EN3

Prerequisites for the appearance of

After the collapse of the USSR, freight traffic fell sharply in Russia , and therefore many locomotives were freed from the railroads and new ones were not bought. Therefore, at the Novocherkassk Electric Locomotive Plant, simultaneously with the cessation of production of VL85 freight electric locomotives in 1994 ^[1] , and in 1995 - VL80 ^{S [2]} , it was decided to begin development of passenger electric locomotives and suburban electric trains. The question arose about the construction and testing of the electric train EN1 with the electric equipment of the electric locomotive VL80 ^R (collector motors, thyristor regulation and regenerative braking), which could be manufactured already in 1996 ^[3] .

At this time, the pilot ring successfully tested the prototype section with an asynchronous traction drive, during which it was possible to solve a number of problems associated with this type of drive. Then the Ministry of Railways decided to cancel the design of the electric train EN1 with a collector drive and the beginning of the creation of a new electric train with an asynchronous drive. Since traditionally alternating current electric trains were assigned odd series designations, and even trains were used for direct current trains, the new train received the designation of the EN3 series ^[3] .

Design

The development of the train was ordered and funded by the Ministry of Railways of the Russian Federation and supported by state authorities. In the design of the electric train, components of only domestic production were laid ^[4] . Design was carried out by specialists of the Novocherkassk plant in conjunction with the All-Russian Research and Design Institute of Electric Locomotive Engineering (VELNII) and a number of other enterprises. In addition to NEVZ and VELNII, the following companies worked on the train: JSC Demikhovsky Machine-Building Plant (body and trolleys), as well as Sibstankoelectroprivod, Moscow State University of Railway Engineering (MGUPS / MIIT) and the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Railway Transport (VNIIZhT) over the creation of an asynchronous traction drive and microprocessor control system . The main design work was completed in 1998 ^[3] .

Production

The bodywork was based on the bodies of 21.5 meters long ED9T electric trains manufactured by the Demikhovsky Plant with wide vestibules, from which carts were also borrowed almost without changes. The Novocherkassk plant designed its own frontal mask design for the train for the train for the train and supplied part of the electrical equipment, including traction motors ^[5] , and the Novosibirsk plant Sibstankoelectroprivod delivered the traction inverter and microprocessor control system ^[3] . Due to the large size of the traction electrical equipment compared to that used on trains with commutator engines, including the cooling system of traction inverters, the designers were forced to transfer part of the undercarriage electrical equipment to new cabinets in the vestibule, thereby reducing the capacity of the cabin ^[6] . As a result, an AC suburban electric train with smooth thyristor regulation, asynchronous traction drive and regenerative braking was created ^[3] .

The assembly of the experimental five-car electric train EN3-001 was started at the end of 1998 and for the most part completed by the end of next year, but the train was finally assembled in the winter of 2000 ^[7] . The initial project envisaged designating a ten-car train consisting of two five-car electric train sections ^[3] (connected by a multi-unit eight-car train ER22 and ER11 , formed from two four-car train trains with a common number) as one numbering unit ^{[8] [9 ] [9 ] ]} . Initially, all five wagons of the train were planned to be produced in a suburban design, but during the production, after visiting the plant by the mayor of Novocherkassk, at his request, the interior of the towed intermediate car was converted into an interregional express-type design with soft folding unilateral seats and a bar ^{[3] [10]} .

At the end of 2000, it was planned to manufacture two more five-car trains as part of the installation series, and in 2001 to release two more similar trains, but not a single train was released ^{[4] [11]} .

Electric train EN3 is designed for commuter passenger traffic on sections of railways with a gauge of 1520 mm, electrified with alternating current of a frequency of 50 Hz with a rated voltage in the contact network of 25 kV ^[12] . Train cars have combined doors and can be operated on sections with both low and high platforms ^{[to 3] [7] [13]} . The train is designed to operate at an outdoor temperature of -50 ° C to + 60 ° C ^[12] .

The electric train ЭН3 was positioned by the manufacturer as a promising replacement for the obsolete electric trains of the ER9 series with collector engines ^[4] . According to the manufacturer, in comparison with them, the electric train EN3 has 15-18% less power consumption for train traction; and the costs of maintenance and repair due to the ease of maintenance of induction motors are reduced by 20-25% ^[12] .

Composition

The EN3 electric train is formed of three types of cars - trailed head cars with a control cabin (PG), engine intermediate with current collectors (MP) and trailer intermediate (PP) ^{[3] [12] [10]} . The project provided for the formation of both single trains, comprising from five to nine cars, two of which are head trains, and twin trains linked by a system of many units , which can be controlled from one cabin as a single train, but if necessary, can be divided into two independent trains . Thanks to the use of asynchronous traction motors with a power of 350 kW instead of traditional collector motors with a power of 220-250 kW, the power of the electric train increases by about one and a half times, due to which, when forming the composition, not one but one and a half trailed cars can fall on one motor car ^{[14] [12]} .

The formation of each single train is carried out according to the principle of electric sections, each of which includes one trailed head or intermediate car and one motor intermediate car. Electric sections with head cars are considered head sections, others - intermediate. In one of the head sections in front of or behind the motor carriage, another trailed intermediate carriage can be additionally included. A trailer car is considered to be the front part of each section, after which the motor on the current collector side is connected by narrow windows in the direction of the front car, while another intermediate car can be hooked between them or behind the motor in one of the sections. At the same time, the intermediate sections are usually turned in the same direction as the nearest head ones, that is, motor cars are usually turned by current collectors to the nearest head ^[14] .

One-piece compositions with an even number of cars (6 or 8) consist of an equal number of motor and trailed cars, that is, they are composed according to the formula (Пг + Мп) + 1..2 × (Пп + Мп) + (Мп + Пг), and the composition with an odd number of wagons (5, 7 or 9) are obtained by adding the wagon PP respectively to one of the head sections according to the scheme PG + PP + MP (first option) or PG + MP + PP (second option). The double trains for the project were formed of only two five-car trains, since the use of trains with a length of more than 10 cars was considered unclaimed, although technically they could include a larger number of cars. A double ten-car composition consisting of two five-car cars linked according to the scheme (Pg + Mn + Pn) + (Mn + Pg) (the first option) ^{[3] [10]} or (Pg + Pn + Mn) + (Mp + Pg) (second option) ^{[14] [12]} .

The experimental electric train EN3-001 was built in a five-car structure ^[3] . In fact, it is one of these couplers, arranged according to the scheme of the second option (Pr + Pr + Mn + Mn + Pr) ^{[7] [13]} .

Numbering and Marking

The composition received a three-digit spelling number (001); at the same time, the numbering system for trains and wagons generally corresponds to the Soviet one. The marking on the front of the head carriages contains the designation of the EN3 composition (above the automatic coupler) and its number 001 (under the windshields, shifted to the left edge) ^[7] .

Each train car received its number in a five-digit format, where the first three digits are the train number, the last two are the car number. The marking of intermediate cars was made under the windows in the center in the format EN3-001.XX , where XX is the number of the car. For head cars, it was originally made on the side wall of the cabin (since the decorative inscription NEVZ 2000 VELNII was located in the central part of the side). At the same time, motor cars got even numbers, trailed - odd ones. The difference from the numbering for RVZ electric trains is that the head cars received numbers 01 and 05 (and not 01 and 09), that is, the numbers of the cars would coincide with the numbers of their position in the composition for the case of the arrangement according to the first (symmetric) option: 001.01 ( Pg) + 001.02 (Mp) + 001.03 (Pp) + 001.04 (Mp) + 001.05 (Pg). Another difference is that the number XX on EN3 was separated from the composition number by a dot. Also, a plate with the logo of the NEVZ plant ^{[7] [13]} was fixed on the side walls of the cabs.

Specifications

The main parameters of the electric train series EN3: ^{[3] [12] [14] [5] [10]}

On March 3, 2000 , shortly after graduation, the electric train was presented to representatives of government agencies, railway companies and the press ^[15] , during which the electric train was put on display and rolled guests on a factory test ring ^{[3] [15]} . Passengers of the train noted its high smoothness ^[15] .

After testing on the NEVZ ring, the electric train was sent twice to the VNIIZhT ring in Shcherbinka, Moscow Region, to undergo certification tests in 2001 and 2004. However, serious flaws were identified in the operation of the equipment, and the main one was the design of the traction converter, which often overheated above normal, despite the fact that a lot of space was allocated for the ventilation system in the car space. Due to problems with the traction inverter, the train could not pass the certification and was sent for refining to the plant ^[6] .

In June 2004, the leadership of the North Caucasus Railway , interested in acquiring a train, transferred NEVZ to finalize its design 15.7 million rubles allocated from the budget of the Rostov Region for state support of railway transport. After that, it was planned that in October the train would go into passenger operation ^[16] . However, the train still needed serious improvements, and despite the fact that the tests of the electric train continued ^[6] , the financing of the project at some stage suddenly ended. NEVZ, after the crisis ended, was again able to switch to the supply of electric locomotives and traction units and was actively engaged in arranging the serial production of freight electric locomotives of the ES5K and ES4K families , which is why it lost interest in further improving EN3. In addition, the design of the train in many aspects was inherited from Soviet times and became obsolete, so further work on EN3 was deemed inappropriate ^[5] . The EN3 tests remained incomplete, and the train was not allowed to operate continuously with passengers ^[3] .

Nevertheless, the non-certified train was still acquired by the North Caucasus Railway and sent to the depot ТМ-4 Rostov-Glavny ^[13] , but was never put into passenger operation. The train periodically made experimental trips without passengers, based both in the depot and on the basis of the Rostov-Zapadny reserve. Later, the head car (EN3-001.05) was transferred to the Rostov Museum of Railway Engineering . The remaining cars were transferred to the reserve (as of the end of 2013 , they were on the basis of the Rostov-Zapadny reserve). In October 2015 , they were spotted at the Rostov- Glavny station under locomotive traction; destination and transportation destination unknown ^[7] .

Comments

Sources

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• AND I. Loginov, B.M. Naumov, V.I. Chernyshov, N.M. Kozhemyaka. Overvoltage in an autonomous current inverter of electric train EN3 // Vestnik VELNII: journal. - 2005. - No. 2 .
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• AND I. Loginov, N.M. Kozhemyaka. Investigation of the processes of development and elimination of excessive slip of wheel pairs of the EN3 electric train // Vestnik VELNII: journal. - 2006. - No. 1 .

• EN3-001 - photo gallery and postscript (neopr.) . TrainPix . Date of treatment August 2, 2016.
• EN3-001 - photo gallery and postscript (neopr.) . Russian electric trains . Date of treatment August 2, 2016.