E 91 – A veteran of electrification on the railway
At the start of the 20
th
century, the electric engine was the first serious alter-
native to traditional steam locomotion to emerge. Efficient locomotives or
motor coaches experienced rapid development following the first electrically
operated railway in 1879. The problem of storing the electrical energy, some-
thing that even today continues to hinder other areas of application such as
the car, was solved elegantly by the railways through the use of overhead
lines to supply power to the locomotives.
Electric locomotives are not only a clean and very reliable method of operation,
permitting a much less complicated start-up in comparison with a steam engine:
they can also be optimally designed to meet the service requirements.
The models of the heavy electric locomotives for freight train operation that
were built from 1923 onwards and later became part of the E 91 range were
required first and foremost to demonstrate high tractive effort even on inclines.
The top speed of this locomotive class was – by today’s standards – a very
low 55 km/h. The brake technology in use on the majority of goods wagons
at that time meant that a higher final speed was not practically possible in
any case.
The various programme stages of the E 91 differ in a great many details.
The Bavarian models, for instance, had an extra door and a third end window
on the fronts compared with their Prussian “cousins”. However, the oil cooler
on the Bavarian versions was also very striking. What all models had in com-
mon was the chosen drive concept, with 2 bogies each having 3 drive axles,
each of which was driven by an engine via coupling rods and a jack shaft.
Many locomotives of the E 91 series continued to be used into era 4. Although
initially concentrated on the lines with steep gradients in southern Germany,
where they were able to show off their power to full effect, these leisurely
powerhouses subsequently found themselves increasingly shifted from route
service to shunting work.
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Prototype
Summary of Contents for baureihe E 91
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