Winterthur Universal Drive
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Winterthur Universal Drive with twin engines and double transmission 150px, Drive wheel set with open cross coupling The Winterthur universal drive or SLM universal drive () was a drive for electric locomotives invented by Swiss engineer Jakob Buchli at
Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works (German Schweizerische Lokomotiv- und Maschinenfabrik; French Société Suisse pour la Construction de Locomotives et de Machines; or for both, SLM) was a railway equipment manufacturer based in Winterthur in Swi ...
(SLM) in the 1920s.


Design

After developing the successful
Buchli drive The Buchli drive is a transmission system used in electric locomotives. It was named after its inventor, Swiss engineer Jakob Buchli. The drive is a fully spring-loaded Vehicle propulsion, drive, in which each floating axle has an individual moto ...
at
Brown, Boveri & Cie Brown, Boveri & Cie. (Brown, Boveri & Company; BBC) was a Swiss group of electrical engineering companies. It was founded in Baden bei Zürich, in 1891 by Charles Eugene Lancelot Brown and Walter Boveri who worked at the Maschinenfabrik Oer ...
(BBC), Buchli moved to SLM at
Winterthur Winterthur (; ) is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. With over 120,000 residents, it is the country's List of cities in Switzerland, sixth-largest city by population, as well as its ninth-largest agglomeration with about 14 ...
in 1924, where he designed the universal drive. It was characterised by double gearbox, which enabled the transmission ratio to be selected freely within a wide range. Two coaxially opposed motors were arranged in the frame above each drive axle. The driving wheels were driven by a double gearbox, the second being connected centrally to the driving wheels by means of a universal joint.


Service

The Winterthur universal drive was extensively used by SLM in locomotive designs from 1928 to 1948. It was compact and had a relatively light unsprung weight. However, it was difficult to access for maintenance and repair work, a particular problem as the gears were prone to wear. The drive was unpopular amongst drivers due to loud noise that it made, and production was discontinued when the design was rendered obsolete with the advent of lighter motors which enabled the modern axle-hung (also known as nose-suspended due to the "nose" that transfers weight and torque to the frame), direct-drive designs.


Locomotives


See also

*
Quill drive A quill drive is a mechanism that allows a drive shaft to shift its position (either axially, radially, or both) relative to its driving shaft. It consists of a hollow driving shaft (the quill) with a driven shaft inside it. The two are conn ...
* Tschanz drive


References

{{Reflist Locomotive parts Electric locomotives of Switzerland