Bavarian EP 3

For the line from Salzburg via Freilassing to Berchtesgaden, which was electrified in 1914, eight passenger locomotives were built, of which four each received the electrical equipment from SSW and MSW. The former were designated as EP 3, the others as EP 4. Since both variants had the wheel arrangement 1-C-2, they were also known as EP 3/6 because three of a total of six axles were powered.

In terms of construction, the locomotives had a similar structure to that found on many electric passenger locomotives at the time. The asymmetrical arrangement of the running gear and the machinery was due to the fact that the train was heated by a boiler that was above the single carrying axis and could be recognized by a chimney. The transformer stood on the bogie. According to the state of the art at that time, the power was provided by a single large motor with 20 poles, which was located in the middle of the locomotive on the frame. It transmitted its power to a jackshaft via sloping connecting rods and further to the three driven axles via coupling rods. With an hourly and continuous output of 690 and 480 kW, respectively, it allowed a top speed of 80 km/h.

Since the main route of the locomotives was very winding, special attention was paid to the optimal chassis design. Thus, the single carrying axle was connected via a Krauss-Helmholtz bogie and the bogie via a Krauss-Lotter bogie with the respective adjacent coupled axle. Since all axles except one were mounted with lateral play, there was no fixed wheelbase and it was therefore possible to run through tight corners without bumps or a tendency to sway.

After the boilers had been removed for further use in hospital trains during the First World War, the trains ran in cold weather with an additional small tank locomotive, which was converted into a heating locomotive. All four EP 3 were taken over by the Reichsbahn and given the numbers E 36 01 to E 36 04. They continued to be used almost exclusively in front of passenger trains and were relocated from the main line to one of the branch lines towards the end of their service life. Their career as a locomotive ended between 1941 and 1943 with the retirement or the removal from the maintenance schedule. Two pieces got a second life after they were converted into non-powered Klima snow plows and continued to be used until around 1980.