SM42 (factory types Ls800E and Ls800P, design type 6D along with subtypes PKP class SM42) is a Polish standard gauge shunter diesel locomotive built for midweight and heavyweight shunting and lightweight local freight traffic, built from 1963 to 1992 by Fablok in Chrzanów also offered to 2013. A total of 1822 locomotives were built, including 1157 for PKP.
SM42 Locomotives are one of the most popular locomotive series throughout Poland (in December 2009, 1224 of them existed including 867 in PKP Cargo livery), in fact these locomotives were the first Polish-designed heavier diesel-electric locomotive.
History The technical documentation for this locomotive was developed in 1958–1962 by the state Central Construction Bureau of Railway Stock Industry (CBKPTK) in Poznań, as type 6D. The production was given over to the Fablok Locomotive Factory in Chrzanów, where it was designated Ls800E. These diesel locomotives were designed for heavy and midweight shunting as well as lightweight freight traffic along branchlines and short distances on the mainlines. The most important factors were to replace steam locomotives from shunting duties and the ability to form heavy trains for the newly delivered locomotives classified ST43 and ST44 also the electric locomotives ET21. SM42 is the country's first ever diesel locomotives with a bigger amount of power output, thanks to it the dieselisation of Polish railways increased.
The prototype was ready in December 1963. It was lent to the Polish State Railways (PKP), as the SM42-001, the class designation 'SM' meaning a diesel shunter locomotive, and was tested in Warsaw in 1964. Two improved locomotives were built for the PKP in 1964, and twenty in 1965. In 1967, the locomotive entered serial production and 1,822 were built until production ceased in 1992. During the long production run, some minor improvements were incorporated into the design. The locomotives produced from 1972 onwards (so-called batch 2) had simplified chassis (starting from SM42-521, works no. 8499).
Instead of production for the state carrier, between 1969 and 1992 622 locomotives were built for industrial railways. A variant of type 6D locomotive was a type 101D locomotive, equipped with a steam generator for carriage heating. A total of 268 locomotives of this variant were built and classified as SP42. The locomotive was offered in 6Da factory type and 6Da/R modification type until May 2013, when it was announced by a court in Kraków for bankruptcy of the company. +6D locomotives built by FablokFactory typeDesign typeBuild dateTotalBuyerCountry from the buyerLs800E6D1963 - 19721157PKPPoland6Da1972 - 1992Ls800P6D1969 - 1972622Industrial railways6Da1972 - 1992Ls800/M6DM1973 - 197537ONCFMorocco—6Dl19826DromexIraq
Design
SM42 is a single cab 4-axle locomotive with Bo′Bo′ wheel arrangement, electric transmission and an electropneumatic control equipped with vigilance control (Czuwak aktywny). The locomotive's prime mover is the a8C22 diesel engine with compression ignition with a power of 800 HP (590 kW) and a capacity of 81,6 L built by H. Cegielski in Poznań. The engine has an unusual for a V engine cylinder bank angle of 50 degrees, which was designed to obtain the narrowest possible engine design and the entire engine compartment of the locomotive in order to maintain visibility from the cab. The engine is not balanced enough, causing the locomotive to strongly vibrate while the engine is running, thus having the nickname "Vibrator".
The locomotive has two levels of springing: the bogie frame relative to the axle bogies (wheel set bearings) using leaf springs and rubber pads, and the spring between the locomotive frame and the bogie frame. Locomotive enables in double traction (unless changes has been made to the equipment). Two units can be controlled from a single place.
Modifications
EPA42
Due to the creosote buildup caused by the locomotive exhaust smoke filling the Diameter line tunnel in Warsaw, the concept of making a battery electric locomotive was made at the Central Center for Railway Technology Research and Development (COBiRTK), solution for this was to decrease the amount of smoke filling the tunnel and maintenance costs.
In order not to implement new concepts related to the design, they used a locomotive classified SM42 to convert it into a battery electric locomotive removing the diesel engine and two of four traction motors, also replacing the fuel tank with a rechargeable battery of 320 lead-acid cells with three supply voltage values available, and setting the estimated range to 120 km in 40 km/h. In which they sent the 24th locomotive of the series (SM42-024) to ZNTK Nowy Sącz for a conversion, the maximum speed was set to 50 km/h, green livery repainted into brown livery (the stripes kept their orange color) and it was classified as EPA42-001, meaning the locomotive was rebuilt in 1985 (it was planned to rebuild more locomotives but only one was made).
After the conversion, the locomotive was assigned at MD Warszawa Odolany and sent to COBiRTK twice. In 1987 the locomotive was tested on the Warsaw - Mińsk Mazowiecki route with an experimental train no. 88641 consisting of a single measuring wagon, two or three freight wagons and a standard locomotive SM42 in the back, during tests the locomotive reached between 15 and 20 km/h and stopped at a siding where it stayed for a few hours to let the late express trains pass, the last run was to Siedlice where it left the train for the further test runs. The locomotive took another test run to Stok Lacki station, during the test run one of the locomotive's battery started refusing obedience but still managed to reach the destination reaching 40 km/h, next the locomotive reached to Mordy and came back to Warsaw.
The results were not good as intended, EPA42 proved to be weak for the intended purpose in which the problem was with hauling passenger wagons (SM42 might helped during test runs), the estimated maximum speed was never attained. The rebuild was proven unsuccessful and no further locomotives were rebuilt, the locomotive was retired in October 1996 and then scrapped in 2001.
6Dc In 1996 the design office at ZNTK Piła in cooperation with OBRPS and CBK PKP developed a project modernizing 6D locomotives into 6Dc type using components imported from Germany. ZNTK Piła rebuilt SM42-039 featuring a high speed MTU engine with more power, AC main generator, new depreciated cab, wheel flange lubrication devices, halogen headlights and radio control. The modernized locomotive was classified as SM42-2000, painted in yellow and black livery.
The locomotive was presented at Trako after being modernized, then started its operation in Warsaw, especially at MD Warszawa Odolany. The locomotive started as a yard shunter, then its stationing was moved to Zajączkowo Tczewskie and later to Chojnice, operating regional passenger and freight trains also with shunting duties in some yards. Due to unprofitability of repair of the locomotive, it was retired in 2010 and scrapped the same year in October at Zajączkowo Tczewskie.
6Dd (Ls1000)
Using the ability to rebuild T448p also S-200 equipped with power generator, PTKiGK Rybnik began to rebuild 6D locomotives into 6Dd type. Between 1997 and 1999 the first locomotive has been rebuilt in its workshop, which was SM42-2536 reclassified as Ls1000-001 with installed imported 1065 HP (783 kW) MTU drive unit, electric machinery made by Dolmel Drivers and an OBRPS compressor unit. The next locomotive rebuilt in 2002 was SM42-2197 reclassified as Ls1000-002, two of them has been rebuilt.
The first locomotive was presented at Trako 2001 in Gdańsk, both locomotives were assigned in Rybnik. In 2008 the locomotives were part of PCC intermodal group, a year later the second locomotive came in part of DB Schenker Rail Polska so as the first one in 2011. The first locomotive was purchased by Dolnośląskie Linie Autobusowe in 2013, and started operation as a maintenance locomotive under the new carrier, in 2014 it obtained a new livery while the second locomotive obtained DB schenker livery and came in part of DB Cargo Polska in 2016. Both locomotives came out of service, the first locomotive is placed in Wrocław along with other locomotives, and the second in Inowrocław.
6De
In the middle of 1990s the Huta Częstochowa initiative developed the first concept of 6D locomotive rebuild into two unit locomotive. The advantage for this solution was the ability to adjust the power for traction purposes to the actual demand, in which the case of a locomotive may vary within very wide limits. Due to the significant cost for the new engine it was decided to replace the generating set with the current engine by installing two generators from the 401Da type locomotive (16H12A engine, LSPb-495 main generator, exciter and auxiliary generator). In addition, an electric fan was used for the suction fan, compressor units with an electric drive, and the location of the traction motor fans was also changed, the chassis, braking system and the cab location were not changed as well. The locomotive's maximum speed limited to 35 km/h results in removal of traction motor bypass system, also the locomotives were adapted for radio remote control. Seven of the locomotives were rebuilt between 1999 and 2002 at Huta Częstochowa and ZNTK Poznań, the locomotives have installed beacons on top of the driver's cab and an orange triangle painted on both ends. One locomotive scrapped in 2017 which was 6De-2621, it was scrapped for unknown reason.
Zapychacz UFO
An electric variant of the SM42 series was made in 2002 by the REMB company, the reason for it is unknown. The company converted SM42-2243 into a remote control electric locomotive adding two pantographs and removing the driver's cab and other diesel traction components, its livery was repainted to orange with black stripes with a black triangle on both ends, numbered 8837 and named Zapychacz UFO due to the design and its operation. The locomotive is assigned at Huta Katowice to push loaded wagons to the wagon tippler.
6Dg
From 2007 Newag, in design cooperation with institute of rail vehicles of Kraków's university of technology, carry out comprehensive SM42 locomotive modernizations marked as 6D. From the current SM42 locomotives only chassis and bogies remain, the generator set includes CATERPILLAR C27 diesel engine and ground current main generator also the auxiliary generator, as a result the engine and electrical compartments are lowered. The locomotive gains a new outer shape also an ergonomic cab with larger windshields, having more visibility of the route.
The first copy was made in 2007 for ISD Huta Częstochowa which was then presented at Trako 2007 in Gdańsk, 2 more examples were made in 2008. A newer version was made in 2009 for PKP Cargo classified as SM42-1501 where it was presented at Trako 2009, after it was presented it came back to Newag to complete the rebuild and reclassified as SM42-1201. After the successful test run PPKP Cargo decided to oder 20 more copies, in which they were delivered between July 2010 and May 2011, Newag won the tender for the modernization of 100 locomotives for PKP Cargo.
A private railway company, PNUIK Kraków sp. z o.o. ordered two copies of 6Dg locomotives as well as KOLTAR owned by Grupa Azoty, four were delivered for both companies in 2011 classified as 6Dg, KOLTAR later decided to order more copies in which the third copy was delivered in 2012. At the end of August, a locomotive built and owned by its own company was made to expand its business to include locomotive rental which was part of the company's new strategy.
Newag still continues to rebuild 6D locomotives into 6Dg type for its private railway companies' orders.
6Dk