Rollout of English “Class 43” high speed trains (HST) with mtu 16V 4000 engines

• First-time repowering of English traction heads with low emissions
• Highly economical and reliable 1680 kW performance with low emissions
• mtu Engineering for optimum integration in the traction head

On May 11, 2005, the English locomotive manufacturer Brush Traction, Loughborough/Midlands, presented two “Class 43” high speed trains, capable of speeds of up to 200 kilometers per hour, as part of their rollout. The trains were each repowered with a 1680 kW 16V Series 4000 diesel engine by the German drive system manufacturer MTU Friedrichshafen for the rail leasing company Angel Trains. The mtu engines are both replacing 30-year-old Paxman engines. The train is being leased to the operator First Great Western (FGW).

As a rail operator, the key factors for FGW in choosing mtu engines were the low exhaust and noise emissions, high reliability, low consumption, and the favorable life cycle costs this entails. The new drive system therefore satisfies both FGW’s rising economic requirements as an operator and the current environmental standards of the international rail industry.

The operator has high expectations of the drive systems, which are the core component of the traction heads, as these trains are the nation’s leaders in terms of capacity. The high level of acceptance by rail customers is due not least to the fact that the trains have so far met their high standards of punctuality and reliability. The high speed train with the repowered traction heads is to be tested in trial operations for a six-month period from June onwards. It will run on its future operating route of central and southern England. Based on the trial phase, a decision will be made on refitting the rest of the fleet.

Integrating a state-of-the-art diesel engine into an existing drive system is a demanding task, as the new engine must be adapted to the technical characteristics and interfaces of the traction heads. The Series 4000 is ideally suited for this type of application. In particular, this is thanks to the flexible MDEC (= mtu Diesel Engine Control) engine electronics, which can be customized to the existing drive control configuration.

mtu Engineering for optimum integration in the traction head

A major factor in the successful integration of the engine was mtu with its high levels of system expertise. mtu engineers also cooperated closely with its system partner Brush Traction in all critical project phases. Thus, the Friedrichshafen electronics specialists adapted the engine’s electronics specifically for this locomotive. Control and monitoring data are transmitted to the existing train control system’s interfaces via the MDEC electronics.

Series 4000 engines: high performance, low emissions

The Series 4000 engine has earned an excellent reputation, both as state-of-the-art drive technology for repowering projects and for new locomotives. Fitted with common rail injection technology and an electronic engine management system, the Series 4000 combines high performance with economy and low emissions. The engines are available in 8-, 12-, 16- and 20-cylinder variants with a finely graded performance range. To date, 1.150 engines of this series have been ordered for rail vehicles, and Series 4000 engines are now used by more than 25 rail operators in Europe and Asia.

In addition to Brush, other manufacturers also use Series 4000 engines for repowering projects. One example is the refitting of 52 of the French BB66000 multi-purpose locomotives for the company Socofer. mtu provided a 1500kW 12V 4000 engine for each of these trains. 400 Deutsche Bahn V290 series multi-purpose locomotives were also equipped with an 850 kW 8V Series 4000 engine.

As a system provider, mtu also offers the PowerModule, a complete diesel-electric drive system with a powerful 2000 kW 16V Series 4000 engine. PowerModules are used, for example, in Siemens Transportation Systems’ diesel-electric ER 20 mainline locomotive. The Austrian National Railway, Österreichische Bundesbahnen, has ordered 100 units, which they operate as Rh 2016 or “Hercules.” Further ER 20 trains are in service in Germany and Hong Kong. One of the most-recent large-scale orders has been placed by the French National Railway, SNCF: mtu will be supplying a PowerModule for the drive system of each of the 400 diesel-electronic BB475000 series locomotives.