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Swiss Federal Railways Ae 8/14
Switzerland | 1931
3 produced
No. 11801 with the original square locomotive body
No. 11801 with the original square locomotive body
SSB Historic

To avoid the use of helper locomotives or double heading altogether on the Gotthard, the SBB ordered two prototypes of heavy electric locomotives from the SLM. In order to use them on the whole route without changing the locomotives, they had to have a top speed that was fast enough for passenger trains on the flat sections. Each half of the double locomotives was built with four driving and three carrying axles. They had a device that could increase the adhesive weight by removing weight from the carrying axles

The first prototype delivered in 1931 was No. 11801. It had Buchli drive units on one side and technically resembled a double Ae 4/7. 11851 delivered in 1932 had SLM universal drives and somewhat more power. In 1938, a third streamlined locomotive with a powertrain similar to 11851 was built. It got the number 11852 and was called “Landi-Lok” since it had been built to be exhibited at the Swiss National Exhibition. With an hourly output of 5,514, 6,470 and 8,162 kW (7,500, 8,800 and 11,100 hp) they were the most powerful locomotives in the world at this time.

The “Landi-Lok” No. 11852 with aerodynamic fairing
The “Landi-Lok” No. 11852 with aerodynamic fairing
SBB Historic

After these three locomotives, no more Ae 8/14 have been built. With the advancements in multiple controls, it was more feasible to use a smaller locomotive on the flat sections and add another one at the beginning of the ramp. After only the first two had been built for the SBB, also the third was bought up by them since there was demand for heavy freight locomotives at that time. After the third was retired due to a fire in 1971, the others remained in service until 1975 and 1976. Today the first one is operational and the third one came to the SBB Historic team at Erstfeld in June 2024 after being on static display in Lucerne.

Variant118011185111852
General
Built193119321938
Manufacturermechanical part: SLM, electrical part: BBCmechanical part: SLM, electrical part: Oerlikonmechanical part: SLM, electrical part: BBC
Axle config1A-A1A-A1+1A-A1A-A1
Gauge4 ft 8 1/2 in (Standard gauge)
Dimensions and Weights
Length111 ft 6 9/16 in111 ft 7 in
Rigid wheelbase8 ft 2 7/16 in
Service weight529,109 lbs542,337 lbs519,629 lbs
Adhesive weight352,739 lbs346,125 lbs353,842 lbs
Axle load44,092 lbs43,266 lbs44,231 lbs
Boiler
Variant118011185111852
Power Plant
Power
Power sourceelectric - AC
Electric system15.000 V 16⅔ Hz
Hourly power7,394 hp (5,514 kW)8,676 hp (6,470 kW)10,945 hp (8,162 kW)
Continuous power6,902 hp (5,147 kW)7,644 hp (5,700 kW)10,255 hp (7,647 kW)
Top speed62 mph68 mph
Starting effort110,156 lbf132,188 lbf110,156 lbf
Calculated Values
electric locomotive
freight
passenger
prototype
last changed: 06/2024
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