RENFE Class 354
Encyclopedia
The RENFE Class 354 is a series of eight diesel hydraulic locomotives manufactured by Krauss-Maffei in Germany specifically to pull Talgo pendular
coaches which were introduced shortly before the acquisition of these machines.
The appearance and design is very similar to the RENFE Class 353
, but with improvements; specifically in terms of installed power.
and the RENFE Class 340
, and further back to the DB Class V 200
of the Deutsche Bundesbahn.
The locomotives represent a steadily increasing requirement for engine power, from the Class 352, to the Class 353, and then to these engines, with over 800 hp more power. Such high power was needed to drag the new Talgo tilting trains, which thanks to their natural pendulacion system can be used with higher lateral acceleration than conventional trains, passing through curves at up to 25% faster. With these locomotives a maximum speed of this train was originally 180 km/h. Later in July 1986 a simple change of gearing and the fitting of the 'ASFA 200' safety system enabled the maximum speed of these locomotives to be raised up to 200 km/h.
The only other diesel locomotive in RENFE's fleet with a maximum speed of 200 km/h is the more recent diesel electric RENFE Class 334
, however this locomotive has a lower engine power, further reduced by the requirement to provide an electrical supply for the carriages, giving it a disappointing acceleration performance in comparison.
Initially, they were delivered in the same livery as the TALGO pendular, ie white and blue. Later they received the Grandes Lineas livery, also based on white and blue, (in July 1998 354-003 was the first to receive it). In 2004 the logo 'Talgo' was removed from the sides of the locomotives - a minor change.
The class later received improvements such as sound-proofing of the cabin and air conditioning equipment (fitted on the roof).
- Villalba
, Madrid - Almeria
, Madrid - El Goloso and Madrid - Alcazar de San Juan
. The machines were assigned to the depot at Madrid-Aravaca.
Initially the units worked on the Talgo pendular Madrid - La Coruña and alongside the Class 353 on the Talgo pendular Madrid - Paris
(at far as the gauge change at Irún
). From the 25th May 1983: the beginning of the summer service they were also used to pull the TALGO pendular Madrid - Cadiz
replacing the electric Japanese RENFE Class 269 which had experienced difficulties due to a non-compensated overhead lines
.
Tests conducted with 354-002 and 354-003 between Seville
and Jerez had achieved a speed of 160 kilometres per hour (99.4 mph) without encountering any significant problems. However breakdowns of the hydraulic tranmissions occur, whilst some units still being in production at the Krauss-Maffei factory in Munich; the unfinished units have the problem corrected before being delivered
When the eight units became redundant on the Talgo Pendular they were used on conventional trains fitted with a generator van of type "DDT 9450". On the 20th of February 1984, they replaced the 333.0
on the Extremadura Expreso (Madrid - Badajoz
), on the 3rd of June they also began to be used on the Rias Altas Express (Madrid - La Coruña.) These services ceased in 1986. Next they were to be seen working the Lusitania expreso between Madrid and Talavera de la Reina.
In 1986 the machines are upgraded for 200 km/h operations making them the fastest in Spain at that time, in 1988, when RENFE decides to reduce the maximum speed the Japanese designed locomotives to 140 km/h the Class 354 along with the RENFE Class 250 become the only machines that can to ensure operations at 160 km/h.
In 1989 a study is undertaken to convert them to normal operations, but does not proceed very far.
In 1990 they start to work the TALGO train : Madrid - Gijon
. 1993 sees them replacing Class 353 units on the TALGO Mare nostrum between Valencia and Cartagena. The same year sees 354-008 out of commercial service and being used to conduct further high speed tests on the new Madrid - Seville line, the unit returned to commercial service in November of that year. An accident in May 1995 means the same unit will be out of action for a year.
The turn of the century brings a series of serious accidents:
At the end of this black series of events the three remaining locomotives are confined to the TALGO pendular between Madrid and Badajoz, and Madrid and Cartagena.
Talgo
Talgo is a Spanish manufacturer of railway vehicles. It is best known for a design of articulated railway passenger cars in which the wheels are mounted in pairs, but not joined by an axle, and being between rather than underneath the individual coaches...
coaches which were introduced shortly before the acquisition of these machines.
The appearance and design is very similar to the RENFE Class 353
RENFE Class 353
The RENFE Class 353, formerly known as the T-3000 are a class of diesel hydraulic locomotives built by Krauss-Maffei for express trains in Spain.- Background and design :...
, but with improvements; specifically in terms of installed power.
Background and design
Delivered between 1983 and 1984, these engines provide a total power of 4171 hp, a figure never before reached by any other Spanish locomoitive The units have two cabins, like the predecessor Class 353, the twin engined / twin hydraulic tranmission design from Krauss-Maffei can be traced back in Spain to the single cabined RENFE Class 352RENFE Class 352
The RENFE Class 352 was a class of twin engined diesel hydraulic four axle locomotives built by Krauss-Maffei, designed solely for passenger traffic; in particular they were responsible for towing andalusian Talgo III trains....
and the RENFE Class 340
RENFE Class 340
The Class 340 of Renfe were a class of 4 axle diesel hydraulic locomotives built by Krauss-Maffei for the Spanish Railways. The design is similar in outward appearance and technology to the DB Class V 200...
, and further back to the DB Class V 200
DB class V 200
DB Class V 200.0 was one of the first diesel-hydraulic express locomotives of the German Deutsche Bundesbahn and - as Am 4/4 - of the SBB-CFF-FFS in Switzerland.-DB Service:...
of the Deutsche Bundesbahn.
The locomotives represent a steadily increasing requirement for engine power, from the Class 352, to the Class 353, and then to these engines, with over 800 hp more power. Such high power was needed to drag the new Talgo tilting trains, which thanks to their natural pendulacion system can be used with higher lateral acceleration than conventional trains, passing through curves at up to 25% faster. With these locomotives a maximum speed of this train was originally 180 km/h. Later in July 1986 a simple change of gearing and the fitting of the 'ASFA 200' safety system enabled the maximum speed of these locomotives to be raised up to 200 km/h.
The only other diesel locomotive in RENFE's fleet with a maximum speed of 200 km/h is the more recent diesel electric RENFE Class 334
RENFE Class 334
The RENFE 334 is a high speed, 4 axle passenger locomotive built for RENFE's Talgo service on non electrified lines.-Background:With the well known RENFE Class 333 locomotives having served for over 30 years the Spanish rail operator faced decisions as to their future...
, however this locomotive has a lower engine power, further reduced by the requirement to provide an electrical supply for the carriages, giving it a disappointing acceleration performance in comparison.
Initially, they were delivered in the same livery as the TALGO pendular, ie white and blue. Later they received the Grandes Lineas livery, also based on white and blue, (in July 1998 354-003 was the first to receive it). In 2004 the logo 'Talgo' was removed from the sides of the locomotives - a minor change.
The class later received improvements such as sound-proofing of the cabin and air conditioning equipment (fitted on the roof).
Operations
The first unit arrived in 1982 and was tested on the lines of MadridMadrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
- Villalba
Villalba
-Places:Italy*Villalba, Sicily, a comune in the Province of CaltanissettaPuerto Rico*Villalba, Puerto Rico, a municipio in the Commonwealth of Puerto RicoSpain*Collado Villalba, a municipio in the Community of Madrid...
, Madrid - Almeria
Almería
Almería is a city in Andalusia, Spain, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is the capital of the province of the same name.-Toponym:Tradition says that the name Almería stems from the Arabic المرية Al-Mariyya: "The Mirror", comparing it to "The Mirror of the Sea"...
, Madrid - El Goloso and Madrid - Alcazar de San Juan
Alcázar de San Juan
Alcázar de San Juan is a town and municipality in the province of Ciudad Real, part of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha, Spain...
. The machines were assigned to the depot at Madrid-Aravaca.
Initially the units worked on the Talgo pendular Madrid - La Coruña and alongside the Class 353 on the Talgo pendular Madrid - 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...
(at far as the gauge change at Irún
Irun
Irun is a town of the Bidasoa-Txingudi region in the province of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain...
). From the 25th May 1983: the beginning of the summer service they were also used to pull the TALGO pendular Madrid - Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
replacing the electric Japanese RENFE Class 269 which had experienced difficulties due to a non-compensated overhead lines
Overhead lines
Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point...
.
Tests conducted with 354-002 and 354-003 between Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
and Jerez had achieved a speed of 160 kilometres per hour (99.4 mph) without encountering any significant problems. However breakdowns of the hydraulic tranmissions occur, whilst some units still being in production at the Krauss-Maffei factory in Munich; the unfinished units have the problem corrected before being delivered
When the eight units became redundant on the Talgo Pendular they were used on conventional trains fitted with a generator van of type "DDT 9450". On the 20th of February 1984, they replaced the 333.0
RENFE Class 333
The RENFE Series 333 are high power six-axle diesel-electric locomotives built in the 1970s; at the time of their introduction they were the most powerful non-electric locomotives in Spain....
on the Extremadura Expreso (Madrid - Badajoz
Badajoz
Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain, situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana, and the Madrid–Lisbon railway. The population in 2007 was 145,257....
), on the 3rd of June they also began to be used on the Rias Altas Express (Madrid - La Coruña.) These services ceased in 1986. Next they were to be seen working the Lusitania expreso between Madrid and Talavera de la Reina.
In 1986 the machines are upgraded for 200 km/h operations making them the fastest in Spain at that time, in 1988, when RENFE decides to reduce the maximum speed the Japanese designed locomotives to 140 km/h the Class 354 along with the RENFE Class 250 become the only machines that can to ensure operations at 160 km/h.
In 1989 a study is undertaken to convert them to normal operations, but does not proceed very far.
In 1990 they start to work the TALGO train : Madrid - Gijon
Gijón
Gijón , officially Gijón / Xixón, is a coastal industrial city and a municipality in the autonomous community of Asturias in Spain. Early mediaeval texts mention it as "Gigia". It was an important regional Roman city, although the area has been settled since earliest history...
. 1993 sees them replacing Class 353 units on the TALGO Mare nostrum between Valencia and Cartagena. The same year sees 354-008 out of commercial service and being used to conduct further high speed tests on the new Madrid - Seville line, the unit returned to commercial service in November of that year. An accident in May 1995 means the same unit will be out of action for a year.
The turn of the century brings a series of serious accidents:
- 4 October 2001, 354-001 catches fire.
- 3 June 2003, 354-007 is completely destroyed in collision with the 333-304.
- 21 May 2004, a head on collision on TALGO Madrid - PontevedraPontevedraPontevedra is a city in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the capital of both the comarca and province of Pontevedra, in Galicia . It is also the capital of its own municipality which is, in fact, often considered as an extension of the actual city...
- La Coruña line completely destroys 354-002 and 354-003. - 4 January, 353-004 derails at TobarraTobarraTobarra is a municipality in the province of Albacete in Spain, with a population of c. 8,000 as of 2009.The area is famous for its "Moniquí" variety of apricots, its drum processions and its Holy Week observances, declared by the government to be of National Tourist Interest...
, requiring repairs.
At the end of this black series of events the three remaining locomotives are confined to the TALGO pendular between Madrid and Badajoz, and Madrid and Cartagena.
Fleet details
Like all Talgo locomotives, the Class 354 received names| RENFE Number UIC International Union of Railways The UIC , or International Union of Railways, is an international rail transport industry body.- Brief history :The railways of Europe originated as separate concerns. There were many border changes after World War I and the Treaty of Versailles. Colonial railways were the responsibility of the... |
Name | Manufacturer | Manufacturer's number | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 354-001 | Virgen de Covadonga | Krauss-Maffei | 19904 | 1982 |
| 354-002 | Virgen de la Macarena | 19905 | 1983 | |
| 354-003 | Virgen de la Encarnacion | 19906 | 1983 | |
| 354-004 | Virgen de Guadalupe | 19907 | 1983 | |
| 354-005 | Virgen del Pilar | 19908 | 1983 | |
| 354-006 | Virgen de Aranzazu | 19909 | 1984 | |
| 354-007 | Virgen de Begoña | 19910 | 1984 | |
| 354-008 | Virgen de Montserrat | 19911 | 1984 |
See also
- RENFE Class 352RENFE Class 352The RENFE Class 352 was a class of twin engined diesel hydraulic four axle locomotives built by Krauss-Maffei, designed solely for passenger traffic; in particular they were responsible for towing andalusian Talgo III trains....
, RENFE Class 353RENFE Class 353The RENFE Class 353, formerly known as the T-3000 are a class of diesel hydraulic locomotives built by Krauss-Maffei for express trains in Spain.- Background and design :...
- predecessor classes, also designed primarily for use with TalgoTalgoTalgo is a Spanish manufacturer of railway vehicles. It is best known for a design of articulated railway passenger cars in which the wheels are mounted in pairs, but not joined by an axle, and being between rather than underneath the individual coaches...
carriages.
Literature
- Galan Eruste, Manuel : Talgo, unas maquinas desafortunadas, in Maquetren n° 143, 01/2005
- Salmeron i Bosch, Carles : Las locomotoras de España, Editorial Terminus, Barcelona, 1985.
External links
- Las interminables jornadas de las locomotoras de la serie 354 de Renfe via www.vialibre-ffe.com