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Britain's BEMU tests


Densha

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Just about time british engineers start to discover this new technology. Around 100 years after it was first used. http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preußischer_AT_1 The original Prussian prototypes were not built as BEMU-s, they were rebuilt from conventional commuter stock by the Siemens Schuckert Werke in 1907.  :)

 

edit: Can we say that this was the first high cab design emu?

Edited by kvp
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The German wiki shows quite a few older BEMU's: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akku-Triebwagen

 

I also just found out here (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stra%C3%9Fenbahn_%C3%8Ele-de-France#1881:_Stra.C3.9Fenbahn_mit_Akkumulatoren) that there were tramcars in Paris in 1881 that used batteries that were charged with cables at recharging stations: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Recharge_d%27un_tram_%C3%A0_accumulateur_TPDS_%C3%A0_Pont_de_Puteaux.jpg

 

The whole thing is that this technology has been around for long, but never was a big success because only small distances with light trains could be covered by those batteries. While nowadays this technology can be used by normal trains, speed and distance is still not very high for these trains.

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Actually there is an earlier british BEMU, one of my favourite 3rd rail electrics, the MLV or motor luggage van. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_419 The batteries were used to move the trains they were attached to (usually 4cep-s) on boat train services around the docks where installing 3rd rail was not an option. They were used between 1959 and 2004, so i think this is where they got the idea for the current electrostar mod. Especially after battery electric road vehicles are getting popular again.

 

http://railphotoprints.zenfolio.com/cdn/pub/k9zums9em9cy/0/null/mh/dp6zz5vruo_1qy2b7pi4/s2/v52/p865158047-5.jpg

Edited by kvp
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My country used to have a battery powered loco back then before 1940, when the Dutch were still here.

 

No photographs anyway, neither a piece of metal from that loco still exist.

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Davo Dentetsu

Tyne and Wear Metro have have a pair battery locos for maintenance and emergency movement of stock, as do London Underground.  Technology and efficiency will come along in leaps and bounds to make this a more common thing however.

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