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The locomotives that we
present in this book have many things jointly:
 power
lower than the 1.000 cv, they are not
locomotives of line but they are not tractors of maneuvers either
and they were born with the aim to obtain a standardized
construction that was common to the major possible number of railway
administrations. But his origin was radically different: France (040
GIVES of Brissonneau
et Lortz)
and the USA (The Universal series of GECo).
So much in one as in another case, it allowed to
RENFE to have a type of machines of
median it promotes for all kinds of services: maneuvers, short
trains, trains of work, etc This category of locomotives allowed to
have traction to some narrow-gauge railroads (The
Robla, Tajuña)
and to the industrial facilities (Metallurgical and port) the north
of the peninsula.
The efforts of the
UIC for managing to unify criteria of
construction (to cheapen the costs) to achieve a group of European
locomotives was obtained only partly. But undoubtedly, the most
extraordinary achievement was the construction of the French
locomotive 040 DA. To support this politics, there was accompanied
on the purchase of these units a system of funding of the entity
Eurofima, specialized in this type of
operations. Thus there was allowed an integrated European politics
in the construction of railway material in a few years in which,
indisputably, the kings were the North American companies. In
RENFE, and without great enthusiasm,
an experience was effected, first of rent and
Switcher buys later, of a limited
series of this type of locomotive, the European a
Road-, standardized and of
"Universal" type that was allowing an easy exportation. The
conception of this type of locomotive had allowed to provide with
traction diesel to lines and secondary branches that were not
admitting excessive charges for axis. Though the series was not
satisfying RENFE for technical
problems and little power, they were in service approximately 30
years. Similar series continue working in France and other
countries.
A locomotive of similar
conception of American origin gave place to the series 10.800 of
RENFE, acquaintance as the
“ye-ye”. The American range of the
U10B of General Electric came to Spain to the Railroad of The
Robla in 1963. This model was one of
most adapted for narrow-gauge railroads and difficult tracings. The
simplicity and hardness of these locomotives interested the
Babcock and
Wilcox of Biscay, which included it in his catalogue of
construction of locomotives close to GECo's
subsidiary, the GEE.
The putting in public
companies' march like ENSIDESA and
UNINSA, and other industrial
factories were necessary locomotives of certain power and similar to
GECo's U10B.
As test of the good one
to do of the GECO, it is that in 1998
they continued working regularly and with some renovations of on
half great report of these locomotives in the companies in those
that they managed to use.
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