Voith Maxima
Encyclopedia
The Voith Maxima locomotives are a new family of diesel-hydraulic locomotives built by Voith Turbo Lokomotivtechnik GmbH & Co. KG., a subsidiary of Voith
. According to Voith, the Maxima 40CC is the most powerful single-engined diesel-hydraulic locomotive in the world, rated at 3,600 kW. Initially two versions of a 6 axle C'C' machine were offered with medium speed engines from the Anglo-Belgian Corporation; the Maxima 30CC and Maxima 40CC. In 2008 a third model, the Maxima 20BB, a 4 axle B'B' machine was added to the range.
In January 2010, Czech company Lostr (after September 2010 renamed Legios) signed an agreement to manufacture under license the Voith Maxima locomotives. The Czech built locomotives are marketed as Legios General.
, the predecessor company of Vossloh Locomotives
. MaK was counting on DB
to order a large number of these new locomotives, but with German reunification and the inheritance of many DR Class 132 locomotives, DB saw no need for an order anymore.
Voith then developed in house new high-powered diesel locomotive series along with single cab shunting and trip freight locomotives, the Voith Gravita
series. With a development period of just 500 days, the first locomotive was ready in 2006 and presented at the InnoTrans
2006 fair. The locomotive design won a red dot design award in 2007. A new factory in Kiel was established in 2006 by Voith to manufacture the new locomotives.
In 2008 at Innotrans
Voith added a third potential model to its Maxima range, the 4 axle Maxima 20BB. The type was expected to be a competitor for a 200 locomotive order from Deutsche Bahn
for diesel locomotives for passenger and freight services to replace the "DB V 160 family
" of locomotives; in 2011 the Deutsche Bahn AG order was won by Bombardier Transportation
with a new multi-engine type of its TRAXX
platform.
Powered by either an 16VDZC or 12VDZC engine by Belgian engine manufacturer Anglo-Belgian Corporation, rated at respectively 3,600 kW or 2,750 kW, the locomotive can reach a top speed of 120 km/h (160 km/h optionally) and has a maximal tractive effort of 519 kN. The normal tractive effort is 408 kN. The LS 640 reU2 "Turbosplit" transmission allows for a separated traction and wheelslip
control of each bogie. This is the first locomotive series equipped with this new technology. Brake equipment consists of electro-pneumatic and engine compression brakes. The smallest drivable curve radius is 80m. The locomotive can take up to 9,000 or 10,000 l of fuel, depending on the configuration.
The locomotives are assembled at a new plant next to the Nord-Ostsee-Kanal
in Kiel. Large maintenance and overhauls will be carried out in a new central workshop in Cologne, to be operated jointly by Voith Turbo and HGK.
and also went to Norway and Sweden for thermal testing. Final German certification was granted on 23 December 2008 by the German rail authority EBA.
A second demonstrator locomotive was built and equipped with Dutch and Belgian safety systems for obtaining Dutch and Belgian certification. It was tested in the first and second quarter of 2008 in the Netherlands, and in Belgium in the fourth quarter. After Dutch and Belgian certification the locomotive will be passed on to HGK for testing.
A third and last demonstrator locomotive is being built and will be used to obtain certification in Poland, Sweden and Norway.
As of 2008, 32 locomotives have been ordered, with options for a further 29:
model building company Sächsische Waggonfabrik Stollberg to build a H0-model of both Maxima variants. All parts of the locomotive will be engineered and made in Germany.
Voith
The Voith GmbH, which is headquartered in Germany, is a family-run corporation in the mechanical engineering sector with worldwide operations....
. According to Voith, the Maxima 40CC is the most powerful single-engined diesel-hydraulic locomotive in the world, rated at 3,600 kW. Initially two versions of a 6 axle C'C' machine were offered with medium speed engines from the Anglo-Belgian Corporation; the Maxima 30CC and Maxima 40CC. In 2008 a third model, the Maxima 20BB, a 4 axle B'B' machine was added to the range.
In January 2010, Czech company Lostr (after September 2010 renamed Legios) signed an agreement to manufacture under license the Voith Maxima locomotives. The Czech built locomotives are marketed as Legios General.
History
In the 1990s Voith Turbo, a well-known German transmission manufacturer developed the new LS 640 reU2 transmission which was to be used in a new, high-powered locomotive series by MaKMaschinenbau Kiel
Maschinenbau Kiel GmbH designed, manufactured and marketed marine diesel engines, diesel locomotives and tracked vehicles under the MaK brand name. The three primary operating divisions of Maschinenbau Kiel GmbH were sold to different companies in the 1990s.Rheinmetall acquired the military...
, the predecessor company of Vossloh Locomotives
Vossloh
Vossloh AG is a German transport technology manufacturer based in the Westphalian town of Werdohl. The group has 4,700 employees , and generated sales of €1.2 billion, of which approximately 60% came from the rail infrastructure division, and the remainder from the motive power and components...
. MaK was counting on DB
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 '...
to order a large number of these new locomotives, but with German reunification and the inheritance of many DR Class 132 locomotives, DB saw no need for an order anymore.
Voith then developed in house new high-powered diesel locomotive series along with single cab shunting and trip freight locomotives, the Voith Gravita
Voith Gravita
The Voith Gravita locomotives are a new family of diesel-hydraulic locomotives built by Voith Turbo Lokomotivtechnik GmbH & Co. KG.. Available in a range of configurations from 2 to 4 axle they are designed for shunting and light and medium freight operations....
series. With a development period of just 500 days, the first locomotive was ready in 2006 and presented at the InnoTrans
InnoTrans
InnoTrans is the world's largest trade fair focused on the rail transport industry. It is held every two years at the Messe Berlin exhibition centre, which has outdoor standard gauge railway sidings which can be used to exhibit railway vehicles...
2006 fair. The locomotive design won a red dot design award in 2007. A new factory in Kiel was established in 2006 by Voith to manufacture the new locomotives.
In 2008 at Innotrans
InnoTrans
InnoTrans is the world's largest trade fair focused on the rail transport industry. It is held every two years at the Messe Berlin exhibition centre, which has outdoor standard gauge railway sidings which can be used to exhibit railway vehicles...
Voith added a third potential model to its Maxima range, the 4 axle Maxima 20BB. The type was expected to be a competitor for a 200 locomotive order from Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...
for diesel locomotives for passenger and freight services to replace the "DB V 160 family
DB V 160 family
The DB V 160 locomotive family comprises several classes of closely related 4 axle diesel-hydraulic locomotives built in the 1960s and 1970s for the Deutsche Bundesbahn which take the moniker from the earliest built model: the 'DB Class V 160'....
" of locomotives; in 2011 the Deutsche Bahn AG order was won by Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....
with a new multi-engine type of its TRAXX
TRAXX
Bombardier TRAXX is a modular product platform of electric and Diesel-electric mainline locomotives built by Bombardier Transportation, built in both freight and passenger variants...
platform.
Technology
The locomotive's body consists entirely of steel. Both cabins have two seats (one for the train driver and one for a relief driver or supervisor) and have a standardised and ergonomical control desk. The cabins also have air conditioning and are equipped with all modern needs of today's operating conditions.Powered by either an 16VDZC or 12VDZC engine by Belgian engine manufacturer Anglo-Belgian Corporation, rated at respectively 3,600 kW or 2,750 kW, the locomotive can reach a top speed of 120 km/h (160 km/h optionally) and has a maximal tractive effort of 519 kN. The normal tractive effort is 408 kN. The LS 640 reU2 "Turbosplit" transmission allows for a separated traction and wheelslip
Locomotive wheelslip
Locomotive wheelslip is an event that affects railway motive power when starting from stationary.The greatest effort is required from a locomotive when starting...
control of each bogie. This is the first locomotive series equipped with this new technology. Brake equipment consists of electro-pneumatic and engine compression brakes. The smallest drivable curve radius is 80m. The locomotive can take up to 9,000 or 10,000 l of fuel, depending on the configuration.
The locomotives are assembled at a new plant next to the Nord-Ostsee-Kanal
Kiel Canal
The Kiel Canal , known as the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Kanal until 1948, is a long canal in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.The canal links the North Sea at Brunsbüttel to the Baltic Sea at Kiel-Holtenau. An average of is saved by using the Kiel Canal instead of going around the Jutland Peninsula....
in Kiel. Large maintenance and overhauls will be carried out in a new central workshop in Cologne, to be operated jointly by Voith Turbo and HGK.
Variants
Voith initially offered 2 variants of this locomotive: the most powerful version is the Maxima 40CC with 3,600 kW power, intended for freight operators with heavy trains of up to 3,000 tonnes. A less powerful version is the Maxima 30CC with 2,750 kW power, primarily intended for freight operators with trains of up to 2,500 tonnes or passenger operators. A third version the Maxima 20BB was added to the range in 2007.Career and orders
After the exhibition of the demonstrator locomotive at the InnoTrans 2006 fair, it was tested on several German main lines to receive German certification. It was also tested on the Velim test ringRailway test circuit Velim
.The Velim test center is a railway rolling stock testing facility at Cerhenice, close to the city of Poděbrady in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic...
and also went to Norway and Sweden for thermal testing. Final German certification was granted on 23 December 2008 by the German rail authority EBA.
A second demonstrator locomotive was built and equipped with Dutch and Belgian safety systems for obtaining Dutch and Belgian certification. It was tested in the first and second quarter of 2008 in the Netherlands, and in Belgium in the fourth quarter. After Dutch and Belgian certification the locomotive will be passed on to HGK for testing.
A third and last demonstrator locomotive is being built and will be used to obtain certification in Poland, Sweden and Norway.
As of 2008, 32 locomotives have been ordered, with options for a further 29:
- Ox-traction, a Dutch leasing company in which Voith held a 44% stake, was to order 15 Maxima 40CC and 15 Maxima 30CC locomotives, with a potential option of a further 23 Maxima locomotives. Its first Maxima 40CC locomotive was delivered in April 2009 and was immediately leased to LOCON..
In August 2010 Ox-traction ended its business activities. Locomotives previously leased and marketed over Ox-traction are now leased directly from Voith.
- HVLE ordered 2 Maxima 40CC locomotives. The first was delivered in April 2009, the second in April 2010. HVLE took an option on a further 6 locomotives.
H0 Model
Voith signed an exclusive contract with SaxonSaxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
model building company Sächsische Waggonfabrik Stollberg to build a H0-model of both Maxima variants. All parts of the locomotive will be engineered and made in Germany.
See also
- EMD JT42CWR and Vossloh Euro 4000 are contemporary competitors to the Voith Maxima.
- List of Voith transmissions
- Voith GravitaVoith GravitaThe Voith Gravita locomotives are a new family of diesel-hydraulic locomotives built by Voith Turbo Lokomotivtechnik GmbH & Co. KG.. Available in a range of configurations from 2 to 4 axle they are designed for shunting and light and medium freight operations....