It's top speed is 120 kmph. The AFB doesn't go any further... But if I use a control car in the front, I can make it push up to 160 kmph. Is this prototypical ? How is it handled IRL ?
All trains can go faster than their rated top speed (although damage may be done depending on how much faster you go). It is up to the driver to make sure they don't exceed the Vmax of their train. This can be helped by AFB, but the control car doesn't have one, so it is purely down to you to keep the speed below 120.
IRL the driver will know the maximum top speed of the train based on the locomotive top speed and the lowest top speed passenger/freight car in the consist and stick to it. In real life the driver also receives paperwork that mentions tonnage and maximum permitted speed of the train, in TSW you need to take a look at the speed markings on the side of the cars and loco in order to evaluate this yourself In your case the 143 is rated at max 120 Km/h, but the dostos can do 160 km/h. Vmax for the train is 120 Km/h due to locomotive. Other example, If you would have Br 182 Taurus with the same dostos, even if the Taurus is rated at 200 Km, Vmax for the train will be 160 km/h since that is the maximum rated speed for the coaches. As aeronautic237 mentioned adhering to the speed limit is mandatory since going faster will lead to premature wear or even derail in extreme cases as the wheel rims and flange and entire bogey are designed for certain speeds and going over it can lead to far more physical stress than designed.
Here is a handy guide for understanding data panels on German rolling stock. Hope it helps. https://www.ltsv.com/w_ref_codes_uic.php
Makes sense... Don't know why but I was imagining it (BR143) to have some sort of traction cutout after it reaches its Vmax. It caught me off-guard when I was doing around 160 and suddenly I had a 'Hang on a minute, we've got a 143 in the back; and it doesn't go this fast' voice in my head. Thanks ! This is really a treasure trove ! Will give it a read
I too imagined that there would be a traction cut-out. This forum taught me otherwise. However, since I only drive it on Dresden-Riesa, I never exceed 120km/h anyway, so never had to think about it.
The holdup with the 143, isn't power, it's the bogies; they aren't considered to be safe on standard radius curves over 120. Swap out the bogies for western-style ones, you have a 112.
I don't believe that's true. To the best of my knowledge, the 112 was actually developed first, and when it was decided that DR would rather have a slower, but stronger, locomotive, all that was changed to create the 143 was the gearing of the traction motors. The bogies should be exactly the same, and to me they do look identical. Do you have a source for that?
Interesting it could be the gearing/traction motors that limits the maximum speed or the loco in that case.
It's the gearing, and also the pantographs. The original Reichsbahn BR 212 was designed for 160 km/h, and one prototype was built in the late 70s. By the time the order was made by DR, the design requirements had changed and the gear ratio was altered to allow for a higher starting torque at the cost of a lower top speed. The designation ended up being BR 243 when the locomotives entered service in 1984 in East Germany. After the unification, Germany had two national train companies: Deutsche Bundesbahn (DB) originally from the west, and Deutsche Reichsbahn (DR) originally from the east. The two companies worked closely together, with the intend to eventually merge into one company, which meant that DR would have to run trains at 160 km/h too. But since DR had no electric locomotives capable of 160 km/h, the old 160 km/h design for the prototype 212 was revisited and four prototype locomotives (212 002 to 212 005) were ordered. These were essentially identical to the BR 243, but with the original gear ratio restored and used different pantographs. They were factory fitted with more modern safety systems, which also acted as a test bed for future conversion of the BR 243s with these new systems. After these four locomotives proved to be successful, 35 more were ordered. In the meantime, DR had adopted the west German numbering scheme, where electric locomotives have classifications in the 1xx range, so the 212 was renumbered to 112. The new locomotives were numbered in the 112.0 range (112 006 to 112 040), and the 4 prototypes were renumbered in the 112.0 range as well, for a total number of 39 locomotives in this class. All these locomotives still looked identical to the 243 (now renumbered as the 143), with separate housings for the white and red lights at each end, except for the different pantographs. The new 112 was very succesful, both as a locomotive but also as an icon for the reunification of Germany. DB and DR were merged into Deutsche Bahn (DB), and a lot of political pressure was put on DB to order more "east"-German locomotives. So plans to order more BR120s were shelved, and more 112s were ordered instead. This time with LZB, and were easily identifiable from the earlier 112s because of the headlights: the new units has one housing with both a red and a white light source built in instead of separate housings. The new 112s were numbered in the 112.1 range, starting with the 112 101. The original 112.0 range was renumbered again, this time to the BR 114.0. A number of 143s were rebuilt for 160 km/h or 140 km/h and renumbered into the 114.1 range. To make matters even more confusing, some converted 143s for 140 km/h still retain their 143 classification. Fun fact: Just a few years prior, DB ran different locomotives that were also designated BR 114, but were completely unrelated to this new class 114. Those units were converted BR 110s, fitted for 160 km/h operation, and were dismantled in 1995.
e.leerentveld that is quite an interesting insight in the history of the 112/143. The numbering scheme can be quite confusing sometimes to
IIRC, DB made test conversions of 243/143s to both 140 and 160 standard, but decided the latter were too expensive. All the 112s were new-build, aside from the original DR prototype; the conversions are 140 tops.. I believe also that the 112s have bogie dampers.
That's right, the two converted 143s were not numbered in the 112 range, but as 114.101 and 114.301. Here's the 114.101 (former 143.120). Notice the dual headlight housings: Here's the 114.033 (former 112.033). Also dual headlight housings: And a random 112.1 loco, with single headlight housings:
