CARGO BUSINESS 3-09.indd - ZSSK Cargo

Available photograph presents us with a wagon of a very small
axle base (only slightly over 2 m), but already with a characteristic
arrangement of wagon body. It documents the fact that already in the
earliest periods of railway operations in the territory of Slovakia, the
construction concept of covered freight wagons was quite clear.
Very similar wagons were operated also in the first steam railway
from Marchegg to Bratislava. The average loading capacity was about
65 Vienna cents (approximately 3.7 tons).
Wood was fundamental
It is interesting that the basic building material of wagons was wood,
of which not only the wagon body was built, but with an exception of
a wheel set, bearings and springs, almost everything. Slow expansion
of iron into wagon base construction began only with improving
availability of this material in the last years of the second third of
the 19th century. Evidence of this slow process is the oldest freight
wagon, preserved in Slovakia, from 1869, which only had its sole bar
made of rolled iron profiles; other load-bearing parts of the frame
used traditional wood materials.
The boom of iron and steel use into covered freight wagon base
construction was completed during the 70´s of the 19th century
and significantly enabled to increase the loading capacity of wagons
(up to 10t) as well as the length and weight of freight trains back
then. Covered freight wagon, typical for this period, had its body with
wooden stanchions and panelling, at first laid vertically and fixed
onto the outer side of bearing stanchions, later laid horizontally and
fixed onto the inner side of stanchions, on the steel base of rolled and
forged components. The older version is represented by a covered
freight wagon from the wagon works Győr, produced in 1884.
The wagon bodies of steel
Further progress in construction of covered freight wagons was
shown in use of steel for wagon body frame construction. Steel came
to use, in a higher degree, at the beginning of the 20th century and
contributed significantly to increased firmness of the wagon body
and reduced costs for maintenance of wagons.
A good example of this concept is covered wagon with 15 ton load
capacity from 1919, manufactured on the basis of the order Austrian
C. k. Railways, but delivered to the newly established ČSD. Stamped
plated components, replacing the former forgings, were used, in
a higher degree, in the base wagon construction.
An interesting detail of this wagon is a raised brake booth, typical
for manual brake engagement in trains, characteristic until the 30´s
of the 20th century, when ČSD began to predominately place the
pressure brake devices in their freight wagons.
The concept of two-axle covered freight wagon with a steel base, steel
frame and wooden panelling was preserved until the beginning of the
second half of the 20th century without significant changes. Since
then, however, large-capacity 4-axled freight wagons, with loading
capacity of over 55 tons, became dominant in supplies. These
wagons – with a variety of modernizations – can be seen in freight
trains today.
Jiří KUBÁČEK
Museum-documentation centre of ŽSR
Krytý nákladný vozeň s oceľovým spodkom a drevenou kostrou skrine vyrobila
vagónka v Győri roku 1884.
Covered freight wagon with steel base and wooden frame, manufactured by
wagon works in Győr in 1884.
Zaujímavý detail spojenia železných a drevených nosných častí rámu
nákladného vozňa z roku 1868.
An interesting detail of connection of iron and wooden bearing parts of the
freight wagon frame from 1868.
Reprezentant veľmi rozšírenej konštrukcie veľkokapacitného
štvornápravového nákladného vozňa z 50. rokov 20. stor. na dobovej
fotografii...
Version of the widespread construction of large-capacity 4-axled freight wagon
from the 50´s of the 20th century in the photograph from this era...
... a v depozitári múzea.
... and in the collection room of the museum.