Hellas-Express

A class comprising of aproximately 350 wagons built on the chassis of old USATC wagons or war spoils.


Both Photos Balkanmodels: April 1993 in Adendron (or Sindos). Wagon 600 6579-2 first in a string of hoppers.


Photo Balkanmodels: April 2001 outside the Railway Museum Thessaloniki.Wagon 627 5076-9. Some French I8's in the background.

christo.

A tidy example taken at (I think) Vironea in 2000. Which USATC and war spoil type chassis were used?

All Photos Balkanmodels: August 2005. From the window of a passing train en route from Salonica to Athens. Nice modelling scene. Just need some wagons .

christo.

It is mentioned in OSE's lists in 1980's:

A. 600 6001-035 USATC converted 1969
B. 600 6041-080 USATC converted 1969
C. 600 6501-668 USATC converted 1969
All above wheelbase 4027mm, body length 7315mm

D. 600 6801-856 Belgian converted 1974
Above wheelbase 4050mm, body length 7780mm

E. 600 6821-920 War Spoils Converted 1977
Above wheelbase 4500mm, body length 8000mm

So my photo of the wagon with the 3 buckets is from group C. However the 4 bucket hoppers seem to have numbers starting with 627... Where is Jason when you need him.

christo.

It's FAR more complicated than that ........ but anyway, some day i will write with more details.

The types used in 600 6 ballas hoppers were ex- U.S.A.T.C. Z1s in all forms (auxiliary, maintenance, normal, excursional), Belgian refrigerators (and ex- Z1s, built in 1929 and converted to refrigerators in 1933) and random war spoils, such as G10s.

The 627 5 ballast hoppers were ex- TATRA Z2s.


EDIT.: There were also some war spoils ballast hoppers (which were converted in Germany, or maybe built directly as ballast hoppers...).

About the '' 600 6 '' ballast hoppers ....


20 73 600 6 001-503 were converted by S.E.K. - O.S.E. Works at Volos and Thessaloniki.

20 73 600 6 511-920 were converted by contractors.

Great work Jason, really thank you!
I have to do a lot of homework


...

photo from railfaneurope;

40 73 627 5 083-5 Flls, Copyright Dimitrios Koffas

a Video; MLW A-459 with this freight cars at Level crossing - Larisa

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZSKfjhrXtc

Agios Ioannis Rentis, 02.10.2013. Operating-number: 40 73 82750330




[imghttp://img196.imageshack.us/img196/4417/4bg2.jpg][/img]




w-irons / Achshalter: is where the axle is sliding under the leaf-springs. Most of the european freight wagons after 1960s/70s, use roller-bearings / Rollenlager (before 1960s: slide-aaxle-ends / Gleitlager, where there is as "film", between oil and axle-end).


Brake-system: The brake-system of a 2 -axled or 4-axled freight wagon, works generally like this: The air is taken by the distributor from the air-reservoir, and is given to the air-cylinder to "push" the balancers (4th pic) - connected on each-side, so as the latter "push" the brakes on the wheel-rim by rods connected to the balacers and the axles /and or bogies. The release of the brakes is done by the releaser / Lösezüge (3rd pic) - connected at each side with 2 "rings" and on the middle on the distributor (which controls the air), so as to release the brakes in case of emergency. Some wagons have also a hand-brake, either on each side / or on one side of the buffer-plank, so as to release the brakes in case of shunting-operations. The last 2 pics, show the leavers, which control the air-passing if it's on high-speed (passenger) / or on low-speed (freight) trains.







Thanx

Dimitri