Düwag Wadloper

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ManufacturerDüwag
Constructed1981–1983
Formations
s+s
Width2,856 millimetres (9.370 ft)
Düwag Wadloper[1]
Wadloper with the number 3105, in the colors of Nederlandse Spoorwegen
ManufacturerDüwag
Constructed1981–1983
Formations
s+s
Specifications
Width2,856 millimetres (9.370 ft)
Height3,600 millimetres (11.8 ft)
Platform height1,220 millimetres (4.00 ft)
Wheel diameter840 millimetres (2.76 ft)
Maximum speed100 kilometres per hour (62 mph)
Prime moverCummins NT 855 R4
Transmissionhydraulic
Braking systemKnorr

Düwag Wadloper is a family of diesel railcars (type DH1, Polish SN82 series) and diesel multiple units (type DH2, Polish SN83 series) produced by the German Düwag plant in Düsseldorf. Between 1981 and 1983, a total of 50 vehicles of this kind were built specifically for the Dutch Nederlandse Spoorwegen railroad. At the beginning of the 21st century, they were mainly operated by private carriers; in 2006 they began to be phased out, and in 2008 they were sold to other countries. The trains went to carriers from Poland, Argentina and Romania. They were operated by Przewozy Regionalne, Masovian Railways and Koleje Śląskie, and also used by Trenes de Buenos Aires to operate a cross-border service between Argentina and Uruguay. They currently operate services connecting Argentina with Paraguay, and are operated in Poland by SKPL Cargo (mainly in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship), as well as on several lines in Romania.

Origins

In the early 1970s, Dutch railroads Nederlandse Spoorwegen faced the need to replace a total of 76 Type DE1 diesel railcars and Type DE2 units called Blue Angels (Blauwe Engelen). The operation of these vehicles dating from 1953 to 1955 should have ended in the 1980s, but traffic had to be maintained on the routes they served. In 1976, in view of the situation, a team was formed to resolve the issue of endangered routes. In 1977, it was decided to preserve service on the side lines with new trains that were cheaper to operate.[2]

On February 4, 1978, the carrier hired German unit 627 008 [pl] for two weeks of test runs, after which they began looking for a supplier of new rolling stock. German manufacturers Waggonfabrik Uerdingen and Linke-Hofmann-Busch submitted their bids. The first manufacturer's proposal of Ym wagons was rejected due to outdated design and excessive fuel consumption, while the VT2E vehicles offered by the second factory were dropped because of insufficient parameters and too high a price.[2][3]

In the end, it was decided to cooperate with Germany's Düwag, which produced the 627 008 vehicle under test. Its parameters were deemed appropriate, and the vehicles for the Dutch carrier were made similar to the Deutsche Bahn railroad's 627 and 628 class cars.[2]

Production

Between 1981 and 1982, 31 DH2 two-car sets were produced at the Düwag plant in Düsseldorf, while 19 DH1 wagons were built at the same plant in 1983. The vehicles went to the Dutch railroads Nederlandse Spoorwegen, which named them Wadloper (Dutch for tidal flat wanderer) as a result of a competition held in 1983.[2]

Construction

Operation

References

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