VL80
Encyclopedia
The VL80 is a Soviet
(and later Russia
n) built electric AC
mainline
freight locomotive. The initials VL are those of Vladimir Lenin
(ru: Владимир Ленин), after whom the class is named.
(NEVZ; ru: НЭВЗ) between the years 1961 and 1994. All the mechanical parts, traction engines, and auxiliary electric machinery were manufactured at the Novocherkassk plant. Some of the important components, such as the tractive transformer, were sourced from other factories.
The first VL80s were characterised by their mercury arc rectifiers. Later, they were replaced with silicon ones, thus giving birth to the ВЛ80К (en: VL80K) series. The К stands for кремний, the Russian word for silicon. Between the years 1961 and 1973, a total of 695 VL80Ks had been produced.
Currently, the VL80 series is used on all electrified
routes in Russia
, as well as in Kazakhstan
, Uzbekistan
, Belarus
, and the Ukraine
.
The use of a single section of VL80 is technically impossible (unlike most Soviet/Russia diesel locomotives which allow this), since not all equipment is duplicated in both sections.
In order to pick up the current from overhead lines
, the VL80 is fitted with two pantographs
; one above the driver's cab on each section. Similarly, each section of the locomotive is equipped with one ОДЦЭ-5000/25Б (en: ODCE-5000/25B) tractive transformer
. The VL80T and ВЛ80С (en: VL80S) models are furnished with dynamic brakes and even regenerative brakes.
The VL80S version allows the attachment of the third section to the 2-section locomotive, thus making a machine of 1.5 more power. It also allows 2 locomotives in a row to be controlled by the single driver (Russian: "SME" - система многих единиц - the system of many units).
system which improved the locomotive's stability. Originally, the series used spring suspension similar to that found in the VL80K, but all models built since 1971 have cradle suspension. A total of 2,107 units were made during the 19 years in which the series was in production.
, Eastern Siberia, and Far Eastern routes – as well as the "Батайск" (en: Bataysk) depot in the North Caucasus
– the VL80R (ru: ВЛ80Р) has the same tractive capabilities as the VL80T and the VL80S. The difference between the VL80R and the two aforementioned models is that it has an improved anti-wheelslip
system which continuously regulates the amount of voltage
supplied to the traction engines, thus ensuring that an increase in thrust doesn't result in jerks, which invariably lead to wheelslip. The VL80R gets its R designation from the fact that it is fitted with regenerative braking
(ru: рекуперативное торможение) mechanism.
Several locomotives, assigned to the Krasnoyarsk section, have been modernised and are capable of participating in MU
operations with consist
s containing 3 coupled units.
Despite having been in production for almost 20 years (1967-1986), a mere 373 examples rolled out of the NEVZ plant.
in June 1977.
Built in 1982, ВЛ80Р-1718 became the 10,000th locomotive to be produced by NEVZ, since the plant's inception in 1936.
ВЛ80Р-1685 featured in the Soviet film Магистраль (en: Mainline) and has obtained cult status amongst Russian rail enthusiasts.
operations. The 'S' in its name derives from the first letter of the Russian term for multiple-unit train control: Система Многих Единиц (literally: Multiple Unit System) and commonly shortened to СМЕ.
The first VL80Ss to roll off the production line were designed to work with only two or four coupled units (or sections). In 1982, unit numbers 550, 551, and 552 were built to work with sets of two, three, or four sections. All VL80Ss built since 1983 (ВЛ80с-697 being the first of these) possess this capability. The only restriction is that the consist
cannot be a third trailer section equipped with dynamic brakes.
As a result of several modifications being made to the locomotive's construction, enabling it to pull additional units, the new certified weight became 192 tonnes.
A total of 2,746 examples rolled out of the NEVZ works between 1979 and 1994.
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....
(and later Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n) built electric 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....
mainline
Mainline Freight
Mainline Freight was a trainload railfreight operator based in Islington, London England with operations extending to Yorkshire in the north and Somerset in the west...
freight locomotive. The initials VL are those of Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
(ru: Владимир Ленин), after whom the class is named.
History
Designed by the Vsesoyuzny nauchno-issledovatel'ski i proektno-konstruktorski institut elektrovozostroeniya (en: USSR national scientific research and design-engineering institute of electric locomotive construction; Всесоюзный научно-исследовательский и проектно-конструкторский институт электровозостроения) – usually abbreviated to VElNII (ВЭлНИИ) – the VL80 enjoys the accolade of having the longest production span of any Soviet electric locomotive: 33 years. All variants of the series were built at the Novocherkassk Electric Locomotive PlantNovocherkassk Electric Locomotive Plant
Established in 1936, Novocherkassk Electric Locomotive Plant is based in the Russian town of Novocherkassk, Rostov Region. It is now part of Transmashholding.-List of Products:...
(NEVZ; ru: НЭВЗ) between the years 1961 and 1994. All the mechanical parts, traction engines, and auxiliary electric machinery were manufactured at the Novocherkassk plant. Some of the important components, such as the tractive transformer, were sourced from other factories.
The first VL80s were characterised by their mercury arc rectifiers. Later, they were replaced with silicon ones, thus giving birth to the ВЛ80К (en: VL80K) series. The К stands for кремний, the Russian word for silicon. Between the years 1961 and 1973, a total of 695 VL80Ks had been produced.
Currently, the VL80 series is used on all electrified
Electrification
Electrification originally referred to the build out of the electrical generating and distribution systems which occurred in the United States, England and other countries from the mid 1880's until around 1940 and is in progress in developing countries. This also included the change over from line...
routes in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, as well as in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
, Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, and the Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
Technical Data
The VL80 is a dual-section locomotive composed of two identical units, each resting on four two-axle bogies, powered by eight НБ-418К6 (en: NB-4186K6) electric tractive motors equipped with axle-support suspension.The use of a single section of VL80 is technically impossible (unlike most Soviet/Russia diesel locomotives which allow this), since not all equipment is duplicated in both sections.
In order to pick up the current from 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...
, the VL80 is fitted with two pantographs
Pantograph (rail)
A pantograph for rail lines is a hinged electric-rod device that collects electric current from overhead lines for electric trains or trams. The pantograph typically connects to a one-wire line, with the track acting as the ground wire...
; one above the driver's cab on each section. Similarly, each section of the locomotive is equipped with one ОДЦЭ-5000/25Б (en: ODCE-5000/25B) tractive transformer
Transformer
A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another through inductively coupled conductors—the transformer's coils. A varying current in the first or primary winding creates a varying magnetic flux in the transformer's core and thus a varying magnetic field...
. The VL80T and ВЛ80С (en: VL80S) models are furnished with dynamic brakes and even regenerative brakes.
The VL80S version allows the attachment of the third section to the 2-section locomotive, thus making a machine of 1.5 more power. It also allows 2 locomotives in a row to be controlled by the single driver (Russian: "SME" - система многих единиц - the system of many units).
VL80T
Manufactured between 1961 and 1980, the VL80T (ru: ВЛ80т) introduced a markedly different electrical system, as well as an improved lateral supportLateral support
Lateral support may mean:* Lateral support, a type of support to help prevent sideways movement* Lateral and subjacent support, a legal term...
system which improved the locomotive's stability. Originally, the series used spring suspension similar to that found in the VL80K, but all models built since 1971 have cradle suspension. A total of 2,107 units were made during the 19 years in which the series was in production.
VL80R
Designed for use along the difficult sections of the KrasnoyarskKrasnoyarsk
Krasnoyarsk is a city and the administrative center of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located on the Yenisei River. It is the third largest city in Siberia, with the population of 973,891. Krasnoyarsk is an important junction of the Trans-Siberian Railway and one of Russia's largest producers of...
, Eastern Siberia, and Far Eastern routes – as well as the "Батайск" (en: Bataysk) depot in the North Caucasus
North Caucasus
The North Caucasus is the northern part of the Caucasus region between the Black and Caspian Seas and within European Russia. The term is also used as a synonym for the North Caucasus economic region of Russia....
– the VL80R (ru: ВЛ80Р) has the same tractive capabilities as the VL80T and the VL80S. The difference between the VL80R and the two aforementioned models is that it has an improved anti-wheelslip
Wheelslip
Articles on Wheelslip include:* Locomotive wheelslip, railways* Wheelspin, road vehicles* Wheelspin...
system which continuously regulates the amount of voltage
Voltage
Voltage, otherwise known as electrical potential difference or electric tension is the difference in electric potential between two points — or the difference in electric potential energy per unit charge between two points...
supplied to the traction engines, thus ensuring that an increase in thrust doesn't result in jerks, which invariably lead to wheelslip. The VL80R gets its R designation from the fact that it is fitted with regenerative braking
Regenerative brake
A regenerative brake is an energy recovery mechanism which slows a vehicle or object down by converting its kinetic energy into another form, which can be either used immediately or stored until needed...
(ru: рекуперативное торможение) mechanism.
Several locomotives, assigned to the Krasnoyarsk section, have been modernised and are capable of participating in MU
Multiple-unit train control
Multiple-unit train control, sometimes abbreviated to multiple-unit or MU, is a method of simultaneously controlling all the traction equipment in a train from a single location, whether it is a Multiple unit comprising a number of self-powered passenger cars or a set of locomotives.A set of...
operations with consist
Consist
A consist , in North American railway terminology, is used as a noun to describe the group of rail vehicles that make up a train. A near-equivalent UK term is rake but this excludes the locomotive....
s containing 3 coupled units.
Despite having been in production for almost 20 years (1967-1986), a mere 373 examples rolled out of the NEVZ plant.
Notable examples
ВЛ80Р-1549 was used as an exhibit at the Электро-77 (en: Elektro-77) expo held in MoscowMoscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
in June 1977.
Built in 1982, ВЛ80Р-1718 became the 10,000th locomotive to be produced by NEVZ, since the plant's inception in 1936.
ВЛ80Р-1685 featured in the Soviet film Магистраль (en: Mainline) and has obtained cult status amongst Russian rail enthusiasts.
VL80S
The VL80S (ru: ВЛ80с) is simply a VL80T which has been modified for use in MUMultiple-unit train control
Multiple-unit train control, sometimes abbreviated to multiple-unit or MU, is a method of simultaneously controlling all the traction equipment in a train from a single location, whether it is a Multiple unit comprising a number of self-powered passenger cars or a set of locomotives.A set of...
operations. The 'S' in its name derives from the first letter of the Russian term for multiple-unit train control: Система Многих Единиц (literally: Multiple Unit System) and commonly shortened to СМЕ.
The first VL80Ss to roll off the production line were designed to work with only two or four coupled units (or sections). In 1982, unit numbers 550, 551, and 552 were built to work with sets of two, three, or four sections. All VL80Ss built since 1983 (ВЛ80с-697 being the first of these) possess this capability. The only restriction is that the consist
Consist
A consist , in North American railway terminology, is used as a noun to describe the group of rail vehicles that make up a train. A near-equivalent UK term is rake but this excludes the locomotive....
cannot be a third trailer section equipped with dynamic brakes.
As a result of several modifications being made to the locomotive's construction, enabling it to pull additional units, the new certified weight became 192 tonnes.
A total of 2,746 examples rolled out of the NEVZ works between 1979 and 1994.