The emergency call is received by the SBB fire and. 44 MTU REPORT 2/2008 Rail

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1 Mountain rescue SBB, the Swiss Federal Railways, are currently modernizing their emergency response equipment by the addition of eight tripleunit fire and rescue trains (FRT). In order to be able to provide assistance more quickly and safely at accidents, the new trains are fitted with high-performance MTU PowerPacks. Testing in Switzerland. Safety first: the new fire and rescue trains for the SBB set new standards. With their four 390-kW PowerPack units, they can now be on the scene even more quickly. The emergency call is received by the SBB fire and rescue service in Brig at around 5:30 pm on a Saturday. A goods train carrying 60,000 liters of solvent-based paint from the Czech Republic has passed a signal at danger. In the middle of the 19-kilometer Simplon Tunnel, it has collided with a passenger express from Milan. There are casualties. Leaking paint has caught fire. The fire threatens to exacerbate the situation. But fortunately, things don t get that far. Only 30 minutes after receiving the alarm, the SBB fire and rescue train (FRT) from Brig is on the scene in the tunnel. Twelve casualties are brought out of the smoke-filled tunnel by the rescue train and attended to by the local ambulance service. Meanwhile, the LRZ fire appliance truck and tank tender, which have remained in the tunnel, set about putting out the fire. This is a fictitious scenario but it nevertheless shows how well-equipped the SBB is in an emergency, having a total of 16 FRT trains across the country. At present, the railway is modernizing its fleet by the addition of eight new units supplied by the German rolling stock manufacturer Windhoff. Windhoff heads a consortium that also includes Dräger, Josef Meyer and Vogt. Equipped with the latest fire rescue and extinguishing kit, the FRT provides rapid-response assistance both inside tunnels and on the open track. The motive force for the new triple-unit specialized train is provided by four MTU rail PowerPacks. The low-profile power modules are only 84 centimeters high and fit under the floor of the railway trucks. With a combined output of 1,560 kw, they have as much power as a high-performance multipurpose diesel locomotive. As a result, the trains have a top speed of over 100 kilometers an hour and so can easily fit between the time slots of the scheduled services. They can also tow away stranded trains weighing up to 2,500 tonnes, depending on the gradient, explains Marko Rämisch, MTU applications engineer. Thanks to the powerful engines, the response time from receipt of the emergency call to arrival at the scene has been reduced from 60 minutes to between 30 and 45 minutes. The SAM control and monitoring system supplied by MTU precisely adjusts the response characteristics and power profile of the engines to suit the truck operating mode. The PowerPacks also have exhaust filters to minimize particulate emissions. Not only does that protect the environment on a general level, it also improves air quality when working inside tunnels. Because of those qualities, it has been possible to increase the deployment range of each train and thus reduce the number of fire and rescue stations to a total of 14, points out Karl Haller, SBB rolling-stock purchasing project manager. Safety is taken very seriously in Switzerland. It is as much a part of the national image as precision watch-making. And that image is preserved with a care akin to religious devotion. And, of course, it extends to the railway system which, because of the mountainous terrain, has to meet extremely high safety standards. The mountains mean that the number of tunnels is very large. There are 20 that are over three kilometers long, including the 34.5-kilometer Lötschberg base tunnel opened in 2007 and the 57-kilometer Gotthard base tunnel currently under construction. The SBB and BLS Lötschbergbahn are the only railway companies in Europe with their own fire and rescue services. They ensure that high levels of safety are always maintained. Their routines involve daily drill practices and large-scale training exercises every six years. At the end of 2006, the railway fire service was changed from an auxiliary unit to a 180-strong professional organization. That has also enabled us to speed up the response times, emphasizes Hansjürg Baumgartner, deputy chief of the railway fire service for the infrastructure and operations management department. The fire and rescue train has connections at the side for separate water and foam hoses. 44 MTU REPORT 2/2008 Rail

2 Rescue truck for evacuating up to 60 people, injured or uninjured, from tunnels. Equipment for 23 firefighters Tank tender with 50 cubic-meter water tank and 1,800 liters of foam extract MTU PowerPack electronics for engine and gearbox control, interface with vehicle control, Powerpack safety functions Air lock at entrance to rescue container keeps out contaminated air Water jets to protect front of appliance truck when close to fires Underfloor engines: two MTU PowerPacks, each with 6H 1800 engine (390 kw) fitted with exhaust particulate filter Crane for lifting stretchers onto the truck platform Emergency steps Folding steps for rapid access to the rescue truck platform and taking stretchers on board Fire monitor for water and foam with delivery rate of up to 6,000 liters a minute and range of 70 meters

3 Tank tender with 50 cubic-meter water tank and 1,800 liters of foam extract Crane for rescue equipment Fire monitor for water and foam with delivery rate of up to 6,000 liters a minute and range of 70 meters Underfloor engines (hidden) for appliance truck. Two MTU PowerPacks, each with 6H 1800 engine (390 kw) fitted with exhaust particulate filter Connections for external fire hoses

4 OVER 1,700 CALL-OUTS IN Due to the safety systems on the Swiss rail network, an accident of the sort imagined above is unlikely. Nevertheless, there are potential dangers in many other situations. Since the specialized trains are very versatile, they have been used increasingly in recent years for large numbers of more minor incidents. Whereas in 2005 there were 2005 callouts, the number rose to 1,100 in 2006 and reached 1,760 in Tunnel accidents, however, can have very serious results because of the limited possibilities for escape, especially when there are fires. For such incidents, the new trains provide a robust emergencyresponse concept as they effectively combine fire-fighting and rescue capabilities. SEPARATION OF FIRE-FIGHTING AND RESCUE. The first of the eight FRT trains ordered was handed over to the fire and rescue brigade in Brugg in July It has many improvements compared with the previous generations (LRZ76 and LRZ96). Among the most important changes is a new traction system concept. Previously, the train was pulled by a diesel locomotive. The advantage of that arrangement is that the train is not dependent on a supply of electricity. The disadvantage is that if, when attending a tunnel fire, the locomotive takes the rescue truck back to the tunnel entrance, the fire-tender unit is SUSTAINABLE CONCEPT The rescue truck and the appliance truck of the new fire and rescue train are variations of a family of railway wagons made by Windhoff that includes a number of MPV s (multi purpose vehicles). By virtue of a modular design principle, the truck platform can be modified to suit a variety of applications and thus also be economically produced. For example, it can also be used as the basis for construction and working wagons. The concept is thus financially viable for the end user as well as the manufacturer and its suppliers. A major factor in the versatility of the concept is the MTU rail PowerPack, which incorporates a large number of functions. It is relatively quick and easy to install and can be adapted to suit a variety of uses. That includes operation in regions with different legislative frameworks. The compact dimensions allow it to be used in the UIC zone, the UK and on high-speed routes. And the PowerPack meets the latest environmental requirements. Due to its many advantages, the latest-generation of the train has aroused great interest outside Switzerland too. As a result, Windhoff is supplying four working trucks based on the same platform to the Netherlands. Each truck has two PowerPacks developing 335 kilowatts of power each. Windhoff is also supplying six working trucks, each with a single PowerPack (390 kw) fitted for the first time with an oxidation catalytic converter for reducing the regeneration temperature, to Taiwan. left with no means of propulsion. In addition, the train can only fight a fire at the rear, i.e. can only approach a fire from one direction as otherwise the locomotive would be in the way of the monitor jet. That means that on some occasions the train first has to be turned around. The solution is provided by the new fire and rescue train generation (LRZ04 and LRZ08) in which the train units are powered independently by MTU underfloor traction modules. That enables the separate units of the FRT to independently advance to the site of the fire and evacuate people under their own power. Another advantage is the high performance of the PowerPacks. MTU had previously supplied ten 315-kW PowerPacks for the LRZ04 emergency rescue trains. Combined with the less suitable load-transfer gearboxes and the fact that only one axle on each bogie was driven, that earlier generation was only able to tow loads of up to 90 tonnes with those power units. With the more powerful engines coupled with torque-converter transmissions and driving all eight axles, the new generation can pull around 2,500 tonnes. And when not slowed by towing, the trains are significantly faster with a top speed of 100 kilometers an hour. FIREFIGHTING UNIT WITH 70-METER JET. The train has two self-propelled units the fire-fighting unit and the rescue unit. The fire-fighting unit is made up of the appliance truck and the tank tender. While the appliance truck is equipped with two PowerPacks, the tank tender was not given its own means of propulsion so as not to diminish the capacity of the water and foam tanks. The appliance truck consists of the driver s cab and a container housing emergency generator, breathing-equipment compressor and fire-fighting equipment. The cab has its own air supply and is hermetically sealed from the outside atmosphere. A thermal imaging camera on the front allows the driver to see people ahead even in a smoke-filled tunnel. Water jets also incorporated in the front of the unit create a protective shield of water to fend off the heat when close to a fire. On the roof of the cab is a powerful fire monitor. It has a range of up to 70 meters so that the FRT can maintain a safe distance from fires in dangerous situations. As well as the fire monitor capable of spraying water or foam, the cab also has connections on the side for separate foam and water hoses. The driver has seven radio channels for communicating with all railway fire and rescue networks and other rescue services. The tank tender also has a fully equipped driver s cab. The tanks hold around 50 cubic meters of water and 1,800 liters of foam extract for the fire monitor and the CAFS special foam system. The total delivery capacity of the pump is 6,000 liters a minute. That means it can supply several fire hoses or both monitors at the same time. 1 1 The new fire and rescue train can simultaneously fight fires and evacuate casualties. 2, 3 During comprehensive trials near Olten (Switzerland) the train pulled a 730-tonne aggregates train up gradients as steep as 27 per thousand. 2 3 Rail MTU REPORT 2/

5 TESTING AND APPROVAL OF MTU POWERPACK RESCUE UNIT WITH SPACE FOR 60 PEOPLE. The SBB rescue unit consists of a single rescue truck while the BLS Lötschbergbahn version has two rescue trucks. Like the appliance truck, they have two PowerPacks and a driver s cab. As a result, they can be uncoupled from the fire-fighting unit when in attendance at an incident so as to evacuate passengers to the tunnel entrance The fire monitors can project a water jet up to 70 meters. 2 MTU underfloor traction unit in a maintenance train made by German manufacturer Windhoff. 3 At the heart of the MTU PowerPack is a 390-kW type 6H 1800 engine. 3 The equipment is specifically designed for emergency situations. The central element is a container with space for 60 people and equipment for up to 23 firefighters, who can be transported to the incident by the rescue truck. The rescue truck is also sealed off from the outside atmosphere. Housed in the roof structure of the rescue truck and under the floor of the tank tender there are 96 cylinders, each holding 50 liters of oxygen at a pressure of 300 bar that can supply 1.4 million liters of air for breathing. That enables us to remain continuously in a contaminated atmosphere for up to four and a half hours, explains fire service commandant Erwin Schmied from Brugg. The impetus for the new concept was provided by the entry of the Swiss tunnel builders into the high-speed era, and especially the construction of the Lötschberg base tunnel. Together with the Simplon tunnel, it forms the first high-speed north-south rail link through the Alps. It carries trains at speeds as high as 250 kilometers per hour. The safety concept takes account of all conceivable dangers. The two tunnels are linked to each other by connecting passages so that each can be used as an emergency access and escape route for the other if necessary. Solid fire doors separate off safety zones. And a central role is played by the FRT trains of the SBB and BLS. Two trains are always deployed in an emergency, each approaching the tunnel from the opposite end. Klaus Peiler klaus.peiler@mtu-online.com Tel Wolfgang Stolba MTU electronics specialists fine-tuned the PowerPack control systems to the operating conditions during a series of trials. When every minute counts and the slightest fault can have disastrous consequences, the technology used must be subjected to absolutely rigorous and stringent testing before it is handed over to the end user or operator. That is especially true of emergency-response trains such as the fire and rescue train and its power units. All important PowerPack functions were first tested on the prototype test bench by the manufacturer, MTU. Then once incorporated in the overall vehicle system by the rolling-stock manufacturer Windhoff, they underwent a second series of track tests focusing in particular on the interaction between the Windhoff electronic control system in the train-unit cab and the PowerPack control system supplied by MTU and mounted on the side of the chassis. A third stage subsequently involved the future operator, SBB, together with experts from Windhoff and MTU performing a series of trials on a nine-kilometer Alpine section near Olten that has gradients up to 27 per thousand and is one of the steepest railway lines in Switzerland. In the course of those real-conditions tests, the PowerPack and train control systems were fine-tuned to each other particularly with regard to final adjustment of the traction system response under starting, braking and skidding conditions on gradients. Following a rigorous series of trials including starting off on a 27 per-thousand gradient in a tunnel pulling a 720-tonne aggregates train, the power units were approved in June Rail MTU REPORT 2/