BLS Ae 6/8 und andere Privatbahn-Sécherons

The Ae 6/8 of the BLS, Be 4/4 of the BT and EBT, the Bernina Crocodile, and several other railcars of the BT and EBT had something in common: the hollow shaft spring drive of the Sécheron design. This was a Swiss development of the American Westinghouse spring drive, which had previously been used in three SBB Sécheron locomotives as a licensed construction.

The BLS was always known for its pioneering achievements in the field of electric traction, which continually captivated the industry. In 1926, the BLS put its first Be 6/8, later known as Ae 6/8, into operation – at that time, the strongest locomotives in the world. The engineers of SAAS developed the hollow shaft spring drive of the Sécheron design for this purpose, allowing the success story of the Sécheron works to continue.

The drive proved to be excellent and also found its way into other private railway locomotives. The Ge 4/4 No. 82 of the then Bernina Railway could claim to be the first axle-less, narrow-gauge bogie locomotive in Switzerland, while this claim for standard gauge railways applied to the six Be 4/4 locomotives for the Lake Constance-Toggenburg Railway.

This work provides a detailed account of the history and technology of these locomotives for the first time – complemented by previously unpublished photos.