ABOUT TO undergo testing in Spain is a dual-gauge electric locomotive designed to run at up to 260 km/h. Starting point for the design was a prototype Talgo XXI diesel-hydraulic power car built in 1998 using a gauge-convertible power bogie developed with Krauss-Maffei and Voith.
Patentes Talgo has built the L-9202 locomotive (RG 2.05 p60) as a prototype for a fleet of 44 power cars designed to run with sets of Talgo VII trailers. The 22 trainsets are intended to provide direct services to Madrid and Barcelona from towns and cities off the standard gauge AVE network that is now taking shape.
The L-9202 has a cab at each end, whereas the series build of power cars will have a cab at one end only. The series vehicles will feature a number of other differences, including the design of the electrical equipment.
The bodyshell of the L-9202 is a monocoque welded steel design and the cabs are pressure-sealed. Bogies are derivatives of those used on the diesel-hydraulic power car which attained a record speed of 256 km/h during trials in 2002. Talgo has not released further details of the bogie design, but a description of the final drive for the Talgo XXI was published in RG 2.01 p61. Maximum speed will be 260 km/h on standard gauge lines and 220 km/h on the 1668mm gauge network.
Four pantographs are provided: two for the 3 kV DC power supply on Spain's 1668mm gauge network and two for the 25 kV 50Hz supply on AVE lines. The policy of duplicating equipment to provide a high level of redundancy also applies to other items such as the coolers for the main transformer and converters.
Electrical equipment has been supplied by Team SA, an Ingelectric-Team subsidiary. Power is fed to a pair of four-quadrant converters with 6·5 kV IGBTs that feed the four asynchronous traction motors independently with variable voltage and variable frequency. Rated at 850 kW at 4500rev/min, each motor is independently cooled. Regenerative braking is fitted, and there are two 200 kVA auxiliary converters integrated with the main traction converters.
The locomotive is designed to accept equipment for ETCS Levels 1 and 2, and for trials it has been fitted with LZB inductive train control as well as ASFA, the Spanish train protection system. GSM-R train radio and the standard Spanish train radio equipment are provided.
Development of the locomotive was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science & Technology.
Principal data for L-9202 gauge-convertible electric locomotive
Wheel arrangement Bo-Bo
Power supply 3 kV DC, 25 kV 50Hz
Overall length mm 19400
Height mm 4304
Distance between bogie centres mm 11000
Bogie wheelbase mm 2800
Maximum speed km/h on 1435mm gauge 260
on 1668mm gauge 220
Continuous rating at wheel rim kW 3200
One-hour rating at wheel rim kW 3600
Maximum tractive effort kN 160
Axleload tonnes 18·5
- CAPTION: Equipment is installed on each side of a central access gangway
- CAPTION: The prototype L-9202 locomotive has been named Virgen del Buen Camino
