WELL OVER 1500 people were present at an emotional ceremony on April 3 in the DWA works in Görlitz to mark completion of the first two series-built end cars for German Railway's 230 km/h ICT tilting train fleet (RG 5.98 p279).
The Görlitz factory had turned out the legendary Fliegender Hamburger high speed diesel railcar set in 1933, so the birth of the third generation of ICE trains in the same factory 65 years later after a turbulent period of ownership changes was especially poignant for those who worked there. Staff were assured of a long-term commitment by new owner Bombardier, while Sachsen Land Economics Minister Dr Kajo Schommer described Görlitz as 'the pearl of Europe's coach building industry'.
A five-car ICT formation has been on trial at the Siemens Wildenrath test centre for some time (RG 4.98 p211), and two more cars are undergoing tests in the climate chamber at Wien-Arsenal. Two more test trains are now being assembled for commissioning and approval by the Federal Railway Office (EBA). One will be used for examining ride dynamics, and the other for braking trials.
According to DB's Project Manager Klaus Albert Bolten, simultaneous trials with several trains are intended to reduce testing and delivery time. It may also make up some of the lost time due to the long design period since DB signed a letter of intent in December 1994 with the IC-NeiTech consortium formed of DWA, Fiat, Duewag and Siemens.
The original intention was to have the 15 kV 16 2/3 Hz trains in service in 1997, but DWA's Chairman Peter Witt says a year was spent defining options and design features before the DM1bn contract for 43 trainsets was signed. This was based on a performance specification, and according to Dipl-Ing Josef Fischer, Technical Director, IC-NeiTech, it broke new ground in that the suppliers were contracted to furnish fully commissioned trains with EBA approval. All commissioning tests have to be paid for and carried out by the manufacturers, who will also provide DB with a two-year guarantee. Maintenance will be handled by DB. The same contract arrangements apply for 20 diesel-powered ICT-VT sets ordered from a Siemens-led consortium.
Formations
The ICT contract covers manufacture of 11 five-car (designated Class 411) and 32 seven-car sets (Class 415). There are two base electrical units. The first comprises three cars: a driving trailer with transformer (T), a power car carrying the main converter (SR), and a third car, also powered, known as FM. The second base unit comprises a driving trailer with transformer (T1), a second converter car with bistro (SRB) and a third car with restaurant facilities (FM[R]). Each of the GTO converters feeds three asynchronous traction motors, each rated continuously at 500 kW. Two drive the inner axles of the bogies on the three centre cars.
For a five-car formation an extra SRB and T1 are added to the three-car base unit, while a seven-car set is formed of the two three-car base units with a 2nd class car (M) marshalled in the centre. The seven-car version has eight traction motors with a combined continuous rating of 4000 kW.
Traction equipment is laid out to allow a five, six, seven or eight car formation to start on the 2·6% grade of the famous Geislinger Steige near Stuttgart. The units are also required to run at a maximum speed of 230 km/h on Neubaustrecken, pathed between 250 or 280 km/h ICE sets. Pairs of sets can work in multiple in any formation.
Although capable of sustained running at 200 km/h and more, the ICT fleet is intended mainly to cut journey times on important cross-country routes. The first units are due to enter service in existing timings between Zürich and Stuttgart in May next year, with the rest of the fleet being introduced later on München - Berlin and Dresden - Saarbrücken services. On this route around 1 hour will be trimmed from journey times once the trains are able to exploit their Fiat tilting mechanism. All should be in service by the end of 1999, by when DB should have decided whether to exercise an option for a further 40 sets.
Head of DB's Long Distance Passenger Business Dipl-Ing Karl-Dietrich Reemtsema says DB is also evaluating bids for an unspecified number of multi-system ICT trainsets that could form part of the option. These would probably have 25 kV 50Hz equipment for running into France and 3 kV DC for services to Milano in Italy. However, DB is still assessing which routes would be economically served by ICTs.
See-through cabs
Passengers on ICT routes will not merely get faster journeys, but also a leap in comfort standards. Reemtsema says it is important 'to bring a modern image to the regions', and the ICT will certainly do that. Its stylish front end is among the most attractive yet devised for a high speed train.
Guaranteed to be a popular feature is the lounge area in each end car where passengers will be able to observe the driver in the cab and enjoy the view ahead thanks to a full-width glass screen. Should it be necessary to block the view, the driver will be able to activate a photo-electric layer in the screen, rendering it opaque. The screen is supplied by Hamacher of Aachen.
Abolition of the wall behind the cab meant that space had to be found for the equipment normally housed there, which was a particular challenge for the design engineers as the underfloor space was already largely spoken for - in contrast to the ICE1 and ICE2 trains with end power cars, ICT has all traction equipment mounted under the floor.
Entrance vestibules are located behind the lounges in each end car one-third of the way along its length. In the first class car a 15-seat saloon is arranged behind the vestibule, and beyond this is a business area. This has a novel 'seating landscape' that includes two four-seat bays with mid-height wooden screens and glass doors, plus single and paired seats at tables on the opposite side of the gangway.
The screened areas form compartments offering a degree of privacy, but the mid-height screens mean that no special arrangements are needed for air-conditioning ducts and ventilation.
First class passengers will have seatback videos for information and entertainment, but information displays are provided throughout the train on partitions and walls. Audio entertainment with six channels will be available at many seats. Passengers also have access to public telephones and a fax machine. Future options to ensure that ICT passengers are never bored include provision of sockets for PCs and electronic games as well as satellite TV.
Diesel sister
The diesel-powered ICT-VT, designated by DB as the VT605, is not quite a twin sister to the ET411/415. Nonetheless, DB is aiming for passengers not to notice the difference. Bodyshells and interiors of the 20 four-car diesel sets will be similar, and all bar one of the aluminium profiles forming the bodyshell are the same; the exception is the profile carrying the Cummins underfloor-mounted engine. This has a continuous rating of 560 kW.
All cars are powered, with drive to both axles of one bogie on each car. The engines drive a generator feeding a GTO converter with water cooling; the Siemens traction motors and other equipment are similar to those on the ICT. Control equipment is laid out so that the diesel sets can work in multiple with their electric counterparts. For this reason the ICT-VT is one of relatively few diesel trains with a pantograph command button on the driver's console.
A major difference between the two trains is the tilting system. Instead of the Fiat design used on the electric units, the ICT-VT uses an electrically powered tilt mechanism developed by Siemens with an SGP bogie. A prototype has been fitted to a VT610 unit, which has been successfully tested for several months. Trials included a run at 275 km/h on the Neubaustrecke between Hannover and Göttingen.
One end car in each set is first class. All passengers have access to a bistro in one of the other cars, and one has a family compartment and accommodation for people in wheelchairs.
- CAPTION: High speed history. The ICT was the first high speed train to be built at Görlitz since the Fliegender Hamburger in 1933
- CAPTION: Dipl-Ing Karl-Dietrich Reemtsema, Head of DB's Long-Distance Passenger sector, says he is looking at options for a multi-system version of the ICT
- CAPTION: Top: Looking ahead. Passengers in saloons in each end car can share the driver's view at up to 230 km/h
- CAPTION: Mid-height wooden screens form compartments in the first class business area
- CAPTION: ICT units run on Fiat bogies with Pendolino tilting equipment
Main data for Class 415
Overall length m 185
Overall width mm 2 850
Wheel diameter, new mm 890
Continuous rating at wheel rim kW 4000
Starting tractive effort kN 200
Maximum speed km/h 230
Weight, empty tonnes 350
Seating capacity 357 + 24 in dining car
Suppliers for Class 411 & 415
Main contractor: IC-NeiTech Consortium (DWA, Fiat, Duewag, Siemens)
Bodyshells: DWA Görlitz / Ammendorf and Duewag Uerdingen
Bogies: Fiat Ferroviaria
Aluminium alloy extruded profiles: Hoogevens
Traction equipment: Siemens
Brakes: Knorr
Gangways: Hübner
Doors: Bode
Seats: Grammer
Air-conditioning: Hagenuk Faiveley
Dampers: Sachs Boge/Koni
Bearings: SKF
Toilets: Semco
Couplers: Scharfenberg
Pantographs: Siemens
Information systems: Siemens
Tilting streamliner launches third ICE generation
German Railway's 230 km/h tilting ICT trains are now on test. The first of a fleet of 43 five-car and seven-car sets will enter service between Stuttgart and Zürich in May next year, later taking over on important cross-country routes such as Saarbrücken - Dresden and Berlin - München. Options exist for 40 more units, which could include multi-system versions, while 20 four-car diesel sets are being built to a similar design. Special features include lounges in the end cars where passengers can see through the cab, business compartments and a range of information and entertainment equipment
Coup d'envoi de l'aérodynamisme pendulaire avec la troisième génération d'ICE.
Les rames ICT pendulaires, roulant à 230 km/h, des chemins de fer allemands sont à présent en cours d'essais. La première, d'un parc de 43 unités composées de cinq et sept voitures, entrera en service l'année prochaine, en mai, entre Stuttgart et Zurich, puis, plus tard, ce matériel assurera des services transversaux tels que Sarrebruck - Dresde et Berlin - Munich. Une option existe pour 40 rames supplémentaires, dont certaines pourraient être multi-courant, tandis que 20 rames diesels, de quatre voitures, d'une conception identique, verront le jour. Parmi leurs particularités, notons le salon aménagé dans chaque voiture d'extrémité, depuis lequel les voyageurs peuvent voir la cabine de conduite, des compartiments affaires et un ensemble d'équipements relatif à l'information et au divertissement
Die dritte ICE-Generation startet mit Neigezug
Die 230 km/h schnellen ICT-Neigezüge der Deutschen Bahn sind jetzt in der Erprobungsphase. Die ersten aus 5 oder 7 Wagen bestehenden Züge einer 43 Einheiten starken Flotte werden ab Mai nächsten Jahres zwischen Stuttgart und Zürich eingesetzt. Später kommen wichtige nationale Verbindungen, wie Saarbrücken - Dresden und Berlin - München dazu. Es bestehen Optionen für 40 weitere Einheiten, darunter auch in Mehrsystem-Ausführung. Zudem befinden sich 20 ähnliche, dieselgetriebene 4-Wagen-Einheiten im Bau. Besonderheiten dieser Fahrzeuge sind Grossräume mit Führerstandssicht in den Endwagen, Geschäftsabteile sowie eine Reihe von Informations- und Unterhaltungseinrichtungen
Tren aerodin? mico inclinable lanza la tercera generación ICE
Ya se han puesto a aprueba los trenes ICT inclinables de los Ferrocarriles Alemanes capaces de alcanzar los 230 km/h. La primera flota de 43 equipos de cinco y siete coches entrar· en servicio entre Stuttgart y Zürich en mayo del año 1999, encarg? ndose posteriormente de relaciones transversales de gran importancia como la Saarbrücken - Dresden y Berlin - München. Existen opciones para 40 unidades adicionales, las cuales incluirían versiones multisistema, mientras que se est? n construyendo 20 unidades diesel de cuatro coches con un diseño similar. Las características especiales incluyen salones en los vagones finales en los que los pasajeros pueden mirar por la cabina, compartimentos para clase de negocios y una amplia gama de equipo de información y entretenimiento de los pasajeros
