The German Federal Railway Class 120 Three-Phase Drive System: Service Trials

Abstract

Since 1980, the German Federal Railway (DB) has been conducting service trials with five prototype Class 120 locomotives, during the course of which studies have been made of the locomotive as a whole, of the availability and reliability of individual components and of compliance with the conditions set out in the specification. These trials have shown that the basic concept and the system engineering used in this locomotive have come fully up to expectation. Such reactions on the overhead line equipment (OHLE) as have been identified have fallen well within the limits laid down. The scope for feeding power back into the OHLE will depend very much on the programme to which the locomotive is working, but is expected to be on the scale originally envisaged. The regenerative brake has proved itself as a highly reliable piece of equipment. I n terms of ride, the Class 120 has been passed for 200 km/h running. As an addendum to the specification, refinements have been made to the design of the Class 120, in order to make it a truly mixed traffic locomotive. Refinements and modifications were necessary in the power and control systems, as well as in certain components, which had to be improved in order to give better availability.

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References

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