The TCDD E8000 was a class of electric multiple unit (EMU) suburban trains operated by the Turkish State Railways (TCDD) in Istanbul. Introduced in December 1955 for the electrified Sirkeci suburban railway, the three-car trains formed part of Turkey's first electric suburban railway fleet. They operated on the European side of the city and, for a period following electrification in 1969, on the Haydarpaşa–Gebze suburban railway on the Asian side.
The E8000s were supplied by a consortium of French manufacturers headed by Alsthom, in the early years of the use of 25 kV, 50 Hz alternating-current railway electrification. A total of 30 trainsets were delivered according to contemporary specialist railway catalogues; older published figures for the total and the delivery batches differ.
Development and deliveries
The Sirkeci–Soğuksu section of Istanbul's European suburban railway began electric operation on 4 December 1955, later extending towards Halkalı. TCDD acquired the E8000 trainsets and three E4000 electric locomotives for the new 25 kV, 50 Hz system. The E8000s were among the first suburban trains in regular use with this then relatively new electrification technology.
The French production consortium divided responsibilities between its members: Alsthom supplied the traction motors, bogies and other equipment; Jeumont was responsible for electrical installation; and De Dietrich supplied the car bodies and interiors. The original E8000 trainsets were manufactured in France.
The specialist Trains of Turkey catalogue records three delivery batches: 18 sets in 1955, six in 1962 and six in 1963, totalling 30. Ergin Tönük's railway archive instead identifies 20 sets from 1955 and ten more from 1962, while acknowledging conflicting figures for the initial order. Both sources give a fleet running up to number E8030. The exact division between batches is therefore not consistently reported.
Design and equipment
The original formation consisted of two powered driving cars with an unpowered centre trailer, in the axle arrangement Bo′2′ + 2′2′ + 2′Bo′. The driving cars each had one powered bogie, equipped with Alsthom TAM 639 single-phase AC commutator traction motors. Power from the 25 kV overhead supply was controlled through a transformer and Jeumont–Heidmann cam-operated tap-changing equipment. Each trainset had a pantograph on each driving car.
The three-car set measured 68m (223ft 1in) overall, with a maximum speed of 90km/h (56mph). Specialist published descriptions give a nominal output of approximately 1,100 kW and a trainset weight of 120 tonnes. Technical figures reproduced from TCDD's 1956 publication İstanbul Sirkeci–Halkalı Banliyö Hattının Elektrikli İşletmeye Açılışı distinguish a continuous rating of 1,380 metric horsepower (approximately 1,015 kW) from a short-time maximum of 1,480 metric horsepower (approximately 1,088 kW). The original stated empty weights of two 48-tonne driving cars and a 31-tonne trailer add up to 127 tonnes, rather than the 120 tonnes given in some later summaries.
The trains had automatic Scharfenberg couplers at their outer ends and could work in multiple, with up to three trainsets controlled from a single driving cab. The original trains had a red-and-cream livery, followed by several blue-and-white schemes during later service.
Service and alterations
The E8000 fleet initially operated on the Sirkeci–Halkalı suburban route. Following the electrification of the Haydarpaşa–Gebze line in 1969, some sets were transferred to suburban services on Istanbul's Asian side. To increase passenger capacity, additional intermediate cars known as b1 trailers were built at the Adapazarı Railway Factory between 1968 and 1970. These enabled some E8000 trains to operate as four-car sets, but the extra weight impaired performance and increased wear. The added vehicles were eventually removed, restoring the original three-car formations.
After the TCDD E14000 class began entering service in 1979, the E8000s were gradually concentrated again on the European suburban route. As the original equipment aged, E14000 sets also supported the Sirkeci services. TCDD subsequently introduced the TCDD E23000 class to Istanbul suburban operations in 2010.
Although some older accounts date the class's final withdrawal to 2011, TCDD's statistical yearbook lists 14 E8000 trainsets in its fleet in both 2008 and 2009 and none in 2010 or subsequent years. The yearbook therefore establishes that the class had disappeared from TCDD's reported fleet by the end of 2010.
Preservation
The driver's cab from trainset E8027 was retained for display at the Istanbul Railway Museum in the historic Sirkeci station. The preserved cab was documented by railway writer Eser Tutel and is also described in the district administration's museum inventory.
12Ross, David (2005). Die internationale Enzyklopädie – Züge und Lokomotiven[The Encyclopedia of Trains and Locomotives] (in German). Translated by Lieb, Ulrich. Transpress Verlag. p.431. ISBN3-613-71266-0.
