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The Heilmann locomotives were a series of three experimental steam-electric locomotives produced in the 1890s for the French
Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest The Compagnie des chemins de fer de l'Ouest (CF de l'Ouest), often referred to simply as ''L'Ouest'' or ''Ouest'', was an early French railway company which operated from the years 1855 through 1909. History Birth of the company The Compa ...
(CF de l'Ouest). A
prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and software programming. A prototype is generally used to ...
was built in 1894 and two larger locomotives were built in 1897. These locomotives used electric transmission, much like later-popular
diesel-electric locomotive A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving wheels ...
s and various other self powered locomotives.


La Fusée Electrique

In 1890 registered a patent (France №. 207055) for a self powered electric vehicle; the design was intended to eliminate the unbalanced oscillatory moments and " hammer blow" caused by the cranked action of a conventional mechanical steam locomotive. His design used a balanced steam engine to drive the locomotive via an electrical transmission (an
electrical generator In electricity generation, a generator is a device that converts motive power ( mechanical energy) or fuel-based power ( chemical energy) into electric power for use in an external circuit. Sources of mechanical energy include steam turbines, ...
driving
electric motors An electric motor is an electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a wire winding to generate forc ...
via controlling rheostats and switches). Heilmann wished to create a machine specifically suited for high-speed trains without the high costs of an electrified infrastructure. His earliest design was of a trainset consisting of a vehicle with a triple expansion steam engine (of 600 hp.The
horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are t ...
figure is given as ''chevaux'' and likely to be ''
metric horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are the ...
'', which is ~736W, and not the figure for ''mechanical horsepower'' of 746W.
) and generator (providing 480 hp @ 80% expected efficiency), a tender and three carriages. The entire train was to run on bogies, and use a distributed traction system provided by 12 axle-mounted electric motors in the three carriages. The first real locomotive built to Heilmann's design was a prototype steam-electric locomotive, with boiler, steam engine, generator and motors built into a single locomotive; construction began in 1892 and was complete in August 1893,Ch. Jacquin (1894), "La locomotive électrique Heilmann"
pp.361-364
/ref> and named ''Fusée'' (also known as ''La Fusée Électrique''; en, The Electric Rocket), a reference to the 1830 Stephenson locomotive "''
Rocket A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entir ...
''". The steam engine (designed by
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(SLM) at
Winterthur , neighboring_municipalities = Brütten, Dinhard, Elsau, Hettlingen, Illnau-Effretikon, Kyburg, Lindau, Neftenbach, Oberembrach, Pfungen, Rickenbach, Schlatt, Seuzach, Wiesendangen, Zell , twintowns = Hall in Tirol (Austria ...
, Switzerland.) and boiler were built at the '' Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée'' in
Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very ...
, the electrical equipment was designed and built at Brown, Boveri & Compagnie of
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, whilst the locomotive frame and bogies were built at the Compagnie de Materiel de Chemins de Fer. The locomotive had a (@ 300 to 400  rpm) two-cylinder horizontal compound steam engine with transversely mounted cylinders of diameter by 300 mm (11 in) stroke. It was supplied with steam by a Lentz-type boiler, operating at a pressure of . The engine had a fixed cutoff with no reversing mechanism, and no
speed governor A governor, or speed limiter or controller, is a device used to measure and regulate the speed of a machine, such as an engine. A classic example is the centrifugal governor, also known as the Watt or fly-ball governor on a reciprocating steam ...
excluding a centrifugal overspeed safety device.Ch. Jacquin (1894), "La locomotive électrique Heilmann"
pp.364-365
/ref> The firebox was of a stayless corrugated type. It had a grate area of . The boiler had a total surface area of . The steam engine drove directly a direct current dynamo, rated at approximately 500 kW (1200 A @ 400 V); it was a six pole machine with the armature constructed on the Gramme dynamo principle with six brushes.Ch. Jacquin (1894), "La locomotive électrique Heilmann"
pp.365-367
/ref> The generator's field coils were energised by a separate bipolar dynamo capable of generating 100 A at 100 V (), which was directly driven at approximately 300 RPM by a 20 CV two cylinder vertical compound steam engine of similar design to the main engine. This secondary generator's output was also used to provide a supply for electric lighting in carriages. Electric speed and load control was obtained by reducing the main generator's field excitation current coming from the dynamo using a twelve step drum rheostat.The method of speed control by controlling the generator field excitation (magnetic field in the main generator) is also used in the Ward Leonard motor control system The eight
traction motor A traction motor is an electric motor used for propulsion of a vehicle, such as locomotives, electric or hydrogen vehicles, elevators or electric multiple unit. Traction motors are used in electrically powered rail vehicles ( electric multip ...
s were connected in parallel; for low speed control the motors could be series connected in two sets of four connected in parallel.Ch. Jacquin (1894), "La locomotive électrique Heilmann"
p.366
''"On se contente de coupler, suivant les besoins, les 8 moteurs electriques soit tous en tension, soit en quantité en 2 groupes de 4 en tension"''.
The motors were located in two four-axle bogies, with wheelset having a sealed axle mounted electric motor;Ch. Jacquin (1894), "La locomotive électrique Heilmann"
pp.367-368
/ref> giving a Do-Do wheel arrangement. Braking was by Westinghouse air brakes, with
disc brake A disc brake is a type of brake that uses the calipers to squeeze pairs of pads against a disc or a "rotor" to create friction. This action slows the rotation of a shaft, such as a vehicle axle, either to reduce its rotational speed or to h ...
s fitted on all wheels. The locomotive was a
cab forward The term cab forward refers to various rail and road vehicle designs that place the driver's compartment substantially farther towards the front than is common practice. Rail locomotives In steam locomotive design, a cab forward design will ...
design. The first official tests of the locomotive began on 2 February 1894; performing a return working from
Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very ...
to Bréauté-Beuzeville (on the
Paris–Le Havre railway The Paris–Le Havre railway is an important 228-kilometre long railway line, that connects Paris to the northwestern port city Le Havre via Rouen. Among the first railway lines in France, the section from Paris to Rouen opened on 9 May 1843, fol ...
), chosen for its difficult gradients including an 8 ''
per mil Per mille (from Latin , "in each thousand") is an expression that means parts per thousand. Other recognised spellings include per mil, per mill, permil, permill, or permille. The associated sign is written , which looks like a percent si ...
le'' (1 in 125) gradient over more than . The test train consisted of the locomotive (fully fueled to 118 tonnes), four new first class carriages, a dynamometer car, and two vans containing one tonne of
batteries Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...
between them; the total train weight was 173 to 183 tonnes, depending on passenger levels. Speeds were increased over subsequent runs: the first run average , on the fourth run the average speed was , with speeds of on the 8‰ slopes, and on level track. On 9 May 1894, ''La Fusée Electrique'' made a trial run from Saint-Lazare station,
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
to Mantes-la-Jolie, hauling a train consisting eight carriages. The journey took 55 minutes. A speed of was reported to have been achieved. Following the test run, the locomotive hauled a regular service train back to Paris. Trials showed that the engine used 15% less coal than a conventional steam engine. The locomotive was said to ride "like a Pullman carriage." Criticisms of the locomotive were that it was "too complicated, too costly, too heavy". These same arguments would be repeated with the introduction of main-line diesel-electric locomotives some half a century later. The locomotive completed around of test runs. Two larger locomotives were ordered for further trials on the CF de l'Ouest. ''La Fusée Electrique'' had been dismantled by 1897, with the bogies being used for two
0-8-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and no trailing wheels. Locomotives of this type are also referr ...
electric locomotives which were employed on the underground railway between Saint-Germain Ouest and Grande-Ceinture. A scale model of the prototype locomotive made in 1903 is in the collection of the
Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...
, Paris, donated by Heilmann.


CF de l'Ouest 8001 and 8002

In 1897, two larger locomotives were built. They were numbered 8001 and 8002. The locomotives had standard
Belpaire firebox The Belpaire firebox is a type of firebox used on steam locomotives. It was invented by Alfred Belpaire of Belgium in 1864. Today it generally refers to the shape of the outer shell of the firebox which is approximately flat at the top and s ...
es, with a grate area of . The steam engines were built by
Willans & Robinson Willans & Robinson Limited manufacturing engineers of Thames Ditton, Surrey. Later, from 1896, at Victoria Works, Rugby, Warwickshire, England. They were manufacturers of stationary reciprocating steam engines then steam turbines, Diesel motors an ...
,
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,
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, United Kingdom. The boiler had a heating area of and worked at a pressure of . The locomotive weighed . The driving wheels were arranged in two four-axle bogies as per ''La Fusée''. They had a diameter of . The locomotives were long, wide and high. Water capacity was . On 12 November 1897, a test run was made between the Saint-Lazare, Paris and Mantes-la-Jolie and return. On 18 November 1897, a test run was made with speeds kept down to hauling a load. On a later run hauling a load, a speed of was attained. Although other railway companies, such as the Ohio River, Madison & Southern Railway in the United States and the Southern Railway in Russia, as well as at least one from Germany, showed interest in steam-electric locomotives, the two locomotives suffered the same fate as their predecessor. They were the ancestors of diesel-electric, and those
gas turbine A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of continuous flow internal combustion engine. The main parts common to all gas turbine engines form the power-producing part (known as the gas generator or core) and are, in the directio ...
and steam turbine locomotives which use an electric transmission. When one of the first diesel-electric locomotives was reported in 1905, the Automotor Journal stated it ''appears to be something on the Heilmann principle, that is to say the engine is employed to operate a dynamo which in turn supplies electric current to motors geared to the driving wheels''."The Diesel Engine in a New Sphere", The Automotor and Horseless Carriage Journal, 4 March 1905, p275


See also

*
Electric-steam locomotive An electric-steam locomotive is a steam locomotive that uses electricity to heat the water in the boiler to create steam instead of burning fuel in a firebox. This is a highly unusual type of locomotive that only makes economic sense under specif ...
* Steam turbine electric locomotive


Notes


References


Sources

*
Séance du 20 Février 1891 p.105

Plate 31Plate 32
* * *, '
p.162p.178
alternative links)'' *
Procès-verbal de la séance du 5 Juin 1896 (Minutes of 5 June 1896 session), p.784

Plate 170Plate 171
*, '
alternative link
'' *


External links

* * * *{{citation, url=http://www.trielmemoirehistoire.fr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=189:le-chemin-de-fer-dargenteuil-a-mantes-quatrieme-partie-une-machine-davant-garde&catid=18:sur-lhistoire-locale-et-trielloise&Itemid=25, title = Le chemin de fer d'Argenteuil à Mantes - Quatrième partie – Une machine d'avant-garde, work = www.trielmemoirehistoire.fr, language= fr, publisher = Triel Mémoire & Histoire Steam locomotives of France Standard gauge electric locomotives of France Experimental locomotives Do-Do locomotives Scrapped locomotives de:Heilmann-Lokomotive