmission.
" caused by the cranked action
of a conventional mechanical steam locomotive. His design used a balanced steam engine to drive the locomotive via an electrical transmission (an electrical generator
driving electric motors via controlling rheostats and switches). Heilmann wished to create a machine specifically suited for high-speed trains without the high costs of an electrified infrastructure. His earliest design was of a trainset consisting of a vehicle with a triple expansion steam engine (of 600hp.) and generator (providing 480hp @ 80% expected efficiency), a tender and three carriages. The entire train was to run on bogies, and use a distributed traction system provided by 12 axle-mounted electric motors in the three carriages.J.-J. Heilmann (1891), "Un nouveau chemin de fer électrique", Séance du 20 Février 1891 p.105-106
The first real locomotive built to Heilmann's design was a prototype steam-electric locomotive, with boiler, steam engine, generator and motors built into a single locomotive; construction began in 1892 and was complete in August 1893, and named Fusée (also known as La Fusée Électrique; The Electric Rocket), a reference to the 1830 Stephenson locomotive "Rocket".
The steam engine (designed by Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works
(SLM) at Winterthur
, Switzerland.) and boiler were built at the Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée in Le Havre
, the electrical equipment was designed and built at Brown, Boveri & Compagnie
of Baden, Switzerland
, whilst the locomotive frame and bogies were built at the Compagnie de Materiel de Chemins de Fer.
The locomotive had a 600 CV (@ 300 to 400 rpm
) two-cylinder horizontal compound steam engine with transversely mounted cylinders of 425 millimetres (16.7 in) and 650 millimetres (25.6 in) diameter by 300 mm (11 in) stroke. It was supplied with steam by a Lentz-type boiler, operating at a pressure of 12.6 standard atmosphere. The engine had a fixed cutoff
with no reversing mechanism, and no speed governor
excluding a centrifugal overspeed safety device.
The firebox was of a stayless corrugated type. It had a grate area of 2.25 square metres (24.2 sq ft). The boiler had a total surface area of 145 square metres (1,560.8 sq ft).
The steam engine drove directly a direct current dynamo, rated at approximately 500kW (1200A @ 400V); it was a six pole machine with the armature constructed on the Gramme dynamo principle with six brushes
. The generator's field coil
s were energised by a separate bipolar dynamo capable of generating 100A at 100V (10 kW), which was directly driven at approximately 300rpm by a 20 CV two cylinder vertical compound steam engine of similar design to the main engine. This secondary generator's output was also used to provide a supply for electric lighting in carriages.
Electric speed and load control was obtained by reducing the main generator's field excitation current coming from the 10 kW dynamo using a twelve step drum rheostat.The method of speed control by controlling the generator field excitation (magnetic field in the main generator) is also used in the Ward Leonard motor control system
The eight traction motor
s were connected in parallel; for low speed control the motors could be series connected in two sets of four connected in parallel.Ch. Jacquin (1894), "La locomotive électrique Heilmann", p.366, "On se contente de coupler, suivant les besoins, les 8 moteurs electriques soit tous en tension, soit en quantité en 2 groupes de 4 en tension".
The motors were located in two four-axle bogies, with wheelset having a sealed axle mounted 80 CV electric motor; giving a Do-Do wheel arrangement. Braking was by Westinghouse
air brakes, with disc brake
s fitted on all wheels. The locomotive was a cab forward
design.
The first official tests of the locomotive began on 2 February 1894; performing a return working from Le Havre
to Bréauté-Beuzeville
(on the Paris–Le Havre railway
), chosen for its difficult gradients including a 8 per mille (1 in 125) gradient over more than 10 kilometres (6.2 mi). The test train consisted of the locomotive (fully fueled to 118 tonnes), four new first class carriages, a dynamometer car
, and two vans containing one tonne of batteries
between them; the total train weight was 173 to 183 tonnes, depending on passenger levels. Speeds were increased over subsequent runs: the first run average 51.5 kilometres per hour (32 mph), on the fourth run the average speed was 59.4 kilometres per hour (36.9 mph), with speeds of 55 kilometres per hour (34.2 mph) on the 8‰ slopes, and 70 kilometres per hour (43.5 mph) on level track.
On 9 May 1894, La Fusée Electrique made a trial run from Saint-Lazare station
, Paris
to Mantes-la-Jolie
, hauling a train consisting eight carriages. The 53 kilometres (32.9 mi) journey took 55 minutes. A speed of 107 kilometres per hour (66.5 mph) was reported to have been achieved. Following the test run, the locomotive hauled a regular service train back to Paris. Trials showed that the engine used 15% less coal than a conventional steam engine. The locomotive was said to ride "like a Pullman carriage
." Criticisms of the locomotive were that it was "too complicated, too costly, too heavy". These same arguments would be repeated with the introduction of main-line diesel-electric locomotives some half a century later. The locomotive completed around 2000 kilometres (1,242.7 mi) of test runs. Two larger locomotives were orderd for further trials on the CF de l'Ouest. La Fusée Electrique had been dismantled by 1897, with the bogies being used for two 0-8-0
electric locomotives which were employed on the 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) underground railway between Saint-Germain Ouest and Grande-Ceinture.
A scale model of the prototype locomotive made in 1903 is in the collection of the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers
, Paris, donated by Heilmann.
, Warwickshire
, United Kingdom. The boiler had a heating area of 185.5 square metres (1,996.7 sq ft) and worked at a pressure of 14 standard atmosphere. The locomotive weighed 124 tonnes (122 LT). The driving wheels were arranged in two four-axle bogies as per La Fusée. They had a diameter of 1160 millimetre. The locomotives were 28.35 metre long, 2.74 metre wide and 4.19 metre high. Water capacity was 20000 litres (4,399.4 imp gal).
On 12 November 1897, a test run was made between the Saint-Lazare
, Paris and Mantes-la-Jolie
and return. On 18 November 1897, a 115 kilometres (71.5 mi) test run was made with speeds kept down to 30 kilometres per hour (18.6 mph) hauling a 50 tonnes (49.2 LT) load. On a later run hauling a 250 tonnes (246.1 LT) load, a speed of 100 kilometres per hour (62.1 mph) was attained.
Although other railway companies, such as the Ohio River, Madison & Southern Railway in the United States and the Southern Railway in Russia, as well as at least one from Germany, showed interest in steam-electric locomotives, the two locomotives suffered the same fate as their predecessor. They were the ancestors of diesel-electric, and those gas turbine
and steam turbine locomotive
s which use an electric transmission.
Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest
The Compagnie des chemins de fer de l'Ouest , often referred to simply as L'Ouest or Ouest, was an early French railway company.- Birth of the company :...
(CF de l'Ouest). A prototype
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
was built in 1894 and two larger locomotives were built in 1897. These locomotives can be considered the ancestors of diesel-electric locomotives, and other self powered locomotives which use an electric transmission.
La Fusée Electrique
In 1890 Jean Jacques Heilmann registered a patent (France №. 207055) for a self powered electric vehicle; the design was intended to eliminate the unbalanced oscillatory moments and "hammer blowHammer blow
Hammer blow, in rail terminology, refers to the vertical forces transferred to the track by the driving wheels of a steam locomotive and some diesel locomotives. The largest proportion of this is due to the unbalanced reciprocating motion, although the piston thrusts also contribute a portion to it...
" caused by the cranked action
Crank (mechanism)
A crank is an arm attached at right angles to a rotating shaft by which reciprocating motion is imparted to or received from the shaft. It is used to change circular into reciprocating motion, or reciprocating into circular motion. The arm may be a bent portion of the shaft, or a separate arm...
of a conventional mechanical steam locomotive. His design used a balanced steam engine to drive the locomotive via an electrical transmission (an electrical generator
Electrical generator
In electricity generation, an electric generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. A generator forces electric charge to flow through an external electrical circuit. It is analogous to a water pump, which causes water to flow...
driving electric motors via controlling rheostats and switches). Heilmann wished to create a machine specifically suited for high-speed trains without the high costs of an electrified infrastructure. His earliest design was of a trainset consisting of a vehicle with a triple expansion steam engine (of 600hp.) and generator (providing 480hp @ 80% expected efficiency), a tender and three carriages. The entire train was to run on bogies, and use a distributed traction system provided by 12 axle-mounted electric motors in the three carriages.J.-J. Heilmann (1891), "Un nouveau chemin de fer électrique", Séance du 20 Février 1891 p.105-106
The first real locomotive built to Heilmann's design was a prototype steam-electric locomotive, with boiler, steam engine, generator and motors built into a single locomotive; construction began in 1892 and was complete in August 1893, and named Fusée (also known as La Fusée Électrique; The Electric Rocket), a reference to the 1830 Stephenson locomotive "Rocket".
The steam engine (designed by Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works
Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works
Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works were a railway equipment manufacturer based in Winterthur in Switzerland...
(SLM) at 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...
, Switzerland.) and boiler were built at the Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée in Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
, the electrical equipment was designed and built at Brown, Boveri & Compagnie
Brown, Boveri & Cie
Brown, Boveri & Cie was a Swiss group of electrical engineering companies.It was founded in Baden, Switzerland, in 1891 by Charles Eugene Lancelot Brown and Walter Boveri who worked at the Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon. In 1970 BBC took over the Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon...
of Baden, Switzerland
Baden, Switzerland
Baden is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Aargau, on the west bank of the river Limmat, located in the Limmat Valley , northwest of Zürich. It is the seat of the district of Baden...
, whilst the locomotive frame and bogies were built at the Compagnie de Materiel de Chemins de Fer.
The locomotive had a 600 CV (@ 300 to 400 rpm
Revolutions per minute
Revolutions per minute is a measure of the frequency of a rotation. It annotates the number of full rotations completed in one minute around a fixed axis...
) two-cylinder horizontal compound steam engine with transversely mounted cylinders of 425 millimetres (16.7 in) and 650 millimetres (25.6 in) diameter by 300 mm (11 in) stroke. It was supplied with steam by a Lentz-type boiler, operating at a pressure of 12.6 standard atmosphere. The engine had a fixed cutoff
Cutoff (steam engine)
In a steam engine, cutoff is the point in the piston stroke at which the inlet valve is closed. On a steam locomotive, the cutoff is controlled by the reverser....
with no reversing mechanism, and no speed governor
Governor (device)
A governor, or speed limiter, is a device used to measure and regulate the speed of a machine, such as an engine. A classic example is the centrifugal governor, also known as the Watt or fly-ball governor, which uses a rotating assembly of weights mounted on arms to determine how fast the engine...
excluding a centrifugal overspeed safety device.
The firebox was of a stayless corrugated type. It had a grate area of 2.25 square metres (24.2 sq ft). The boiler had a total surface area of 145 square metres (1,560.8 sq ft).
The steam engine drove directly a direct current dynamo, rated at approximately 500kW (1200A @ 400V); it was a six pole machine with the armature constructed on the Gramme dynamo principle with six brushes
Brush (electric)
A brush is a device which conducts current between stationary wires and moving parts, most commonly in a rotating shaft. Typical applications include electric motors, alternators and electric generators.-Etymology:...
. The generator's field coil
Field coil
A field coil is a component of an electro-magnetic machine, typically a rotating electrical machine such as a motor or generator. A current-carrying coil is used to generate a magnetic field....
s were energised by a separate bipolar dynamo capable of generating 100A at 100V (10 kW), which was directly driven at approximately 300rpm by a 20 CV two cylinder vertical compound steam engine of similar design to the main engine. This secondary generator's output was also used to provide a supply for electric lighting in carriages.
Electric speed and load control was obtained by reducing the main generator's field excitation current coming from the 10 kW dynamo using a twelve step drum rheostat.The method of speed control by controlling the generator field excitation (magnetic field in the main generator) is also used in the Ward Leonard motor control system
Ward Leonard control
Ward Leonard Control, also known as the Ward Leonard Drive System, was a widely used DC motor speed control system introduced by Harry Ward Leonard in 1891. In early 1900s, the control system of Ward Leonard was adopted by the U.S. Navy and also used in passenger lift of large mines...
The eight traction motor
Traction motor
Traction motor refers to an electric motor providing the primary rotational torque of a machine, usually for conversion into linear motion ....
s were connected in parallel; for low speed control the motors could be series connected in two sets of four connected in parallel.Ch. Jacquin (1894), "La locomotive électrique Heilmann", p.366, "On se contente de coupler, suivant les besoins, les 8 moteurs electriques soit tous en tension, soit en quantité en 2 groupes de 4 en tension".
The motors were located in two four-axle bogies, with wheelset having a sealed axle mounted 80 CV electric motor; giving a Do-Do wheel arrangement. Braking was by Westinghouse
Westinghouse Air Brake Company
The railway air brake was invented by George Westinghouse of New York state in 1869. Soon after, he moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he established the Westinghouse Air Brake Company on September 28, 1869...
air brakes, with disc brake
Disc brake
The disc brake or disk brake is a device for slowing or stopping the rotation of a wheel while it is in motion.A brake disc is usually made of cast iron, but may in some cases be made of composites such as reinforced carbon–carbon or ceramic matrix composites. This is connected to the wheel and/or...
s fitted on all wheels. The locomotive was a cab forward
Cab forward
The term cab forward refers to various rail and road vehicle designs which place the driver's compartment substantially farther towards the front than is common practice.- Rail locomotives :...
design.
The first official tests of the locomotive began on 2 February 1894; performing a return working from Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
to Bréauté-Beuzeville
Beuzeville-la-Grenier
Beuzeville-la-Grenier is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:A farming village situated in the Pays de Caux, some northeast of Le Havre, at the junction of the D910 and the D112 roads...
(on the Paris–Le Havre railway
Paris–Le Havre railway
The Paris–Le Havre railway is an important 228-kilometre long railway line, that connects Paris to the northwestern port city Le Havre via Rouen...
), chosen for its difficult gradients including a 8 per mille (1 in 125) gradient over more than 10 kilometres (6.2 mi). The test train consisted of the locomotive (fully fueled to 118 tonnes), four new first class carriages, a dynamometer car
Dynamometer car
A dynamometer car is a railroad maintenance of way car used for measuring various aspects of a locomotive's performance. Measurements include tractive effort , power, top speed, etc.-History:...
, and two vans containing one tonne of batteries
Battery (electricity)
An electrical battery is one or more electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Since the invention of the first battery in 1800 by Alessandro Volta and especially since the technically improved Daniell cell in 1836, batteries have become a common power...
between them; the total train weight was 173 to 183 tonnes, depending on passenger levels. Speeds were increased over subsequent runs: the first run average 51.5 kilometres per hour (32 mph), on the fourth run the average speed was 59.4 kilometres per hour (36.9 mph), with speeds of 55 kilometres per hour (34.2 mph) on the 8‰ slopes, and 70 kilometres per hour (43.5 mph) on level track.
On 9 May 1894, La Fusée Electrique made a trial run from Saint-Lazare station
Gare Saint-Lazare
Paris Saint-Lazare is one of the six large terminus train stations of Paris. It is the second busiest in Paris, behind the Gare du Nord, handling 274,000 passengers each day.-History:...
, 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...
to Mantes-la-Jolie
Gare de Mantes-la-Jolie
Gare de Mantes-la-Jolie is a railway station serving the town Mantes-la-Jolie, Yvelines department, northwestern France. It is situated on the Paris–Le Havre railway and the Mantes-la-Jolie–Cherbourg railway.-Services:...
, hauling a train consisting eight carriages. The 53 kilometres (32.9 mi) journey took 55 minutes. A speed of 107 kilometres per hour (66.5 mph) was reported to have been achieved. Following the test run, the locomotive hauled a regular service train back to Paris. Trials showed that the engine used 15% less coal than a conventional steam engine. The locomotive was said to ride "like a Pullman carriage
Pullman (car or coach)
In the United States, Pullman was used to refer to railroad sleeping cars which were built and operated on most U.S. railroads by the Pullman Company from 1867 to December 31, 1968....
." Criticisms of the locomotive were that it was "too complicated, too costly, too heavy". These same arguments would be repeated with the introduction of main-line diesel-electric locomotives some half a century later. The locomotive completed around 2000 kilometres (1,242.7 mi) of test runs. Two larger locomotives were orderd for further trials on the CF de l'Ouest. La Fusée Electrique had been dismantled by 1897, with the bogies being used for two 0-8-0
0-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
electric locomotives which were employed on the 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) underground railway between Saint-Germain Ouest and Grande-Ceinture.
A scale model of the prototype locomotive made in 1903 is in the collection of the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers
Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers
The Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers , or National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts, is a doctoral degree-granting higher education establishment operated by the French government, dedicated to providing education and conducting research for the promotion of science and industry...
, Paris, donated by Heilmann.
CF de l'Ouest 8001 and 8002
In 1897, two larger locomotives were built. They were numbered 8001 and 8002. The locomotives had standard Belpaire fireboxes, with a grate area of 3.34 square metres (36 sq ft). The steam engines were built by Willans & Robinson, RugbyRugby, Warwickshire
Rugby is a market town in Warwickshire, England, located on the River Avon. The town has a population of 61,988 making it the second largest town in the county...
, Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, United Kingdom. The boiler had a heating area of 185.5 square metres (1,996.7 sq ft) and worked at a pressure of 14 standard atmosphere. The locomotive weighed 124 tonnes (122 LT). The driving wheels were arranged in two four-axle bogies as per La Fusée. They had a diameter of 1160 millimetre. The locomotives were 28.35 metre long, 2.74 metre wide and 4.19 metre high. Water capacity was 20000 litres (4,399.4 imp gal).
On 12 November 1897, a test run was made between the Saint-Lazare
Gare Saint-Lazare
Paris Saint-Lazare is one of the six large terminus train stations of Paris. It is the second busiest in Paris, behind the Gare du Nord, handling 274,000 passengers each day.-History:...
, Paris and Mantes-la-Jolie
Gare de Mantes-la-Jolie
Gare de Mantes-la-Jolie is a railway station serving the town Mantes-la-Jolie, Yvelines department, northwestern France. It is situated on the Paris–Le Havre railway and the Mantes-la-Jolie–Cherbourg railway.-Services:...
and return. On 18 November 1897, a 115 kilometres (71.5 mi) test run was made with speeds kept down to 30 kilometres per hour (18.6 mph) hauling a 50 tonnes (49.2 LT) load. On a later run hauling a 250 tonnes (246.1 LT) load, a speed of 100 kilometres per hour (62.1 mph) was attained.
Although other railway companies, such as the Ohio River, Madison & Southern Railway in the United States and the Southern Railway in Russia, as well as at least one from Germany, showed interest in steam-electric locomotives, the two locomotives suffered the same fate as their predecessor. They were the ancestors of diesel-electric, and those gas turbine
Gas turbine-electric locomotive
A gas turbine - electric locomotive, or GTEL, is a locomotive that uses a gas turbine to drive an electric generator or alternator. The electric current thus produced is used to power traction motors. This type of locomotive was first experimented with during the Second World War, but reached its...
and steam turbine locomotive
Steam turbine locomotive
A steam turbine locomotive is a steam locomotive which transmits steam power to the wheels via a steam turbine. Numerous attempts at this type of locomotive were made, mostly without success...
s which use an electric transmission.