Kraków 2024-12-12

Passenger wagons.

The first carriages based on two four-wheeled bogies were built in 1842. That is, in the same year that the world’s first railway line was put into service. The first carriages with two bogies ran on the London-Lancashire route. The carriages were very quickly lit inside. Initially with oil, carbide or gas lamps. Then electric lighting with weak bulbs appeared. The carriages were heated by coal or wood-burning stoves, which were operated by a team of conductors. Very quickly, in 1858, central steam heating was introduced, which was powered by a steam locomotive.

Major changes took place in the USA in the 1860s. At that time, passenger transport was already being carried out over huge distances, which even lasted several days and nights. Mr. George Mortimer Pullman, together with Mr. Benjamin Field, designed a comfortable carriage with sleeping places. Initially, they rebuilt two ordinary carriages. The cars were presented in August 1859, and were a success. In 1860, a car with sleeping places was presented, which were folded for the day. In the USA, luxury cars began to be called “Pulmans”. But in general, in the USA, cars without compartments and with low backs were preferred, so that it was comfortable to sit in hats; both women and men.

The idea of ​​the “Pulman” class cars did not reach Europe until 1878. This delay was due to the lack of need for long journeys. But the idea of ​​the “Orient Express” line was born. In 1876, Georges Nagelmackers, influenced by information from the USA, wanted to create a similar transcontinental train with luxury cars, which would travel throughout Europe. According to Georg Nagelmackers, the “Pulman” cars had a drawback. They were designed in such a way that at night they turned into a kind of hostel, where passengers slept in a row on both sides of the carriage, separated only by curtains. The sensitivity of women had to be taken into account. Georges Nagelmackers designed private four-person bedrooms with seats that could be folded out for sleeping. The room had a private toilet and even a safe for valuables. The most difficult task was obtaining permits to travel throughout Europe. The fact that the then King of Belgium, Leopold II, was an active patron of the company proved helpful. On October 4, 1883, the first Orient Express set off from Paris to Constantinople. The journey went brilliantly. All obstacles were overcome exemplarily. When an axle in the dining car overheated, the car was replaced with a new one in Munich. Georges Nagelmackers witnessed the great success of the Orient Express, which had its best years ahead of it. The Orient Express ran until 1977, enjoying recognition as a good form of entertainment, not a means of transport. In 1988, a one-off Orient Express service was launched, which also passed through Warsaw.

After the Republic of Poland regained its independence, three factories started producing passenger cars; Hipolit Cegielski Factory in Poznań, Lilpop, Rau, Loewestain Mechanical Factory in Warsaw, Zieleniewski United Machine, Boiler and Wagon Factories in Sanok.

In 1939, the stupid Germans started World War II and lost a lot. After the end of World War II, the Polish State Railways had about 6,500 passenger cars. However, the number of active cars was smaller and amounted to only 3,500 cars. These were mainly two-axle and three-axle passenger cars. Many of these cars were of wooden construction. The capacity of these cars was small, in relation to the needs. Therefore, covered freight cars, temporarily adapted for passenger transport, as class 4, were often added to passenger trains.

In Poland, the Hipolit Cegielski Factory in Poznań returned to the production of cars and a new plant “PaFaWag” in Wrocław joined. The Poznań plant built 486 cars for PKP in the period 1946-1950. The first cars to be built were those for long-distance and international traffic. The chassis structures of the pre-war 23W car were used in the construction of sleeper cars of the 11A, 12A and 13A types, of which the Hipolit Cegielski Plant built 25 for PKP in the period 1948-1950. In 1954, a prototype of the 14A sleeper car was built, the serial production of which was taken over by the “PaFaWag” Wagon Factory.

In the 60s and 70s of the 20th century, modern UIC-Y standard cars were produced in Poland. These cars are described in another chapter.

UIC-Z standard carriages.

In international traffic, the types of passenger carriages had to be unified: Standard X (26.4 m, 10 compartments in class 1 or 12 compartments in class 2). Standard Y (24.5 m, 9/10 compartments with seats or couchettes). Standard Z (26.4 m, 9/10 compartments), are modern carriages with air conditioning. Standard Z1 with high comfort, with full air conditioning, adapted to a speed of 200 km/h. Standard Z2, with less comfort, adapted to a speed of 160 km/h.

Standard Z carriages are characterized by a different shape of the end parts of the carriages, providing lower air resistance, retractable (foldable) steps, wide doors, so-called jump-sliding, operated centrally by the train crew.

We need to know that in 1922, when Europe was being put in order after the Great World War, the International Union of Railways was established. The place where the organization was founded was Paris. In French, the union is called Union Internationale des Chemins de fer, or UIC for short. In English, the name is International Union of Railways. The organization brings together companies involved in rail transport and carries out activities aimed at increasing the cohesion of individual rail systems in different countries and promoting rail transport in government and international circles. The member of the organization from the Polish side is Polskie Koleje Państwowe S.A. Currently, the organization has 204 members.

Passenger cars of the Z standard, this is the standard introduced by the UIC (International Union of Railways), designated UIC-Z, which is the successor to the UIC-Y standard. The Y standard cars are discussed in another chapter. The UIC-Z standard was developed from 1974 and finally adopted in 1989. The UIC-Z standard distinguishes two groups: Z1, with a maximum speed of 200 km/h, and Z2, with a maximum speed of 160 km/h.

Wagons meeting the UIC-Z standard should have, among others: Sliding entrance doors. Inter-wagon passages with rubber rollers and automatic passage doors. Windows that can be tilted to ¼ of the height and so-called “safety windows”. Z1 wagons have fixed windows glued in from the inside. Air heating or air conditioning. Z1 wagons must have full air conditioning. Audio system. In compartment wagons, 9 compartments in class 1 and 11 compartments in class 2. In each compartment, a maximum of 6 seats. Wagon length 26.40 m, with bumpers. Closed toilets. Magnetic brakes (Z1). The UIC-Z standard is met by Polish-built wagons of types including: 145Ac, 152A, 154A and derivatives.

Already in 1972, the Central Design Office of the Rolling Stock Industry began work on the design of a new, high-comfort passenger car type 122A. The car was to be adapted to a speed of 200 km/h and intended for domestic and international transport. At that time, the UIC-X standard was in force, which eventually became the UIC-Z standard (adopted in the period 1974-1989). The car length was 26.4 m, 6-person compartments, maximum speed up to 200 km/h. Two types of car bogies were prepared; speeds of 160 km/h and 200 km/h. Most of the bogie elements were to be the same. The car was to have forced-air heating, standard windows were to be opened manually, and the electricity was to come from a generator driven from the axle journal of the wheelset. In the second stage, a Z1 standard car was developed with air conditioning, non-opening windows and a converter for the heating system. As a result of further work; The Z1 standard is type 122A, and the Z2 standard is type 127A.

In 1979, it was planned to start production of type 122A (Z1) wagons. The lack of foreign currency stood in the way, because air conditioning was not produced in Poland, nor in any other RWPG country. Therefore, in 1975, work on the program was stopped.

In the Central Design Office of the Rolling Stock Industry, in the period 1975-1976, the focus was on the type 127A (Z2) program. In 1980, at the PaFaWag factory in Wrocław, two prototypes of wagons were built; one type 127A and one modernized type 127Aa. The wagons were included in express trains, and the information collected was used in the construction of subsequent Z2 standard wagons. The first Polish Z2 standard wagon was the 127A class 2 wagon, which was built in 1980. The car was no different in appearance from the Y standard car, but it had 11 compartment windows instead of 10. All windows were opened manually, with the upper part sliding downwards. The car was of course 26.4 m long. Manually opened folding doors were used. The inter-car passage was adopted from the Y standard.

The 134Aa/b (Z2) type cars were the first cars to go into series production in 1988. Subsequent types were also created; 136A, 139A, 144A and 145A. The latter two already had air conditioning.

It is worth mentioning that the first Z1 standard cars in Poland were foreign-made; Adtranz/ABB. In 1996, PKP was delivered 15 1st class compartment cars manufactured by ABB Z1A. In 1997, 35 ABB Z1B class 2 compartment cars were purchased. These were the first cars in PKP with a speed of 200 km/h. There were plans to produce UIC-Z1 standard cars based on a license from ABB Henschel. This plan was not implemented.

In the period 1995-1997, three cars with a speed of 200 km/h were developed in the HCP office. These were type 150A, 152A and 154A cars. The 150A type car was built in the PaFaWag factory. The car body was placed on Polish type 11ANa bogies. In 1996, the car was shown at the Poznań International Fair. After some time, this car was rebuilt to type 150C and intended for testing rail bogies, first type 11ANa, and then type 11ANc.

However, the Polish manufacturer HCP developed its own design of the Z1 standard, based on the 145A and 145Ab types. On 31 December 1997, the first six non-compartment 1st class cars of the 152A type left the Poznań factory, and shortly afterwards the first non-compartment 2nd class cars of the 154AB type. The car bodies were placed on foreign bogies, but then Polish bogies of the 25ANa type, designed by ZNTK Poznań, were used. In 2000, two Z1 business class cars of the 145Ac type and the first Z1 sleeper car were built; one copy of the 305Ab.

The HCP factory, and then the Rail Vehicle Factory in Poznań, produced passenger cars of the UIC-Z1 standard in the period 1997–2015. A total of 138 units were built. Of this number, 136 cars are used by PKP InterCity.

In 2008, the Civic Platform ordered the production of special business cars for itself, which were designated as type 145Ac. Two such cars were built, with 9 compartments. Each compartment had only 4 seats, a large folding table and a wardrobe for coats and jackets. The cars were attached to the InterCity Lech train on the Warsaw–Poznań route. In 2009, the cars were included in the InterCity Fredro train on the Warsaw–Poznań–Wrocław route. After the change of government in 2015, the cars were included in the InterCity Łodzianin as regular 1st class cars.

In 2009, HCP-FPS from Poznań presented the first Z1 car of the new generation, type 158A, which initiated a series of cars equipped with, among other things, pressure-tight inter-carriage passages. Until 2013, HCP-FPS remained the only manufacturer of brand new cars in Poland adapted to a speed of 200 km/h. In 2013, NEWAG developed its own 70RSTb type bogies adapted to a speed of 200 km/h.

In 1992, a family of 25ANa type bogies was developed for standard Z cars. The program was created at the HCP plants. These are bogies adapted to speeds of 130-300 km/h. The bogies differ in additional equipment. In 1999, the 25ANa bogie underwent tests at CMK. The bogies were mounted under a 154A type car, and the locomotive leading the train was an Italian Adtranz 112E (EU43-001) locomotive, capable of traveling at a speed of 200 km/h. During the tests, the Polish record for a locomotive with cars was broken, reaching 222 km/h. PKP authorities did not agree to further tests at a higher speed, fearing damage to the traction network. The 25ANa bogie was designed for a speed of 250 km/h. The bogie was designed by engineer Ryszard Suwalski, who also designed the 70RSTb type bogie for NEWAG. The 25ANa bogie received a temporary certificate in 2001, which was extended indefinitely in 2010.

Practically since 2018, the production of passenger cars with a speed of 200 km/h has started at the Rail Vehicle Factory in Poznań. The first large contract with PKP InterCity covered 55 cars; 5 class 1 compartment cars, 18 class 2 non-compartment cars, 18 class 2 compartment cars, 7 class 2 non-compartment cars with bicycle racks and 7 class 2 compartment cars adapted to transport disabled people. On July 17, 2024, PKP InterCity signed a contract with the Rail Vehicle Factory for the delivery of another 300 cars with an option for 150 additional cars. The order covered the following cars: 80 class 2 non-compartment cars. 40 class 2 compartment cars. 40 class 2 non-compartment cars, with places to transport bicycles. 38 1st class compartment cars, with a separate non-compartment section. 38 2nd class compartment cars, with seats for people with disabilities. 38 restaurant cars. 26 day-night cars, which will provide comfortable journeys at night.

The first night car of the Z1 standard in PKP InterCity was the 305Ab type car, which had both sleeping and couchette compartments. Due to the unusual interior layout, the car was assigned to the “S” series (social car) and was never used as planned.

Construction of Polish Z1 standard wagons.

The first completely new design of a passenger wagon, with a speed of 200 km/h is the 158A type wagon. By 2024, 17 types of passenger wagons adapted to a speed of 200 km/h have been created. The weight of the wagons ranges from 50,000 kg to 57,000 kg.

The self-supporting wagon body is made of stainless steel, with increased strength. The wagons have thermal and sound insulation based on mineral wool. At the end of each side wall of the wagon, there are wide swing-sliding doors. The exceptions are restaurant-bar wagons (with one pair of doors), sleeper wagons (with one pair of doors) and the 157A type wagon, with an entrance dedicated to wheelchair travelers. The lower parts of the wagon, i.e. under the frame, are equipped with covers to give the wagon a streamlined shape. The carriages are walk-through. In carriages from type 156A to type 159A and in type 166A and 167A, additionally, tight inter-carriage connections with increased comfort were used. For the first time in Poland, such a passage was installed in the 158A carriage. These carriages can be connected with older carriages, but then there is no tightness.

The temperature inside the carriages is regulated by automatic single-channel air conditioning. All carriages have passenger information in the form of monitors, displays and an audio system. Some carriages have a GPS system, which is presented on monitors, with the current geographical position and the current speed of the train. All carriages are equipped with closed-system toilets. There is hot water in the toilets and sinks. There are automatic systems for flushing and disinfecting toilet bowls. Dyson hand dryers were used in some carriages. Many toilets have baby changing tables. Many carriages have bicycle racks; from 3 to 12. These cars have the addition of “row” in their name and a sticker at the entrance door.

Most cars have a system that controls the car’s components. Data can be read via a terminal located in the car’s electrical cabinet, which allows for ongoing monitoring of the vehicle’s technical condition. The lighting uses an LED system. The seats are upholstered with blue fabric as standard for InterCity. Most passenger seats have access to 230 V sockets and 5 V USB sockets. The equipment also includes a wireless Wi-Fi internet access point, devices that amplify the mobile phone signal, interior monitoring and a fire protection system. In compartment cars, the walls between the compartment and the corridor are made of glass in aluminum frames. This solution ensures the maximum amount of daylight inside the car.

The car bodies are additionally painted with anti-vandal coatings, also known as anti-graffiti. Removing graffiti from a surface protected with an anti-graffiti system involves using a pressure washer. Graffiti can also be removed mechanically.

Initially, FPS assembled MD 524 type bogies (152A in the period 1997–1998) and SGP 300-RS/3S type bogies (154A in the period 1998–1999). Then there were Polish type 25ANa and type 70RSTb bogies for NEWAG. MD524, SGP 300-R3/3S, 25ANa and 70RSTb bogies are equipped with disc and rail brakes with an anti-skid system. Three brake discs were installed on each axle. The diameter of the new wheels is 0.92 m. The suspension of both levels consists of coil springs or spring and pneumatic cushions.

T-T data of Z1 standard wagons: Axle arrangement 2’2’. Length 26.40 m. Width 2.824 m. Height 4.05 m. Diameter of monoblock wheels 0.92 m. Operating speed 200 km/h. Equipment; air conditioning, audio and video railway information, LED lighting, automatic diagnostics, closed system toilets, hot water in sinks, automatic flushing and disinfection of the toilet bowl, automatic entrance doors and passage doors to the next carriage.

Written by Karol Placha Hetman