Source: eraparowozow.org.pl
Bwixd 21-48
Also known as:
Type 120A
UIC / EVN numbering:
50 51 21-48Vehicle type:
Registration country:
Railway companies:
1969
Before the production of type 120A wagons for
Polish State Railways began in Pafawag, the Wrocław factory in the
years 1969 - 1970 delivered 150 type
119A wagons with the same characteristics for Romanian
railroads (CFR). Without going into their detailed description,
because in terms of general assumptions, both types (119A and 120A)
were no different, it should only be noted that the wagons for
Romania had - according to the recipient's wishes - some solutions
different from those used in subsequent production for the domestic
market. The running system uses trolleys from the German company
Minden Deutz. The wagons are equipped with a Knorra system air
brake (KE-GPR) with automatic braking force adjustment depending on
the actual load and a three-phase alternating current generator.
The compartment windows were made as split, with double glazing and
the upper part tilting to the interior. The electric heating system
has been adapted to power alternating current with a frequency of
50 Hz and a voltage of 1500 V. The construction documentation of
the 120A wagon for the domestic market, marked with the 120A type
symbol, was developed in the Pafawag construction office in 1971.
Significant differences from type 119A concerned not only trolleys,
electrical installation and brake but also many equipment. The 120A
wagon was designed to handle suburban and local traffic, only in
national transport. It was also envisaged to be made as a first
class wagon, with differences boiling down only to seat upholstery
and dyed aluminum elements, but production of this variety was
never launched The dimensions of the wagon and its technical
characteristics corresponded to international regulations (UIC card
567) for wagons of the "Y" standard with a total length of 24.5 m.
The layout of the interior was solved differently than in the 43A
family cars. Inside there were three spacious passenger
compartments - the middle one with 40 seats and two extreme
compartments with 24 seats. Semi-soft seats covered with a red
derma were placed in a 2+2 system with a passage in the middle with
a width between the seats 640 mm. Above the windows, along the side
walls, luggage shelves made of aluminum profiles were installed.
Fixed tables were placed under the windows, garbage cans under
them, and in both extreme compartments intended for smokers
additionally two ashtrays. Between the passenger compartments there
were two entrance vestibules with double-leaf rotating and folding
doors. Inside the compartments and vestibules, there remained about
17 m2 of free space for passengers in standing places. Handles in
the compartments were located above the backs of the seats and in
the entrance vestibules along the walls above the radiator covers
and under the ceiling. In the extreme parts of the box there are
two vestibules with a transition door in the front walls. These
doors were made as sliding, closed with a conductor wrench and a
lock with a patent insert. In both vestibules, small toilet
compartments were separated, due to the limited space equipped with
revolving doors with a special design. In addition, in one of the
vestibules there were two additional seats folding out, in the
other a switchboard. The chassis and box were a self-supporting,
fully welded structure, with the strength required by UIC
regulations. The refuges were made of rolled channels with a height
of 180 mm, connected by crossbars made of bent sheets with a
thickness of 3 mm. Torsion beams made of sheets have been stiffened
with ribs. The refuge was covered with corrugated sheet metal 1 mm
thick. The design of the refuge, made of 10HA and 18G2AC grade
sheets with increased corrosion resistance, has been adapted to the
future-proof installation of the self-coupling. The skeleton of the
box, covered with a 2 mm thick plating sheet, is made of bent
sections, and the side walls are also made of closed steel
profiles. The walls of the box were covered from the inside with
sound-absorbing and anti-corrosion paste and lined with polystyrene
boards, as well as the roof and floor sheet. The floor of the wagon
made of plywood with a thickness of 15 mm was based on wooden beams
laid on a corrugated sheet. The floor covering was tightly
connected linoleum boards. The internal sheathing of the walls and
ceiling made of waterproof plywood was attached to wooden slats
screwed to the steel skeleton and covered with unilam boards, the
joints of which were masked with aluminum decorative slats. The
windows of passenger compartments and extreme vestibules were made
as bipartite, glazed with single windows, with the upper lowering
part. The width of the open window in the light was 1200 mm (in the
vestibules 500 mm). The windows of the toilet compartments had
frosted windows, and the upper part was tilted inward. The power
supply to the water system was provided by two tanks with a
capacity of 400 liters, equipped with a heating system. Passenger
compartments had static ventilation using "kuck-kuck" roof
ventilators. Electric convection heating 3 kV with a total radiator
power of 30.4 kW had temperature control using thermostats -
separately in compartments and vestibules and low-pressure steam
heating with manual temperature control. 1000 W radiators were
installed in the compartments, 500 W vestibules. Single oil heaters
(electric-steam) with a capacity of 1.5 kW were installed in the
toilet compartments. High voltage equipment was placed in an AJO-5b
type box built inside the wagon. The source of electricity used for
lighting was a DC generator type PW-114d-03 with a power of 4.5 kW
and a voltage of 30 V with a cardan drive. The battery of acid
batteries with a capacity of 495 Ah and an output voltage of 24 V
was built under the box. Lighting was provided by fluorescent lamps
with a power of 40 and 20 W powered by transistor converters. Bulbs
with 24 V 5 W power were used as emergency lighting. Intercar
crossings and steps illuminated 15 W bulbs, end-of-train signals -
60W bulbs. Standardized transition bridges covered with rubber
rollers with handles used for harmonizing if necessary were mounted
on the front walls. The wagon had sleeve bumpers with a length of
650 mm and a stroke of 110 mm with ring springs and unoblimisive
pulling devices with a tear strength of 100 tons. 120A wagons are
equipped with standard trolleys type 4ANc and 4ANc/2 (with
generator) with wheelsets with a wheel diameter of 920 mm and
spigots with dimensions (diameter x length) 120 x 179 mm. Two-stage
compression - mandling and rocking - consisted of screw spring
assemblies. The Pneumatic brake system of the Oerlikona system uses
an Est4d timing valve, two cylinders with a diameter of 14 inches,
a brake force regulator depending on the speed and a non-slip
device. The "vain-load" control board allowed to vary the pressure
in the brake cylinders. Eight emergency braking actuation points
(safety brake) are placed in the compartments and vestibules. The
handbrake worked on the brake gear of one trolley. Minor design
changes were made during production. An additional pneumatic cable
for central control of door closing and a 12-core radio line were
built from wagon No. 276. From number 396, the distribution cabinet
of the high voltage box was moved to the extreme vestibule,
eliminating the tilting seats. In addition, the type of
thermostats, battery (500 Ah capacity) and voltage regulator have
changed. Since 1976, modified trolleys with a generator marked with
the symbol type 4ANc/4 have been used Production and operation The
first batch (20 copies) was sent to DOKP Poznań, another to the
management of Gdańsk and Wrocław, but in 1975 new wagons of this
type were located in all eight districts. Already at that time they
also appeared in long-distance trains, replacing especially the
exploited compartment wagons of post-war construction. 120A wagons
certainly provided higher comfort of travel, but at the price of
driving in large open compartments - cumbersome especially at
night, with insufficient space to place luggage. Production at the
Pafawag Wagon Factory was carried out for six years. Deliveries of
120A wagons reached their peak in 1977, when PKP received as many
as 203 copies, but this was possible only thanks to the use of the
full production capacity of the Wrocław factory, which in the same
year did not carry out any other orders for wagons. Increased from
the delivery plan allowed to significantly rejuvenate the wagon
park. In 1977, purchases of new passenger cars amounted to 585
units, which meant the implementation of the plan in 118.5%, and
the average age of the wagon was reduced to 15 years. The last
three pieces were delivered to Northern DOKP in October 1978. In
total, 719 copies were built for PKP, one of which did not go into
operation, but was intended for a measuring wagon. 120A wagons
received inventory numbers in the field of 50 51 21-48,000-6 to
718-3 and the Bwix series character, later supplemented by the
letter "d" meaning a wagon with a remote control cable (Bwixd). In
addition, six wagons of this type from the last months of
production
Sources: https://eraparowozow.org.pl/portret-wagonu-pasazerskiego-2-klasy-typu-120a/
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Latest update on the 20th of November 2022 at 20:52
Contributor(s): Tudor C.
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