Chabówka 2024-12-16

Passenger wagons 43A, 101A “Ryflak”.

Already in the 1950s, PKP saw the need to introduce new cars on local lines. Pre-war cars had a small capacity. There was a shortage of spare parts for them. In absolute numbers, there were many of them, but their transport potential was small. Therefore, a new passenger car was developed in Poznań, which was to be capacious, with easy and quick access to the car. The car was to be adapted to any platform height. The development used experience from the construction of tourist cars built before the war in Warsaw, Poznań and Sanok.

The non-compartment car type 43A, called “Ryflak”, was developed in 1955. The common name “Ryflak” resulted from the corrugated sides of the car body. The corrugation strengthens the structure of the car body casing. Compared to pre-war designs, the car was very modern. However, the shortcomings of the car were realized and the design required several modifications. In the wagon, the designers decided to use the Görlitz bogie type known from older wagons, with a wheelbase of 2.80 m.

In 1957, the Cegielski Plant in Poznań began serial production of type 43A wagons. Production lasted until 1962. 547 units were built, as well as an additional 127 derivatives. Wagons of this type and derivatives 43A/1, 43A/2, 43A/3 and 43A/4 were produced in the period 1957-1962. The wagon was marked with the “Bwixt” series, which in 1985 was changed to the “Bh” series. The wagon is Class 2, i.e. with soft seats.

The first wagons were delivered to the Kraków management. The next ones were transferred to the Poznań management and others. Although the cars were planned to be pulled by motor cars, more cars were pulled by steam and diesel locomotives. The first type 43A cars were painted cream and blue, just like the motor cars. Although the car was designed for local routes, it proved so successful that it was used in long-distance, accelerated and express trains. These cars could even be found in trains from Warsaw to Moscow.

The type 43A car is 23.30 m long. Width 2.91 m. Height 4.06 m. The distance between the pivots: 16.00 m. The car weighs 36,770 kg. The Görlitz type bogie, with a wheelbase of 2.80 m. The design speed is 120 km/h. The car has 76 seats. The car can accommodate 170 passengers. The car is equipped with entrance doors at both ends of the body and in its middle. The doors are opened manually by sliding them to the side. The car also received a walk-through door to the next car. The passage is covered with a canvas accordion.

The 43A type car is a two-compartment car. The seats are double, soft, upholstered with leather. They are the same as in the EN57 EZT. There are luggage shelves above the windows. Non-folding tables are installed under the windows, and bins are installed under them. The interior of the car is lit by round glass lamps with bulbs. The walls in the car are lined with varnished felt (white, cream or green) or wood-like laminate. Green painting was introduced in the 1990s. The floor in the car is wooden covered with hard linoleum (or similar carpet). There are clothes hangers on the walls. Ventilation grilles are located in the ceiling. The car is heated. The windows in the car are large, two-part. The upper, smaller part is opened by tilting it inwards. Each car has an emergency brake handle. There is one toilet in the car, located by the central entrance door.

The distinguishing features of the 43A family are the tiltable upper parts of the side windows and the recesses in the front walls that originally housed the bridge and accordion. In the last period of operation, many cars were rebuilt by eliminating the bridges and installing rubber rollers in the passages between cars.

A variant of the 43A car was the 45A car (class 2) and the 44A cars (class 1), produced for Yugoslavia and adapted to a speed of 140 km/h. Similar cars were exported to India and CCCP. The PaFaWag factory produced the cars for export. The cars were 24.5 m long and had smooth walls. The wagons were fitted with Görlitz bogies, certified for a speed of 140 km/h.

Passenger wagons Type 101A.

Based on the type 43A car, its successor, the type 101A car, was developed. The Central Design Office of the Rolling Stock Industry developed a design for a trailer car of the “DBhixt” series, which was an extension of the type 43A car design. The design used solutions used in the SN80 motor car. Production of type 101A cars began in 1962 at the HCP plant and ended in 1964. The cars were manufactured in place of free production capacity after the discontinued SN80 motor car. A total of 155 type 101A cars were built.

The dimensions of the type 101A car remained unchanged, except for the length, which increased by 0.91 m. The structural mass also did not change much. The car weighs 36,000 kg. The front wall of the car was changed. The sliding doors were replaced with swing doors. The windows were changed to two-part windows, the upper part of which is opened by lowering it downwards. The windows are placed in a visible metal frame. The car body is more airtight, so that no exhaust fumes from the locomotive or cold can penetrate inside. The car received only steam heating. The predecessor had steam and electric heating. Electric heating was abandoned due to the use of steam or diesel locomotives adapted to steam heating, for example the HCP SU45 diesel locomotive. After all, type 101A cars were used on non-electrified routes.

The car received new rolling bogies, which were designated type 101A. The wheelbase was reduced to 2.5 m, i.e. by 0.30 m. The spring system was changed. However, the fork-type axlebox guidance was retained. It was the last construction of this type in Poland. The bogie frame is welded from rolled profiles. Additionally, hydraulic shock absorbers were installed to dampen lateral movements. The bogie pin spacing is 15.50 m. Bogies of this type were also used in type 102A wagons.

Type 101A wagons were sent to all railway directorates, except for Upper Silesia, where double-decker wagons were sent. The largest number of type 101A wagons went to the directorate in Gdańsk. Type 101A wagons were used for 90 years. The last two active wagons were transferred to the railway open-air museum in Chabówka. The 101A passenger car is 24.21 m long. The bogie pin spacing is 16.00 m. The 102A type was a development of the 101A wagon. The heating and lighting system in the wagon was improved.

Written by Karol Placha Hetman