Draft:MÁV Class 414

MÁV Class 414
MÁV Class 414 as a passenger train in Hungary
Stock type	Electric multiple unit
In service	1988-
Manufacturer	Ganz-MÁVAG Ganz-Hunslet
Constructed	1988-1990
Number built	20
Successor	MÁV Class 424
Specifications
Maximum speed	200 km/h (125 mph)
UIC classification	B’B’+2’2’+2’2’+2'2'
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)

The MÁV Class 414 (formerly known as the MÁV Class 68-05, more commonly BDVmot) is an electric suburban multiple unit train. Its nickname is Caterpillar. Although it's a multiple unit train, it has similiarities of casual trains - by default, it has a motor car, two passenger cars and a control car, which could be varied. A total of 20 units were built between 1988 and 1990, with an additional number of passenger cars.

History

In the mid-1980s, MÁV decided to supply the electrified suburban traffic with multiple unit trains, in order to make passenger transport more economical. They ordered 4-part electric trains from Ganz-MÁVAG, which completed the first unit in 1988. Keeping in mind that the units were aimed to suburban traffic, the essential requirements for its design were high acceleration, quick passenger change and the lowest possible maintenance requirement.

When these units put into service in 1988, MÁV still used push–pull trains on its suburban lines, with Bhv passenger cars, which were 30 years old at the time. The Class 414 was based on the capabilities of the domestic industry of the time. At that time, many Western European service providers also had basic units consisting of independent motorcars/motorcars, passenger cars and control cars, which were permanently or occasionally connected in various groupings, with, of course, central stop-and-pull devices at the ends of the train enabling the quick disconnection and connection of the basic units. Hungarian industry was able to produce high-quality passenger cars, bogies suitable for speeds of 120/160, and later 200 km/h, and Ganz-MÁVAG undertook the production of electrical equipment with alternating current asynchronous motors, rectifiers and current inverters. The coordination of the possibilities of the industry and the needs of the MÁV at the time made it possible to create a four-part motor train, which consists of a four-axle motor car (in which all the elements of the drive system can be found), 2 four-axle passenger cars and a control car with a similar vehicle structure design. These vehicles met the needs of suburban passenger transport of the time. At the time of production, the basic model had 344 seats (+12 spare seats) with the possibility of remote control of two locomotives.

In addition, the appearance of the 20 locomotives brought a very significant breakthrough on the Budapest–Vác–Szob and then the Budapest–Vácrátót–Vác railway lines. An approximately regular timetable was also introduced on the Budapest–Vác–Szob line when the motor trains were put into operation

There were plans for buying additional multiple units, but only 36 passenger car units were built. Because of the lack of money, MÁV decided to renovate its old Bhv passenger cars instead, and bought new units only in the mid-2000s.

Its successor, the Class 424 (BVhmot) was introduced in 1996, but only two units were made.

Technical characteristics

By default the Class 414 consists of a B′B′ axle layout, 1520 kW power output electric locomotive (BDVmot, 414 series), two intermediate 2′2′ axle layout passenger cars (Bmx 22-05) and a control car also with a 2′2′ axle layout (Bmxfee 8005, formerly Bmxt). All mechanical equipment was placed in the motorcar. The four bicycles placed in the two bogies of the motorcar are driven by 2 asynchronous traction motors suspended longitudinally on the chassis - a novelty in the years of production - with the help of a cardan shaft and a bevel gear final drive. Owing to CoCom restrictions at the time the vehicles were built, it was not yet possible to obtain modern GTO thyristors to power the traction motors, so the drive electronics were solved with traditional thyristors and a current inverter structure. The motorcar is also capable of regenerative braking, but this function had to be eliminated due to its malfunction. The train doors are remote-operated, with push-button opening and central door closing by the train driver. Three electric locomotives can be connected and controlled remotely as one unit. The intermediate sidecars can be separated from the train unit, and a locomotive-hauled assembly can be formed from them.

The nominal power is 1,520 kW (2,040 hp), the empty service weight of the motor train is 193 tons, so the specific power of the empty train is 7.9 kW/ton, which is quite a solid value in suburban practice. The ratio of weight to the driven axles is 33% as a result of the single motorcar design.

20 units were built with a maximum speed of 120 km/h (75 mph) until 1990, of which the last 4 units each contained a first-class sidecar (Amx) - these are now running in locomotive-hauled trainsets. In the beginning, there were many problems with the cardan shafts and traction motor bearings, which led to accidents and the periodic shutdown of the locomotives. The problem was fixed by strengthening these parts. Only 19 motorcars from the series are in use, because the BDVmot 005 motorcar was scrapped in 1994 due to an accident, and the previously burned BDVmot 019 was rebuilt from the scrapped 005.

The first unit of the series (414 001) was refurbished in 2016. The goal was to modernize the control equipment. In doing so, the original current inverter drive was retained, but it was provided with microcomputer control. The relay control in the rear cabinet was also taken over by a programmable logic controller. In addition, the indicator lights were replaced with a touch screen display, which enabled the display of additional information. A digital strip display was installed instead of the previous Seibold instrument.  According to the plans, several copies of the type would have been converted accordingly, however, due to a lack of funds, only the 414 020 and 414 016 vehicles were completed.

In service

Despite being built as a suburban train, they also ran as express trains between Budapest and Szeged, and between Miskolc – Hatvan – Szolnok – Cegléd – Szeged in their first years. After the BDVmot 019 set on fire in 1991, all units were transferred back to suburban traffic, Amx cars were replaced by Bmx cars, so all trains became purely second class. With the electrification of the Budapest-Veresegyháza-Vác line, they also had the task of servicing this line due to the weak substructure of the railway line. In addition, they sometimes helped with the traffic on the Budapest-Cegléd-Szolnok line.

Since the beginning, their home station was the Budapest-Nyugati railway station and their maintenance was carried out in the engine room in the main workshop in Istvántelek. Many Bmx passenger cars are in use in casual trains.

Since the newest Flirt locomotive trains were constantly in service on the lines around the capital (and especially Vác), 15 of the 17 operable locomotives moved from Istvántelek to Miskolc between 2014 and 2017. Because of their unreliable mechanics, they can usually put only 5-7 motor trains into circulation. Due to lower utilization and load, they have only one passenger cars instead of two.

From 2024, Class 414 units were getthe new MÁV livery.

References

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Categories:

• Electric multiple units of Hungary
• 25 kV AC multiple units