Soviet locomotive class E el

E el or Ээл
File:Teplovoz Eel9.jpg Diesel-electric locomotive class E el-9
Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder E el-5: Krupp E el-9: Kolomna Works E el-12: Kolomna Works Build date 1931-1941
Specifications Configuration: ​  • UIC 2-Eo-1 Loco weight E el-5: 134 tons E el-9: 140 tons E el-12: 138 tons Prime mover E el-5: MAN diesel E el-9: Uncertain E el-12: Russian built diesel Transmission Diesel-electric Five 140 kW Brown Boveri traction motors
Performance figures Power output E el-5: 1,200 hp at 450 rpm E el-9: Uncertain E el-12: 1,050 hp at 425 rpm
Career Number in class 46

Class E el (Cyrillic script: Ээл) was a Russian diesel-electric locomotive class built between 1931 and 1941. There were three sub-classes but all were very similar. E el-5 was a prototype built in Germany in 1931. E el-9 was a prototype built in Russia in 1932. E el-12 was also built in Russia and went into series production.

Engine

The prime mover was a six-cylinder four stroke diesel engine. The E el-5 had a German built MAN engine giving 1,200 hp at 450 rpm. The E el 12 had a Russian built engine, based on the German design, giving 1,050 hp at 425 rpm. It is uncertain which engine was used in the E el-9.

Electrical equipment

There were five 140 kW Brown Boveri traction motors, connected in parallel. Innovations in the E el-5 included forced ventilation for the traction motors, field weakening for high speed running and rheostatic braking. The rheostatic braking was excluded from the Russian built locomotives, to save weight, but they still weighed several tons more than the E el-5.

Disposal

None of the class is known to have been preserved.