«Breitspurbahn» high-speed: trains and railways of Nazi Germany (Part II).
“The construction of a wide railway may cause us difficulties, but we will not allow ourselves to be intimidated.
«Breitspurbahn» is of important strategic importance" – Adolf Hitler.
Comparison of the ultra-wide-gauge locomotive «Breitspurbahn» with a conventional steam locomotive of the early 1940s
Reich Minister of Armament and Ammunition Fritz Todt was appointed chief curator and head of the project for the construction of the broad-gauge railway and super trains «Breitspurbahn».
In September 1941, Fritz Todt received instructions from Adolf Hitler to build a high-capacity railway with a much wider gauge.
Today there are more than 113 gauge options in the world, but the most common is still the width of 1435 mm, In Finland and Mongolia the gauge is 1524 mm, in Russia - 1520 mm, In Spain, Portugal, Chile and Argentina the gauge is 1676 mm, in Canada — 1495 mm, in the USA — 1473 mm.
For the «Breitspurbahn», it was envisaged to use a 3000 mm gauge (initially even 4000 or 4600 mm). The rolling stock could be 8000 mm wide and 7500 mm high. The axle load was supposed to be 30-35 tc; the speed of passenger trains was 200-250 km/h. Electrification was to be carried out using a third rail.
The freight cars had a speed of 100 - 115 km/h and the carrying capacity of an ocean liner.
Taking into account the distances of future routes, it was decided to reduce the initially projected speed of the train from 400 to 250 km/h.
250 km/ h was considered sufficient speed for passengers of a giant train, because it took them less than a day to travel any distance of the calculated routes.
In total, all calculations were performed for maximum speeds of 250 km/h for passenger trains and 115 km/h for freight trains.
Problem solving:
1. The problem of air flow resistance, which is very relevant when giant trains are moving at a speed of 250 km/h or when traveling in tunnels, was solved by special streamlined shapes of trains. The radius of the 180-degree turn of the train was 500 m.
2. Even with the latest braking systems offered by Knorrbremse AG, the estimated braking distance at a speed of 250 km/h was set at 1600 m for emergency braking and 3000 m for normal braking.
At such speeds and braking distances, the optical signaling system proved ineffective, especially in case of snowfall or fog. Therefore, a new system was developed, somewhat resembling modern electronic ones: with the help of high-frequency sensors, all information was displayed on the driver's console and in the engine room.
3. The total weight of the freight train was estimated at 10,000 tons (for comparison: the weight of the heaviest modern trains is up to 2,000 tons). If necessary, three freight trains could be combined into one, with a total weight of 30,000 tons. The length of the freight train with the locomotive was 1100-1200 m (the maximum length of a modern one, but without a locomotive, is approximately 500 m).
With an increase in length of only two times, the mass increased five to seven times.
Attention was paid to new heating, ventilation, and train lighting systems, because windows, for example, can no longer be opened at such speeds.
Technical documentation:
The diesel-electric locomotive has 15800-19000 horsepower, and the maximum speed is 200 km/h/.
“The construction of a wide railway may cause us difficulties, but we will not allow ourselves to be intimidated.
«Breitspurbahn» is of important strategic importance" – Adolf Hitler.
Comparison of the ultra-wide-gauge locomotive «Breitspurbahn» with a conventional steam locomotive of the early 1940s
Reich Minister of Armament and Ammunition Fritz Todt was appointed chief curator and head of the project for the construction of the broad-gauge railway and super trains «Breitspurbahn».
In September 1941, Fritz Todt received instructions from Adolf Hitler to build a high-capacity railway with a much wider gauge.
Today there are more than 113 gauge options in the world, but the most common is still the width of 1435 mm, In Finland and Mongolia the gauge is 1524 mm, in Russia - 1520 mm, In Spain, Portugal, Chile and Argentina the gauge is 1676 mm, in Canada — 1495 mm, in the USA — 1473 mm.
For the «Breitspurbahn», it was envisaged to use a 3000 mm gauge (initially even 4000 or 4600 mm). The rolling stock could be 8000 mm wide and 7500 mm high. The axle load was supposed to be 30-35 tc; the speed of passenger trains was 200-250 km/h. Electrification was to be carried out using a third rail.
The freight cars had a speed of 100 - 115 km/h and the carrying capacity of an ocean liner.
Taking into account the distances of future routes, it was decided to reduce the initially projected speed of the train from 400 to 250 km/h.
250 km/ h was considered sufficient speed for passengers of a giant train, because it took them less than a day to travel any distance of the calculated routes.
In total, all calculations were performed for maximum speeds of 250 km/h for passenger trains and 115 km/h for freight trains.
Problem solving:
1. The problem of air flow resistance, which is very relevant when giant trains are moving at a speed of 250 km/h or when traveling in tunnels, was solved by special streamlined shapes of trains. The radius of the 180-degree turn of the train was 500 m.
2. Even with the latest braking systems offered by Knorrbremse AG, the estimated braking distance at a speed of 250 km/h was set at 1600 m for emergency braking and 3000 m for normal braking.
At such speeds and braking distances, the optical signaling system proved ineffective, especially in case of snowfall or fog. Therefore, a new system was developed, somewhat resembling modern electronic ones: with the help of high-frequency sensors, all information was displayed on the driver's console and in the engine room.
3. The total weight of the freight train was estimated at 10,000 tons (for comparison: the weight of the heaviest modern trains is up to 2,000 tons). If necessary, three freight trains could be combined into one, with a total weight of 30,000 tons. The length of the freight train with the locomotive was 1100-1200 m (the maximum length of a modern one, but without a locomotive, is approximately 500 m).
With an increase in length of only two times, the mass increased five to seven times.
Attention was paid to new heating, ventilation, and train lighting systems, because windows, for example, can no longer be opened at such speeds.
Technical documentation:
The diesel-electric locomotive has 15800-19000 horsepower, and the maximum speed is 200 km/h/.





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