Recently, while searching for something in my old Märklin Magazins, I came across the article "Krokodile, Tatzelwürmer und Artgenossen," (issue 1/81) which looked at all manner of crocodile-style electric locomotives that were part of an exhibit in the Lucerne Transportation Museum in 1979/1980. The title of the article is as intriguing as the locomotives. Let's have a quick look. Krokodile are crocodiles, Artgenossen are likenesses and for a brief explanation of Tatzelwürmer read on. It is not my intention to translate or interpret this article or my other references, merely to give a brief overview of the Austrian 1100/E89/1089 Crocodile since it bears a great resemblance to the one and only Schweizer Bundesbahnen (SBB) Crocodile.

Stefan Unholz from Switzerland told me that a Tatzelwurm is a longish kind of worm with little "paws/feet" (sorry, if any biologists are reading this.), very probably a figure from a fairy tail. However, if the expression was used in connection with Swiss railways, then it was the nickname for two legendary SBB high-speed railcars built in 1938 (red three-element railcars which both were severely damaged by fires and finally reconstructed as one four-element train in 1964, sadly scrapped in 1968). Lemaco has made beautiful H0 models of the three-car version as well as the four-element variety. Klaus Domes, President, Eastern Canada Chapter of ETE, writes that a Tatzelwurm is an older German form of what you call in English a centipede.

When the Austrian State Railways (Österreich Staats Bahnen - ÖStB) accelerated their electrification in the 1920s, they turned to several builders for designs for a locomotive for heavy passenger service on the Arlbergbahn. The manufacturers came up with some interesting and imaginative designs which ranged from a 1’E1’ to a 1’C+B1’ axle arrangement. Probably the most interesting design came from the team of AEG and StEG. They proposed a two-part locomotive configured as 1’C+C1’, with only one half having a crew cabin. Think of the concept as similar to early U.S. diesels consisting of A and B units. The part with the crew cabin also featured a smaller pantograph that would be used in negotiating tunnels that must have had clearance problems. This rather intriguing concept is described in these sketchy terms in the book "Die Elektrolokomotive 1100.102" published by Roco. The author, Roland Alber, did not elaborate as to what would be the advantages of this design. He also did not offer any comments on whether or not the two units were permanently coupled together.

The team of WLF (Vienna Locomotive Works) and the Austrian arm of Brown Boveri Co. (BBC) proposed a more conventional symmetrical locomotive. Configured 1’C+C1’, the new engine was designated 1100 and with the involvement of Brown Boveri drew heavily from the SBB Crocodile. Brown Boveri’s design for the new locomotive was based on nothing less than the by then already famous. Though based on the Ce 6/8, the Austrian electric locomotive was by no means a copy. While sharing the common wheel configuration of (1'C)(C1'), the Austrian machine is slightly longer overall (buffer to buffer) at 66.7 ft (20,350 mm) vs 65.8 ft (20,060 mm) for the Swiss machine. In order to simplify things, the Austrians chose a less complex construction than the Swiss did with the connecting rod power takeoff of the Ce 6/8 locomotive. The Austrian engines delivered 1,417 hp (1,900 kW).

While the Austrian Crocodile went on to fame and fortune, if that is indeed merited, the BBC and WLF also suggested another variation on this theme. However, the proposed (2'B)(B2') Crocodile had little in common with its more famous predecessor and the BBÖ rejected the design.

Engine 1100.01 was completed in November 1922 and on January 30, 1923 completed its official first test run on the Pressburger line from Gross Schwechat to Bad Deutsch Altenburg. The engine, which weighed in officially at 251, 818 lb (114,225 kg) reached 40 mph (65 km/h), a speed that brought some minor problems to light which had to be corrected but did not prevent the new locomotive from entering service.

The driving wheels are 53 in. (1,300 mm) in diameter and the pilot truck wheels measure 34.25 in. (870 mm). The long hoods, or snouts, of the engine riveted to the frames and divided into separate compartments inside. These contain the air compressor, propulsion motors, ventilators, reversing gear and other electrical gear. Originally, the 1100 featured three vacuum pumps for the Hardy vacuum braking system; one pump was for braking the locomotive and the other two for the train. To accommodate Knorr brake equipped rolling stock, the engines were outfitted with air compressors. A regulator to make use of the both systems, vacuum and compressed air, was installed.

Four motors, two in each "snout", work through a series of reduction gears. The speed reducer features a sprung coupling that acts to absorb loads that are imposed when the locomotive begins to move. The object of the system is to prevent electrical burning and arcing of the armature’s commutator. The top of the "snouts" can be opened to lift out components slated for repair or replacement.

The center section of the locomotive contains the step-down transformer, an air compressor to power the whistle, the pantographs, sand dispenser and other pneumatically operated equipment. The partially removable roof also serves to mount a wide range of electrical components, such as bus bars, oil-filled switchgear, and two quick-disconnects to disconnect the engine from the catenary. Over the years there have been many modifications to the operator’s position, some for safety reasons and others for improved engine performance.

One very curious feature of the 1100/1100.100 engines was that they featured, what the writer in Märklin Magazin calls a pantograph within a pantograph, but without a photograph to see this more clearly, the concept remained puzzling. Well, thanks to Hub Breuer in Holland, and the photocopy of the Roco book on this Lok he sent me, the matter was cleared up. The reason for this unusual state of affairs was that when the catenary wire was exceptionally low, such as might be encountered in a tunnel, the smaller, narrower pantograph was raised.

The 1100.001 to 007 machines used 12-pole, single phase, series-wound motors with phase-shifting commutating windings delivering 441 kW at 470 rpm. The 1100.100 locomotive, on the other hand, used 14-pole single phase motors delivering 475 kW at 950 rpm. Reduction gearing for the 1100.001 engines was 1:3.28 and 1:3.13 for the newer 1100.100 locomotives. The step-down transformers had a capacity of 1,260 kVA and the 1100.100 engines’ transformers were 1,730 kVA units.

Since the two series of engines performed well from the outset, it was not necessary to make significant modifications throughout their service lives. Modifications to lighting systems, personnel access doors, the external sheet metal and windows were carried out to conform to new operational procedures and crew comfort.

The 1100 Series, and also the slightly more powerful 1100.100 variation, perform approximately the same as the comparable Swiss machines. Where they differed was in the type of service with the green-liveried BBÖ locomotives were intended for passenger service in mountainous regions. However, this service was short lived when they were replaced by more modern engines. The performance requirement was that the 1100 and 1100.100 machines had to be able to haul 280 tons at 31 mph (50 km/h) up the 31.4% Arlberg west incline. This contrasts with the Swiss Ce 6/8^II's requirement of being able to move 450 tons at 18.6 mph (30 km/h) up a 26% grade.

When the test and evaluation phase was finished, machines 1100.001 to 007 were assigned to Innsbruck and from there served that region but this did little to test the performance to these Loks in the more mountainous regions. So, for several years, these engines were used for heavy passenger service out of Innsbruck West and Telfs-Pfaffenhofen on the Arlberg line.

The 1100.100s were also delivered to Innsbruck for service from that location to Feldkirch. By 1928, it was evident that these engines were even too slow for express trains running in non-mountainous regions and they were gradually replace by Type 1670 locomotives. In the mountainous Arlberg region the 1100s and 1100.100s worked as helper engines in bringing heavy passenger trains over the mountains. With increasing electrification throughout Austria, these engines were shifted to other routes further east and south including the famous Brenner Pass.

About 1938, when the BBÖ became part of the DRG, these engines were also redesignated as E89 and E89¹, more specifically as E 89.001 to 007 or E 89.101 to 109. Following World War Two, they were once again redesignated, this time as 1089 and 1189, respectively.

Once the BBÖ was folded into the DRG, the 1100s were home-based in Innsbruck and the 1100.100’s home base was Salzburg. For the first two years of the new arrangement, the Crocodiles pretty much went about their normal business but by 1940, they were beginning to be displaced by the more modern E94. Still, there was a place for the Crocs since the wartime economy demanded every bit of available motive power. On the debit side was the ever mounting lack of spare parts and poor maintenance of these venerable Elloks. One of them, by then redesignated E89 001, was so severely damaged during an air raid on Innsbruck on June 8, 1943, that the machine was scrapped. In two more raids against Innsbruck in December 1943, E89 007 bought the farm was scrapped a month later. A slightly better fate befell E89 107. This machine caught fire during a raid against Salzburg in October 1944, but the fire was extinguished and the engine was saved for rebuilding.

When the mayham ceased in May 1945, E89¹ 101, 104 and 108 were assigned to Attnang-Pucheim. There they worked with E45⁰ on the Salzkammergut line and in some ways this was an ideal route for the Crocodiles. Their relatively low axle loading and their ability to negotiate tight radii made them feel right at home on the line.

In 1946, the BBÖ and the SBB reached an agreement whereby E89 006 was sent to Switzerland for the period of March 2, 1946 to February 24, 1948. Similarly, E89 002 was sent to Zürich. They were used in freight service on the Buchs-Sargans-Zürich line. Both engines were rebuilt and in return had to work off the charges thus incurred. During that time, both of the engines were fitted with the narrower SBB pantographs giving them an notably different appearance. Both engines returned to Austria in 1948 in mint condition.

Life with the E89s settled into routine operations. On December 30, 1952, engine 1089.01 joined the fleet again, having been rebuilt from the pieces of E89 007 and E89 001. Thus only one Crocodile did not survive the war. The 50s and 60s continued to see much use of these rugged machines but parts were becoming increasingly difficult to come by and on April 18, 1968, Crocodile 1089.03 was the first of its type to be retired. After removing whatever useful parts remained, the hulk was scrapped in Linz.

As of June 1969, all the Crocodiles were assigned to Attnang in order to ease the maintenance situation. Next to meet its maker was 1089.02. Inspection that had been scheduled for every 590 miles (950 km) were then increased to 930 miles (1,500 km).

Engine 1089.05 was retired on January 20, 1970 but not to the scrapyard. This Lok was converted to a mobile heating plant. Shorn of its transformer, diverse electrical gear, pantographs and side rods, it became a "preheating" engine (01104) for passenger cars at the Bad Aussee station for the better part of 10 years. Then came another 10 years of similar service in Linz followed by the scrapyard.

In the 1970s, the once proud Crocodiles increasingly fell on hard times. Reliability and the necessary maintenance to overcome all manner of problems became an acute problems. New motive power in form of the 1042 and 1044 locomotives increasingly replaced the Crocodiles but, wait, the newcomers were not without their teething problems. That meant that a few Crocodiles had to be kept in running order and continue to serve, they did. Two of them, 1089.01 and 1089.06, were reactivated in the Spring of 1978, but in July of that year 1089.01 just couldn’t do it anymore. A major transmission shaft broke and the mighty machine was officially retired together with 1089.06. More and more were retired and according to the Roco book, the last one was sidelined on December 10, 1979.

Before that, train enthusiasts chased the legendary machines all over Austria and photographed them wherever they encountered them. Thus the last moments of the once proud machines are well preserved.

The Austrian Crocodile ventured outside Austria on several occasions according to short report in the Austrian railroad magazine Eisenbahn. In it Dr. Erich Barner writes, "The Vorarlberger Tagesblatt, December 4, 1922 reported that the first of the engines had been tested on the Grossschwechat-Deutsch-Altenberg line. The same paper reported on September 30, 1923 that the same locomotive was seen on its way to the St. Gotthard. Locomotives 1100.001 to .004 had been delivered to the ÖBB. They were used on the Mittenwaldbahn and the Innsbruck-Telfs/Pfaffenhofen line. Apparently 1100.003 was the Lok that was headed to St. Gotthard.

"The first test was on October 16, 1923 from Erstfelden to Göschenen with a train of 280 tons. Further tests with a 320 ton train were conducted between the 20^th and 22^nd of October between Erstfeld and Biasca. This engine was retired in 1968 Uncertain if this sentence applies to 1100.003.

AEG - Allgemeine Elektrizität Gesellschaft – a company along the lines of General Electric.

StEG (Maschinenfabrik der kaiserlichen und königlichen privaten Österreich Staatseisenbahn

Gesellschaft) – Machine builders of the imperial royal private Austrian Railways.

WLF – Wiener Lokomotiven Fabrik – Vienna Locomotive Factory.

BBC – Brown Boveri Company

SBB – Schweizerischen Bundesbahnen

BBÖ – Bundesbahnen Österreich

Special Thanks to Hub Breuer in Heerlen, The Netherlands for making me a photocopy of the 96-page Roco referenced below. Without his help, I could not have written this article. Further thanks to Klaus Domes and Martin Adler.

"Die ÖBB-Reihen 1089/1189" by Roland Alber, Eisenbahn Kurier, February 1999, pages 110 - 113. A good history of these Austrian Crocodiles and comments on the new model of same from Roco.

"Die Elektrolokomotive 1100.102", by Roland Alber, pubished by Roco, 1998.

"Krokodile, Tatzelwürmer und Artgenossen" Märklin Magazin, issue 2/81.

"Die 1089er in der Schweiz"; by Dr. Erich Barner, Eisenbahn 3, 1975, p.40.