311D
/ ST40S
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311D-05 from PCC Rail, photographed
near Warszawa Żerań station on May 28, 2008.
Another picture of this locomotive, taken a
few minutes later at Warszawa Zoo station.
311D-01, Kolej Bałtycka, with a heavy
draft at the Warszawa Okęcie station; July 10, 2008.
ST40S-01 and ST40S-02, LHS,
double-heading a heavy draft near Nowosielec on July 20. 2008. Photo by Tomasz
Ciemnoczułowski (thanks for permission!).
311D-19 from the PCC Rail fleet,
photographed in Piaseczno near Warsaw on August 13, 2008.
Another picture of the 311D-19, taken at the
Sosnowiec Jęzor depot on March 5, 2009.
Two more pictures, taken on the same
occasion: 311D-16…
… and 311D-4 with 311D-11.
Second visit to the PCC Rail depot,
April 14, 2009: again 311D-05…
…and 311D-10. Basically I hate graffiti
‘artists’, but this monster is quite nice.
PCC Rail has
the largest fleet of 311Ds. This 311D-21 was photographed at the Turów power
plant premises on April 19, 2009.
Another picture from this location: 311D-18,
also from PCC Rail, photographed on April 7, 2010.
Third encounter with the 311D-19, this time
at the Zduńska Wola Karsznice station on April 19, 2009.
311D-11 again, this time photographed near
the Warszawa Żerań station on July 3, 2009.
Another picture taken at this location:
311D-17, August 13, 2009.
311D-18 again – this time photographed at the
Węgliniec depot on March 27. 2011. |
Between
1965 and 1988 Polish state railways PKP took delivery of almost 1200
M62 heavy diesels from the Lugansk (then Voroshilovgrad) locomotive works,
classed ST44. A few dozen more second-hand machines of this type were
imported by various private operators during last few years. ST44 has been
the most numerous line diesel locomotive in Poland, as well as in some other
Eastern European countries. Commonly nicknamed ‘Gagarin’, this machine has
earned itself a good reputation for power, ruggedness and reliability.
However, economy of the low-speed (750 rpm)
14D40 two-stroke diesel engine, derived from a pre-war GMC design, has
left much to be desired. Manufacturer’s specification gave specific fuel
consumption of 160 g/hp×h and oil consumption at rated power of about 4.5 kg/h, but in
service these values were usually exceeded. High noise level was a nuisance
for crews and from the environmental point of view ST44 is hardly acceptable
by current standards.
The
majority of Polish ST44s have already been withdrawn from service. In 2007 PKP
had less than 140 examples. In fact, their main stronghold is LHS, a PKP
subsidiary – the only broad-gauge (1524 mm) line in Poland, connecting Upper
Silesia with the Ukrainian border. LHS has always relied almost
exclusively on ST44s (often double-heading) and no replacement has been
provided. Together with second-hand machines purchased by private operators,
this makes a fleet of about two hundred machines intended for further
operation. This certainly justifies measures aimed at improving their
performance and extending service life. M62 has
turned out to be surprisingly susceptible for modernization. Of course, prime
mover replacement is of prime importance. Until now, a number of Polish
locomotives have been fitted with Russian Kolomna 12ChN26/26 diesels,
as well as Caterpillar or GM units. The most radical project
has, however, been developed by Newag company (former railway stock
repair works of Nowy Sącz) in co-operation with General Electric. The
result is a virtually new locomotive, known under factory designation 311D,
which hardly resembles the renowned ‘Gagarin’, both internally and
externally. Type
311D is based on the M62 frame, wheelsets and traction engines, which are
married with a completely new power-pack and body. Obsolete 14D40 has been
replaced with GE 7FDL12EFI four-stroke turbo-supercharged diesel, with
a nominal rating of 2900 hp at 1050 rpm. Complete diesel-generator units are
supplied by General Electric. ED118A traction engines have been
up-rated and are now designated ED118A GE, but the main difference is
improved H-class insulation. Of course control (microprocessor-based GE
BrightStar), monitoring and diagnostic systems, which in M62 had been
either obsolete or missing, are completely new. Modern silhouette has already
earned the new locomotive several nicknames, which include ‘Lord Vader’,
‘Terminator’ and ‘Robocop’. There have been, however, some complaints about
cramped crew compartments and open, narrow footplates between two cabins. All
311Ds supplied so far are ex-DB locomotives (classes 120 and 220),
withdrawn from service between 1990 and 1995. First four of them were
completed between August and October 2007 and went to Kolej Bałtycka –
new private operator (member of the Heavy Haul Power Services group)
that had appeared on the market a few months earlier. Next two went to
another private operator, PCC Rail. 311D-04 was exhibited at the TRAKO
fair in Gdańsk in October 2007, arising much interest. Until March 2008, Newag
obtained twenty old M62s for conversion to 311D. Two of them (311D-13 and
311D-14) were supplied to LHS. The broad-gauge version was given
factory designation 311Da, so these two examples became 311Da-01 and
311Da-02, respectively. LHS is a PKP subsidiary, so in June
2008 a PKP-style service designation ST40S was assigned to these
locomotives, which became ST40S-01 andST40S-02. Between October 2008 and
March 2009 eight more examples followed and in June 2010 a contract was
signed for further ten; delivery is to be completed in February 2011. It is
quite possible that more conversions will follow in near future. German and
Czech railway authorities intend to issue approvals for 311D operation on
their networks, which may be of importance for their further use. Main technical data
1) Reconstruction.
2) Until
mid-2010. References
and acknowledgments
-
SK (various issues); |
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