Siemens-Schuckert Orenstein & Koppel

Siemens-Schuckert Orenstein & Koppel

Siemens O&K at Inclán station on Line H
Manufacturer Siemens-Schuckert, Orenstein & Koppel
Constructed 1934, 1937, 1944
Entered service 1934
Refurbishment 2013
Number in service 28 cars
50 cars (Emepa)
Capacity 162 seated per car
Operator(s) Buenos Aires Underground
Line(s) served (current)
(former)
Specifications
Car length 17m
Width 2.6m
Height 2.34m
Doors 4 per side
Maximum speed 65 km/h
Weight 32 tonnes per car
Power output 115kw per motor
Power supply Overhead line (1500v)
Braking system(s) Pneumatic
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)

The Siemens-Schuckert Orenstein & Koppel (normally abbreviated to Siemens O&K) is an underground car used on the Buenos Aires Underground first built by Siemens-Schuckert and Orenstein & Koppel in 1934, 1937 and 1944. The Siemens O&K rolling stock made up the entirety of the trains used on the three lines built by the Hispanic-Argentine Company for Public Works and Finances (CHADOPyF) and has since served on every line of the Underground (with the exception of Line B, which uses third rail electrification) from 1934 to the present day in both its original form and as cars refurbished by the Emepa Group and Alstom.[1]

As such, it has been the most widely-used rolling stock in the Underground's history, and second only to the Brugeoise cars in the amount of years served, being the oldest cars still in circulation. The original cars are set to retire in 2015, while refurbished models may continue to operate on the network.

History

Siemens advertisement showing the cars outside a factory in Germany (c.1934).
Siemens O&K cars at Constitución on Line C.

The first Siemens-Schuckert Orenstein & Koppel cars were purchased in 1933 by the Hispanic-Argentine Company for Public Works and Finances (CHADOPyF) for the first line constructed by the company in the city, Line C (then known as Line 1, though it was the third to be built in the city), which was opened in 1934. The Siemens O&K rolling stock made up the entirety of the line until 2007, when Japanese Nagoya trains were transferred from Line D and the Siemens cars were all sent to the newly-inaugurated Line H, with newer Nagoya trains also arriving in the country for Line C in 2014.[2][3][4]

When Line D was completed by CHADOPyF in 1937, the line was similarly served by Siemens O&K cars in its entirety, though these were replaced in 1999 by Nagoya trains and later by Alstom Metropolis trains in 2004. In 1944, Line E was the last of the CHADOPyF lines to be opened and was equally inaugurated with new Siemens O&K rolling stock ordered from Germany. With the three lines operating the same rolling stock during this time, it was the most standardised period in terms of rolling stock in the history of the Buenos Aires Underground. The three lines remained uniform until 1968, when CAF-GEE rolling stock was purchased to bolster numbers in Lines D and E, though these cars shared a similar design and technical specifications to the Siemens cars.[5][6][7][8]

A Siemens O&K train was used as the fictitious missing "UM-86" train in the 1996 Argentine science fiction film Moebius. Other trains of the same type are also shown in the film.

Current use

Train leaving Parque Patricios station.
Interior of a Siemens car.

The Siemens O&K cars currently serve as temporary rolling stock on Line A and Line H while newer rolling stock ordered in 2012 and 2014 arrives for the lines. The number of cars in operation has gradually dwindled over the years and the few remaining cars are now used for this purpose, with their complete retirement from the network imminent.

When Line H was inaugurated in 2007, it was deemed unnecessary to purchase new rolling stock for the line until it had been sufficiently extended with high enough passenger numbers to warrant an entirely new fleet. The Siemens O&K cars were thus put back into service and were present in the inauguration of the line (which only had 5 stations at this point), making Line H the fourth line to be inaugurated with the cars and also the first line to be inaugurated with used rolling stock. As the line continued to be extended, 120 new Alstom Metropolis cars were ordered in 2012 to make up the entirety of the line's rolling stock and are due to replace the 28 Siemens O&K cars in late 2015 when Santa Fe station is opened, connecting Line H to Line D.[9]

On Line A, Siemens O&K cars refurbished by Alstom and the Emepa Group serve alongside Fiat-Materfer cars as a temporary fleet while more CITIC-CNR cars ordered in 2014 arrive on the line during 2015 and 2016. Originally only the Fiat-Materfer cars were to fulfil this function, but the shortfall of rolling stock caused by the retirement of the 120 La Brugeoise cars meant that the refurbished Siemens cars would be required until the line has all 150 of the CITIC-CNR cars in circulation.[10][11] This also meant that the cars purchased by the CHADOPyF served for the first time on the line first built by their rivals, the Anglo-Argentine Tramways Company (AATC).[1]

Future

A refurbished Siemens-Emepa-Alstom train.

Numerous efforts to refurbish the ageing Siemens-Schuckert Orenstein & Koppel cars have been proposed over the years, the last of which occurred after 2007 and considered refurbishing 86 cars along with the 64 CAF-GEE cars from Line E. This plan was scrapped, but then revived in 2013 after the retirement of the Brugeoise cars from Line A created a shortage of rolling stock on the line while new trains arrived. The Argentine Emepa Group and Alstom refurbished 10 cars for Line A, and then a further 40 cars were ordered for the network, making a total of 50 of these cars available. These have completely new interiors, a modernised exterior as well as an overhaul of its mechanical components.[12]

The future of the older models currently serving on Line H is unclear and it has not been stated whether some or all of the cars will be preserved, or if any will be refurbished like the Siemens-Emepa-Alstom cars. It has been speculated that the refurbished cars will serve alongside the Fiat-Materfer cars when they are transferred to Line E, retiring the CAF GEE cars which currently serve on that line.[13][14][15]

Gallery

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Orenstein & Koppel / Siemens-Schuckert.

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, November 27, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.