Luxtorpeda
Encyclopedia
Luxtorpeda was a common name of a famous Polish
train, which ran on some of the most important rail routes of Poland in the 1930s. A Luxtorpeda consisted of a single, first-class only railcar
, with its own internal combustion engine.
and some 1.5 m lower than the standard rail carriage
) and its high operational speed. Luxtorpedas looked like a hybrid between a limousine
and a bus
.
engines, which had been produced since early 1930s by the Austro-Daimler
company. Such a railcar was leased
(later purchased) by the Polish State Railways
in 1933. As successful tests were carried out on Polish rail lines, Poland bought a license
for the railcar.
Engineer Klemens Stefan Sielecki
of The First Factory of Locomotives in Poland Ltd. (usually referred to as Fablok
) in Chrzanów
started becoming highly involved in 1935 with the development of the construction of Luxtorpeda, which was a technical innovation in its time. Also in 1935 he was nominated as deputy head of the technical department. In 1936 Fablok built five Polish Luxtorpedas under his guidance. The Luxtorpedas by Fablok were slightly different from their Austrian counterparts, the biggest difference being the use of more powerful Diesel engines which were able to reach a speed of 115 km/h.
PKP luxtorpedas were allocated a class SAx and numbered 90 080 (Austrian-made) and 90 081 to 90 085 (Polish-made). It was decided to equip Polish-built luxtorpedas with diesel
type D4086 engines supplied by MAN AG, in contrast to the gasoline engines of the Austrian version. This change was due to a lower fuel cost, as well as the reduced fire and explosion risk. The water cooled engines were mounted at each end of the railcar, at the front of the driving cabins. Transmission was hydraulic (torque converter
and fluid coupling
), supplied by Voith
. Each engine had its own mechanical reversing gear and transmission, both located underneath the cabin. The speed of both engines could be controlled from one cab, but starting and stopping them, reversing, as well as switching between the two transmission systems (at the speed around 75–80 km/h, or 46.60 to 49.70 mph), had to be done independently for each engine. Therefore in most cases two drivers were needed. They communicated with each other using a signalling system that consisted of a set of colour lights and an electric bell.
The maximum speed reached during trials was 120 km/h (74.56 mph), with 100–105 km/h (62.13 to 65.24 mph) set as a practical operational maximum.
Due to the lack of buffers
and couplings
it was impossible to join the railcars together, or to attach a Luxtorpeda to ordinary rolling stock. Therefore, Luxtorpedas always travelled as separate units. However, a special connecting rod, 1.4 m long, was carried in each railcar for emergency coupling to standard railroad car
s or locomotive
s.
, and from there they went to the Tatra Mountains
resort of Zakopane
. The 147 kilometres (91.3 mi) distance between the two cities, a difficult route with many reverse curves of 190 m (623.35 feet) radius and grades of up to 2.7%, was covered with an average time of 2 hours and 45 minutes. In 1936 a luxtorpeda beat the record, with 2 hours and 18 minutes. This record has not been superseded, so far. Luxtorpedas also traveled from Kraków to Warsaw
, Katowice
, other mountain resorts and Krynica via Tarnów
(only in the summer season). They also worked between Warsaw and Łódź and were scheduled to operate between Warsaw and Poznań
from autumn 1939.
Furthermore, according to the Summer 1939 Schedule, trains marked as MtE traveled from Lwów to Boryslaw
(via Stryj
and Drohobycz), Zaleszczyki (via Tarnopol) and Kolomyja
(via Stanisławów
). Also, an MtE train ran in the summer from Warsaw to Suwałki, via Białystok and Augustów
. However, it is difficult to establish whether these trains were luxtorpedas.
After the Polish September Campaign, only two Fablok-made luxtorpedas stationed in Kraków remained serviceable, the other railcars having been destroyed. They were used as special "Only for Germans
" trains, traveling from Kraków to Zakopane and Krynica. After World War II, only one railcar was rebuilt using the remaining spare parts from the second. However, due to the lack of parts and suitable maintenance workshops, the Luxtorpeda could not be made to run at anywhere near its design speed and was allocated to operate local services near Trzebinia
. Around 1954, both remaining Luxtorpedas were scrapped.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
train, which ran on some of the most important rail routes of Poland in the 1930s. A Luxtorpeda consisted of a single, first-class only railcar
Railcar
A railcar, in British English and Australian English, is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach , with a driver's cab at one or both ends. Some railways, e.g., the Great Western...
, with its own internal combustion engine.
Name
Luxtorpeda (roughly translated as luxury torpedo) was not the official name of these trains — in the timetable they were called "Pociąg Motorowo-Ekspresowy MtE" ("Motor-Express Train", Motor then meaning an internal combustion engine). The common name was inspired by the unusual look of the railcar (streamlinedStreamliner
A streamliner is a vehicle incorporating streamlining in a shape providing reduced air resistance. The term is applied to high-speed railway trainsets of the 1930s to 1950s, and to their successor "bullet trains". Less commonly, the term is applied to fully faired recumbent bicycles...
and some 1.5 m lower than the standard rail carriage
Railroad car
A railroad car or railway vehicle , also known as a bogie in Indian English, is a vehicle on a rail transport system that is used for the carrying of cargo or passengers. Cars can be coupled together into a train and hauled by one or more locomotives...
) and its high operational speed. Luxtorpedas looked like a hybrid between a limousine
Limousine
A limousine is a luxury sedan or saloon car, especially one with a lengthened wheelbase or driven by a chauffeur. The chassis of a limousine may have been extended by the manufacturer or by an independent coachbuilder. These are called "stretch" limousines and are traditionally black or white....
and a bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
.
Background
The design of a Luxtorpeda was based on an Austrian railcar type VT63 with two gasolineGasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
engines, which had been produced since early 1930s by the Austro-Daimler
Austro-Daimler
Austro-Daimler was an Austrian automaker company, from 1899 until 1934. It was subsidiary of the German Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft .-Early history:...
company. Such a railcar was leased
Leasing
Leasing is a process by which a firm can obtain the use of a certain fixed assets for which it must pay a series of contractual, periodic, tax deductible payments....
(later purchased) by the Polish State Railways
Polskie Koleje Panstwowe
is the dominant railway operator in Poland.The company was founded when the former state-owned operator was divided into several units based on the requirements laid down by the European Union...
in 1933. As successful tests were carried out on Polish rail lines, Poland bought a license
License
The verb license or grant licence means to give permission. The noun license or licence refers to that permission as well as to the document recording that permission.A license may be granted by a party to another party as an element of an agreement...
for the railcar.
Engineer Klemens Stefan Sielecki
Klemens Stefan Sielecki
Klemens Stefan Sielecki was a Polish engineer and technical director of the first Polish Locomotive Factory Fablok in Chrzanów in the post-war years until 1964....
of The First Factory of Locomotives in Poland Ltd. (usually referred to as Fablok
Fablok
Fablok is a Polish manufacturer of steam locomotives, based in Chrzanów. Until 1947 the official name was The First Factory of Locomotives in Poland Ltd. , Fablok being a widely used syllabic abbreviation of Fabryka Lokomotyw. It is now named "BUMAR - FABLOK S.A. "...
) in Chrzanów
Chrzanów
Chrzanów is a town in south Poland with 39,704 inhabitants . It is situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship and is the capital of Chrzanów County.- To 1809:...
started becoming highly involved in 1935 with the development of the construction of Luxtorpeda, which was a technical innovation in its time. Also in 1935 he was nominated as deputy head of the technical department. In 1936 Fablok built five Polish Luxtorpedas under his guidance. The Luxtorpedas by Fablok were slightly different from their Austrian counterparts, the biggest difference being the use of more powerful Diesel engines which were able to reach a speed of 115 km/h.
Technical data
| SAx 90 080 | SAx 90 081...5 | |
|---|---|---|
| wheel arrangement | 1A-A1 | 1A-A1 |
| distance between bogie Bogie A bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. In mechanics terms, a bogie is a chassis or framework carrying wheels, attached to a vehicle. It can be fixed in place, as on a cargo truck, mounted on a swivel, as on a railway carriage/car or locomotive, or sprung as in the suspension of a caterpillar... axles (m) |
2.950 | 3.070 |
| length (m) | 22.500 | 22.500 |
| width (m) | 2.800 | 2.817 |
| height (m) | 2.640 | 2.638 |
| weight (t) (in working order) |
? | 22 |
| wheel diameter (mm) | 1030 | 1030 |
| seating capacity | 56 fixed seats 18 folding seats |
48 or 52 fixed seats 4 folding seats |
| number of engines | 2 (gasoline) | 2 (diesel) |
| cylinders *) | ? | 6 |
| engine power *) (kW) | 59 | 92 |
| fuel consumption *) (kg/100 km) (on level track) |
? | 15.15 |
| *)per engine | ||
PKP luxtorpedas were allocated a class SAx and numbered 90 080 (Austrian-made) and 90 081 to 90 085 (Polish-made). It was decided to equip Polish-built luxtorpedas with diesel
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
type D4086 engines supplied by MAN AG, in contrast to the gasoline engines of the Austrian version. This change was due to a lower fuel cost, as well as the reduced fire and explosion risk. The water cooled engines were mounted at each end of the railcar, at the front of the driving cabins. Transmission was hydraulic (torque converter
Torque converter
In modern usage, a torque converter is generally a type of hydrodynamic fluid coupling that is used to transfer rotating power from a prime mover, such as an internal combustion engine or electric motor, to a rotating driven load...
and fluid coupling
Fluid coupling
A fluid coupling is a hydrodynamic device used to transmit rotating mechanical power. It has been used in automobile transmissions as an alternative to a mechanical clutch...
), supplied by Voith
Voith
The Voith GmbH, which is headquartered in Germany, is a family-run corporation in the mechanical engineering sector with worldwide operations....
. Each engine had its own mechanical reversing gear and transmission, both located underneath the cabin. The speed of both engines could be controlled from one cab, but starting and stopping them, reversing, as well as switching between the two transmission systems (at the speed around 75–80 km/h, or 46.60 to 49.70 mph), had to be done independently for each engine. Therefore in most cases two drivers were needed. They communicated with each other using a signalling system that consisted of a set of colour lights and an electric bell.
The maximum speed reached during trials was 120 km/h (74.56 mph), with 100–105 km/h (62.13 to 65.24 mph) set as a practical operational maximum.
Due to the lack of buffers
Buffer (rail transport)
A buffer is a part of the buffers-and-chain coupling system used on the railway systems of many countries, among them most of those in Europe, for attaching railway vehicles to one another....
and couplings
Coupling (railway)
A coupling is a mechanism for connecting rolling stock in a train. The design of the coupler is standard, and is almost as important as the railway gauge, since flexibility and convenience are maximised if all rolling stock can be coupled together.The equipment that connects the couplings to the...
it was impossible to join the railcars together, or to attach a Luxtorpeda to ordinary rolling stock. Therefore, Luxtorpedas always travelled as separate units. However, a special connecting rod, 1.4 m long, was carried in each railcar for emergency coupling to standard railroad car
Railroad car
A railroad car or railway vehicle , also known as a bogie in Indian English, is a vehicle on a rail transport system that is used for the carrying of cargo or passengers. Cars can be coupled together into a train and hauled by one or more locomotives...
s or locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s.
Routes
The Luxtorpeda's main base was at KrakówKraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, and from there they went to the Tatra Mountains
Tatra Mountains
The Tatra Mountains, Tatras or Tatra , are a mountain range which forms a natural border between Slovakia and Poland, and are the highest mountain range in the Carpathian Mountains...
resort of Zakopane
Zakopane
Zakopane , is a town in southern Poland. It lies in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998 it was in of Nowy Sącz Province, but since 1999 it has been in Lesser Poland Province. It had a population of about 28,000 as of 2004. Zakopane is a...
. The 147 kilometres (91.3 mi) distance between the two cities, a difficult route with many reverse curves of 190 m (623.35 feet) radius and grades of up to 2.7%, was covered with an average time of 2 hours and 45 minutes. In 1936 a luxtorpeda beat the record, with 2 hours and 18 minutes. This record has not been superseded, so far. Luxtorpedas also traveled from Kraków to Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Katowice
Katowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
, other mountain resorts and Krynica via Tarnów
Tarnów
Tarnów is a city in southeastern Poland with 115,341 inhabitants as of June 2009. The city has been situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999, but from 1975 to 1998 it was the capital of the Tarnów Voivodeship. It is a major rail junction, located on the strategic east-west connection...
(only in the summer season). They also worked between Warsaw and Łódź and were scheduled to operate between Warsaw and Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
from autumn 1939.
Furthermore, according to the Summer 1939 Schedule, trains marked as MtE traveled from Lwów to Boryslaw
Boryslav
Boryslav is a city located on the Tysmenytsia River , in the Lviv Oblast of western Ukraine. The city is designated as a separate raion within the oblast....
(via Stryj
Stryi
Stryi is a city located on the left bank of the river Stryi in the Lviv Oblast of western Ukraine . Serving as the administrative center of the Stryi Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast. Thus, the city has two administrations - the city and the raion...
and Drohobycz), Zaleszczyki (via Tarnopol) and Kolomyja
Kolomyia
Kolomyia or Kolomyya, formerly known as Kolomea , is a city located on the Prut River in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast , in western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative centre of the Kolomyia Raion , the city is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast...
(via Stanisławów
Ivano-Frankivsk
Ivano-Frankivsk is a historic city located in the western Ukraine. It is the administrative centre of the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast , and is designated as its own separate raion within the oblast, municipality....
). Also, an MtE train ran in the summer from Warsaw to Suwałki, via Białystok and Augustów
Augustów
Augustów is a town in north-eastern Poland with 29,600 inhabitants . It lies on the Netta River and the Augustów Canal. It is situated in the Podlaskie Voivodeship , having previously been in Suwałki Voivodeship . It is the seat of Augustów County and of Gmina Augustów.In 1970 Augustów became...
. However, it is difficult to establish whether these trains were luxtorpedas.
Final years
Nur für Deutsche
The slogan Nur für Deutsche was during World War II, in many German-occupied countries, a racialist slogan indicating that certain establishments and transportation were reserved only for Germans...
" trains, traveling from Kraków to Zakopane and Krynica. After World War II, only one railcar was rebuilt using the remaining spare parts from the second. However, due to the lack of parts and suitable maintenance workshops, the Luxtorpeda could not be made to run at anywhere near its design speed and was allocated to operate local services near Trzebinia
Trzebinia
Trzebinia is a town in Chrzanów County, Lesser Poland, Poland with an Orlen oil refinery and a major rail junction of the Kraków - Katowice line that connections to Oświęcim and Spytkowice.-History:...
. Around 1954, both remaining Luxtorpedas were scrapped.
Literature
- Urzedowy rozklad jazdy i lotow Polskich Kolei Panstwowych "Lato 1939", Warszawa 1939 (Polish State Railroads Official Schedule Summer 1939, Warsaw 1939) See: Polish State Railroads Summer 1939