The GE 2-C+C-2 was an electric locomotive built by General Electric employed in the Companhia Paulista de Estradas de Ferro and later in the Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil, based on the EP-4 model built for the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad.[1] It had 3817 hp of power and total weight of 165 tons, being classified in the AAR standard as 2-C+C-2. They were employed between 1940 and 1998 when the last ones were deactivated by obsolescence by Fepasa in São Paulo.[2][3]
| GE 2-C+C-2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Locomotive #371 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
History edit
Design and construction (Companhia Paulista) edit
In 1927, the São Paulo state government authorized the state's railroad concessionaires to charge a 10% fee on their freight customers so that each concessionaire could set up an investment fund for maintenance and the acquisition of rolling stock.[4] Despite the Great Depression, Companhia Paulista felt few of its effects because it used electric traction in much of its network.[5] As freight and passenger traffic grew throughout the 1930s, Companhia Paulista decided to order new locomotives from General Electric using part of its maintenance and acquisition fund.[6]
| Evolution of the Companhia Paulista de Estradas de Ferro (1930-1939) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Transported cargo (in tonnes) | Passengers transported | Locomotives |
| 1930 | 2.051,327 | 3.468,897 | 223
45 electric 178 steam |
| 1934 | 2.596,606 | 2.051,327 | 219
45 electric 174 steam |
| 1939 | 3.825,604 | 6.135,831 | 224
45 electric 179 steam |
| Sources: Annual Reports of Companhia Paulisra for 1930, 1935, and 1939.[7] | |||
Twenty-two electric locomotives of type 2-C+C-2, with 3.817 horsepower and 165 tons were ordered based on the model EP-4 locomotives delivered by General Electric to the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. The first locomotive was shipped from the United States to Brazil at the end of 1939,[8] and arrived disassembled in the port of Santos on January 20, 1940.[9]
_(14804586023).jpg)
By the end of 1940, another three locomotives were delivered. With the increasing involvement of the United States in World War II, General Electric supported the war effort and eventually halted the supply of the remaining 18 locomotives. It was resumed only in 1947 and completed in 1948:[5]
| Locomotives delivery | |
|---|---|
| Year | Quantity |
| 1940 | 4 |
| 1947 | 10 |
| 1948 | 8 |
| Total | 22 |
Design and construction (Central do Brasil) edit
The electrification project for the Central do Brasil Railroad began in 1935 and had its first stage inaugurated on July 10, 1937. Unlike Companhia Paulista, which hired General Electric, Central hired the British company Metropolitan-Vickers to supply various equipment, including 30 electric locomotives. The Second World War, however, affected the project more intensely than Paulista, and Metropolitan-Vickers was forced by the British government to abandon the project. Central tried to build 6 locomotives, with relative success, but still needed another 24. After the end of the war, Central decided to contract the Electrical Export Corporation-Cobrazil consortium (which successfully electrified the Sorocabana Trunk Line) to supply 15 electric locomotives. Although it intended for 1-C+C-1 or C-C type locomotives, Central was obliged by the War Production Board (WPB) of the U.S. government to acquire GE 2-C+C-2 locomotives similar to those supplied to Companhia Paulista. The locomotives were delivered in 1947.[10][11]
| Locomotives delivery | |
|---|---|
| Year | Quantity |
| 1947 | 15 |
| Total | 15 |
Operation (EFCB-RFFSA) edit
Rio de Janeiro (1947–1980) edit
.jpg)
Central's first locomotive was delivered on July 16, 1947. Initially, they were used in passenger and cargo services between Rio de Janeiro and Volta Redonda. Their performance with freight trains, however, was below expectations due to their low adherence and the steeper profile of the track. This situation caused the machines to "skid" and damage rails and wheelsets. The low performance caused diesel locomotives to be used to transport cargo while the 2-C+C-2 locomotives started to pull passenger trains. In 1957, the locomotives were incorporated into the Federal Railway Network (RFFSA), changing their colors. RFFSA expanded the functions of the locomotives, using them to pull suburban trains in the late 1970s. With the progressive deactivation of electrification between Volta Redonda and Japeri between 1970 and 1984, the 2-C+C-2 locomotives performed fewer and fewer services until they were transferred from Rio de Janeiro to the Santos-Jundiaí Railroad in São Paulo in 1980.[10][12]
São Paulo (1980–1982) edit
In São Paulo RFFSA barely operated its 2-C+C-2 locomotives on the Santos-Jundiaí Railroad. Between 1981 and 1982 it transferred 10 of the locomotives to Fepasa while it received 11 ALCO RSC-3 diesel locomotives from the São Paulo state-owned company. The five remaining locomotives were scrapped by RFFSA in the 1980s.[10][13]
Operation (Companhia Paulista/Fepasa) edit
.jpg)
The first locomotives were delivered in 1940 and started to pull passenger and freight trains for Companhia Paulista. After the completion of several road readjustment works on Paulista lines, the locomotives began to reach speeds of 120 kilometers per hour. Initially supplied with a pin+hook coupler, the locomotives had their equipment replaced in the 1950s by Janney couplers.[7]
.jpg)
The good technical performance of the locomotives led Companhia Paulista to expand passenger and freight transport, hitting production records in the 1950s. After Paulista was nationalized in 1961, the government of Sâo Paulo invested in new General Electric locomotives, received in 1968. As a result, 2-C+C-2 locomotives began to play an increasingly secondary role in freight transportation. In 1971, Paulista was unified by the state government with the other railroads in the state, and Ferrovia Paulista S/A (Fepasa) was formed. Fepasa made plans to start replacing 2-C+C-2 locomotives in 1973, but the First Oil Crisis delayed these plans. In 1976, Fepasa signed a contract with Francorail to replace the 2-C+C-2 with 10 C-C locomotives manufactured by Alstom.[14]
With a lack of resources, Fepasa's replacement plan was postponed and in 1981 the state company acquired 10 2-C+C-2 locomotives from the Federal Railroad Network to reform and supply parts for the existing fleet of 22 2-C+C-2 locomotives inherited from Companhia Paulista. Between 1982 and 1988 Fepasa retired eight of the locomotives acquired from the RFFSA and scrapped them. With this, the fleet underwent its first major overhaul and encouraged Fepasa to invest in the renovation of its passenger trains, creating new services. In 1989, the 2-C+C-2 locomotive #6386 prepared by Fepasa and the Technological Research Institute broke the Brazilian record for rail speed when reaching 164 kilometers per hour on a route between Itirapina and Santa Gertrudes. Despite the investments in the renovation of the locomotives, Fepasa was highly indebted and terminated the contract for the acquisition of Alstom locomotives in 1992.[14]
In 1995, Fepasa was highly indebted and began to substitute the electric fleet for diesel-electric machines. In the following year, a study indicated the need for investments of almost 50 million dollars to substitute the entire existing electrical network, and this investment had no forecast of being amortized. With no resources, Fepasa began a slow process of deactivating all its electric locomotives, including the 2-C+C-2, completed in 1998.[14]
Preservation edit
.jpg)
After the deactivation of the locomotives in 1998, Fepasa was incorporated to RFFSA and its network was conceded as part of the national program of privatization and extinction of RFFSA. The electric locomotives became State property (represented by the National Department of Transportation Infrastructure[15]). Nowadays there are a few preserved locomotives, but only two are refurbished (in São Paulo and Bauru):
| Preserved locomotives | |
|---|---|
| Number | Location |
| 371 (6392) | São Paulo, maintained by the Brazilian Association for Railway Preservation |
| 381 (6381) | Cruzeiro, São Paulo, maintained by the Brazilian Association for Railway Preservation[16] |
| 378 (6378) | Rio Claro, Railway Memory Institute [17] |
| 383 (6383) | |
| 387 (6387) | Bauru, Bauru Regional Railway Museum |
| 374 (6374) | Jundiaí, Companhia Paulista Museum |
| 375 (6375) | |
| 379 (6379) | |
| 389 (6389) | |
| 377 (6377) | Araraquara[18] |
Accidents edit
- January 19, 1953 - Rio de Janeiro (RJ). Locomotive 2115 derailed near the Engenho de Dentro station. No victims.[19]
- March 29, 1991 - Rio Claro (SP). A Fepasa 2-C+C-2 locomotive derailed after a landslide occurred on the railroad outside Rio Claro. The driver suffered minor injuries while his assistant had a fractured leg.[20][21]
In popular culture edit
- A composition formed by a 2-C+C-2 locomotive and Fepasa Standard Pullman cars was used in the artistic project "Kino trem" (1996-1997), by the artists Lucas Bambozzi, Eliane Caffé, and Ricardo Ribenboim.[22][23]
- Fepasa's locomotive #6381 was used in the movie Dois Córregos (1999), by Carlos Reichenbach.[24]
- The 2-C+C-2 locomotive started to be reproduced on HO Scale in 2004 by Frateschi Trens Elétricos.
- Locomotive #371 was used in scenes of the soap operas O Profeta (2006) and Ciranda de Pedra (2008) of Rede Globo.
References edit
- ^ Locomotive Cyclopaedia (1956). "Locomotiva EP-4" [EP-4 Locomotive] (in Portuguese). Eletrificação da C.P.E.F. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ Luiz Malavolta (18 August 1995). "Fepasa adota locomotivas movidas a diesel" [Fepasa adopts diesel locomotives] (in Portuguese). Folha de S.Paulo. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ Antonio Augusto Gorni (7 September 2003). "1995-2000: O Fim" [1995-2000: The End] (in Portuguese). A Eletrificação nas Ferrovias Brasileiras:Companhia Paulista de Estradas de Ferro. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ Governo do estado de São Paulo (10 March 1927). "Decreto estadual nº 4202" [State Decree 4202] (in Portuguese). Assembléia Legislativa do Estado de São Paulo. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ a b Antonio Augusto Gorni (7 September 2003). "1922-1961: A Expansão" [1922-1961: The Expansion] (in Portuguese). A Eletrificação nas Ferrovias Brasileiras:Companhia Paulista de Estradas de Ferro. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ Companhia Paulista de Estradas de Ferro (28 April 1941). "Fundo de aumento, melhoria e renovação do material rodante" [Rolling stock increase, improvement and renewal fund] (in Portuguese). Relatório n. 91 da Diretoria da Companhia Paulista de Estradas de Ferro para a Assembléia Geral Ordinária- Exercício de 1940/Memória Estatística do Brasil -Biblioteca do Ministério da Fazenda no Rio de Janeiro - republicada no Internet Archive. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ a b Companhia Paulista de Estradas de Ferro. "Relatórios anuais da Companhia Paulista de Estradas de Ferro" [Annual reports of Companhia Paulista de Estradas de Ferro] (in Portuguese). Memória Estatística do Brasil -Biblioteca do Ministério da Fazenda no Rio de Janeiro - republicada no Internet Archive. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ "Moderna locomotiva para a Estrada F. Paulista" [Modern locomotive for the Paulista Railroad]. A Noite, ano XXIX, edição 10019, página 7/republicado pela Biblioteca Nacional-Hemeroteca Digital Brasileira. 2 January 1940. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ Informações telegráficas do interior para o Diário da Noite (23 January 1940). "São Paulo" (in Portuguese). Diário da Noite, ano XII, edição 3859, página 3/republicado pela Biblioteca Nacional-Hemeroteca Digital Brasileira. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ a b c Antonio Augusto Gorni (11 March 2003). "1946-1984: As Linhas de Longo Percurso" [1946-1984: The Lines of Long Travel] (in Portuguese). A Eletrificação nas Ferrovias Brasileiras:Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ "Builder List". GE Export Page. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
- ^ Alberto H. del Bianco (April 1981). "Locomotivas 2-C+C-2 na Estrada de Ferro Santos-Jundiaí" [Locomotives 2-C+C-2 on the Santos-Jundiaí Railroad] (in Portuguese). A Eletrificação nas Ferrovias Brasileiras:Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ Alexandre Santurian (30 December 1991). "Ficha técnica das locomotivas V-8" [Technical data sheet for V-8 locomotives] (in Portuguese). Centro Oeste. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
- ^ a b c Antonio Augusto Gorni (25 May 2002). "O Corredor de Exportação Santos-Uberaba" [The Santos-Uberaba Export Corridor] (in Portuguese). A Eletrificação nas Ferrovias Brasileiras:Ferrovia Paulista S.A. - FEPASA. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
- ^ "Lei Federal nº 11483" [Federal Law #11483] (in Portuguese). Casa Civil-Presidência da República. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
- ^ Marcelo Toledo (21 September 2020). "Após resgate histórico em SP, locomotivas terão plano de restauro" [After historical rescue in SP, locomotives will have restoration plan] (in Portuguese). Folhapress-republicado por Yahoo. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
- ^ "Rio Claro recebe duas locomotivas e três veículos ferroviários" [Rio Claro receives two locomotives and three rail vehicles] (in Portuguese). Diário do Rio Claro. 2 December 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
- ^ "Denit pode destruir locomotivas e vagões históricos em Araraquara" [Denit may destroy historic locomotives and wagons in Araraquara] (in Portuguese). A Cidade ON. 20 August 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
- ^ Ralph Mennucci Giesbrecht. "Engenho de Dentro" (in Portuguese). Estações ferroviárias do Brasil. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
- ^ "Máquina de puxar vagões cai em Rio Claro" [Wagon pulling machine collapses in Rio Claro] (in Portuguese). Folha de S.Paulo, ano 71, edição 22641, Caderno Sudeste nº 9, página 1. 30 March 1991.
- ^ Ralph Mennucci Giesbrecht. "Cronologia 1991-2002:Fatos da década" [Chronology 1991-2002: Facts of the decade] (in Portuguese). Estações ferroviárias do Brasil. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
- ^ Edilamar Galvão (29 October 1997). ""Kino trem" integra evento Arte/Cidade 3" ["Kino train" is part of the Art/City 3 event] (in Portuguese). Folha de S.Paulo. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
- ^ Celso Fioravante (25 October 1997). "Trem do Arte/Cidade 3 chega a SP" [Art/City Train 3 arrives in SP] (in Portuguese). Folha de S.Paulo. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
- ^ AdoroCinema, Dois Córregos (in Brazilian Portuguese), retrieved 2023-05-24