Ty246
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Ty246-22 + 32D46-22, ALCO
75506/1947, Zduńska Wola Karsznice loco depot, June 20, 2001…
… and another view of the last ‘Truman’, this time in
the autumn sun;
Manufacturer’s
plate: according to most reliable sources, Ty246-22 is ALCO 75506,
which suggests that this plate originally belonged to Ty246-16, withdrawn in
1978. Photo taken on
Ty246-37 (ALCO 75521/1947), photographed somewhere in
Side drawing of the Ty246 by M.Ćwikła
(source: SK vol. 4/1998).
Ty246-74 (Baldwin 73457/1947),
Bydgoszcz Główna station, September 30, 1979. Photo by Roman Witkowski
(postcard from my collection). |
Immediately
after WWII, coal export was practically the only source of foreign revenue
for Poland, so its transport from Silesian collieries to Baltic Sea ports was
of vital importance. However, there were critical shortages of suitable
rolling stock and, in particular, heavy freight locomotives. The need for
such machines in the 1920s had resulted in quantity production of class Ty23
and its derivative, class Ty37, both with tractive effort of about 18 tonnes.
Many of these machines were regained after the war, but their technical
condition was in most cases poor. Ex-German locomotives were mostly lighter
Ty2s (tractive effort of 16.3 tonnes), with only a handful of more powerful
Ty3s and Ty4s; their condition was equally bad and only few could be
immediately put into service. Polish locomotive factories, damaged or
stripped of manufacturing facilities (taken away by either Germans or
Russians), initially commenced production of German types, BR52 (PKP
class Ty42) and BR42 (Ty43) and later switched to improved Ty37, designated
Ty45. Initial output was, however, much short of demand, so it was decided to
purchase heavy freight locomotives abroad. As locomotive industry in Europe
had suffered much during the war, the choice fell on American companies that
could supply modern machines of almost any type on favorable terms. In the
end of 1946, following a visit of railway specialists to the USA, an order
was placed for 100 freight locomotives, designated Ty246, to be supplied by ALCO, Baldwin and Lima. The Decapod
1-5-0 axle arrangement, typical for heavy freight machines used by PKP before WWII, was retained,
although American design practice favored rear truck, in order to accommodate
large firebox. So was the two-cylinder single-expansion steam engine, but
many design features were new and untypical for Polish or even European
design practice. These included mechanical coal feeder (Stocker Standard
HT, hence Polish commonly used term ‘stoker’), multi-valve
camshaft-driven steam throttle, water supply to the boiler (either Nathan
injector or Worthington pump) and wide use of pneumatic drives. New
locomotives were economical and reliable; furthermore, working conditions of
the crew were much improved (e.g. completely closed cab with provisions to
operate all instruments in sitting position). All
ordered machines from ALCO (40), Baldwin (40) and Lima
(20) were supplied between September and December 1947 and immediately went
into service on the Coal Trunk Line between Upper Silesia and Gdynia. Most
were based at the Zduńska Wola Karsznice depot (between 1950 and 1966 their
number ranged from 69 to 76), the rest were assigned to the Bydgoszcz Wschód
depot. Typically they hauled heavy drafts: 2200 to 2500 tonnes was common.
They were promptly nicknamed ‘Trumans’ and soon earned a good reputation
among crews for their strength, modernity and reliability. As electrification
of this principal line progressed (to be completed in September 1969), they
were gradually shifted to less prominent roles, starting from mid-1960s. One
engine (Ty246-84, Lima 9270/1947) was written off after a crash in
June 1969. Between 1968 and 1973 most of ‘Trumans’ (63 machines) were
directed to haul coal trains from Silesian collieries to switch yards. They
disappeared from Karsznice completely until 1970 and from Bydgoszcz until
1975, but some remained at minor depots along the Coal Trunk Line for a few
years more. Total withdrawal of this class was unexpectedly rapid: all 94
machines that had remained in operation until early 1978 were written off
before December 1979. This was caused by several reasons: bad condition of
boilers revealed during overhauls, mounting supplies of ‘modern’ ST44 diesels
and (as history has it) determination of the PKP management not to enter the new decade with locomotives of
American (and therefore ‘imperialistic’) heritage still in use… After
withdrawal from PKP, twelve Ty246s were sold to various industrial
plants. Many survived for a few years more as stationary heating machines;
last of them were scrapped in late 1980s.
Taking care of heritage locomotives has never been a strong point of
Polish enterprises and almost all were promptly sold for scrap. Only one
example avoided – rather by chance – such inglorious end, namely Ty246-22 (ALCO 75506/1947), which was withdrawn
in September 1979 and sold to the Stomil chemical plant in Wolbrom.
This engine was transferred to the Railway Museum in Warsaw in 1981 and
externally restored. In 1994 it was taken to the Zduńska Wola Karsznice
locomotive depot and can now be seen there. According to some older sources,
second example (number unknown) was still at the Konin lignite mine in
mid-90s; it probably came there in early 60s from PKP. This engine, however, no longer exists. Ty246 was the heaviest and most
powerful steam locomotive ever used in Poland. It is worth mentioning here
that design of the indigenous Ty51, intended for the same role, was based
directly on its older counterpart; Polish machine, however, was slightly
lighter and shorter, and from the point of view of design features more
typical to indigenous practice. Main technical data
1) Were they
also built for other services? References and acknowledgments
-
Monographic article by Paweł Terczyński and Ryszard
Stankiewicz (SK vol. 4/1998); -
‘Doctor’s website www.parowozy.net; -
Roman Ficek (private communication – thanks a lot
for statistics); -
AP. |
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