Killing workhorses

I was at Bender's again today, and had great luck: They were scrapping a transformer, such as this one [link] , which means that all the engines that are normally inside the scrapyard, fenced off with razor wire, had to be pushed onto a siding for the time they took to unload the transformer.

In the foreground, we can see 140 202-3, the engine we've been following for the past few days, in an almost unaltered state. The only thing they have done to her as far as I could see, was removing the radiator coil of the air compressor, other than that, she still looks fairly intact.

Behind her, there are four class 143 electric engines, that are very common all over Germany, in most cases hauling S-Bahn trains, a common type of commuter transit service around here. They probably have the toughest job, as the S-Bahn stops at each village, no matter how miniscule, and that puts a lot of strain on train engines. All engines that did trial runs for this were quickly withdrawn again, mostly due to the lack of electric brakes and the extreme wear on traditional brakes that arises from stopping and accelerating within short periods of time. The 143 was built in the GDR in the 80s, so is fairly new in contrast to the 140. Still, both of these types are extreme workhorses in their own right, and upon completing their work, they leave unmentioned, much like everything we take for granted and ignore in everyday life.

As soon as the special car for the transformer can leave (the shunter was standing by), the engines will be pulled back into the closed off yard, and the Bender is very fast when it comes to dismantling...