With considerable investment in railway infrastructure upgrades in South Africa, drive components and systems company Voith is well positioned to add substantial value to this market with its tried and trusted and internationally recognised product offering.

“Voith will actively contribute to the development of the regional industry by localising the manufacture and sourcing of components,” says Voith Turbo rail division projects coordinator Themba Makoti.

The company highlights that a new fleet of 32 TG16M series double locomotives, which are currently being tested in Russia, has been fitted with advanced components manufactured and supplied by Voith.

All Russian test locomotives are fitted with two Voith component sets, comprising an L 530 breU2 turbo transmission, a cooling system and highly flexible couplings from the BR 152 and BR 199 range.

To fulfil this order, Voith equipped its newly developed cooling system with its SilentVent high-performance fans as well as its weight and space-saving double-block radiators. These parts allow for increased cooling output within the specified small installation space and ensure high-power density.

The highly flexible coupling in the driveline shifts the critical natural frequencies below the operating speed. This protects the system’s components against critical vibrations and increases the service life and availability of the driveline.

At the core of the driveline is the adaptable L 530 breU2 turbo transmission. Combined with the Voith Turbo drive control system and a controller area network bus interface, the turbo transmission ensures high traction and enhanced efficiency across the entire output range of 1 000 kW to 1 700 kW.

Russian Locomotive Progress

The Russian locomotives will undergo a num- ber of tests and certifications over a six-month period.

The locomotives will be examined during the test runs at different speeds and with varying train loads before the locomotives enter regular service.

In October 2014, the double locomotive successfully passed the static and dynamic inspection in Russia. During the static inspection, Voith experts checked the installation space as well as all interfaces, and installed the transmission. This was immediately followed by the dyna- mic inspection, during which the locomotive successfully completed its first test trip.

As soon as all dynamic tests have been successfully completed, the first locomotives will be in regular operation, when they will mainly transport raw materials such as coal. Owing to the high gradient of up to 3%, the trains comprise no more than 20 wagons.