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Temesvár vízerőműve, működő műszaki műemlékünk
Authors: ---
ISBN: 6068178072 Year: 2010 Publisher: Cluj-Napoca [Romania] : Erdélyi Múzeum-Egyesület

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The city on the Bega River can show its pride, among other things, in its many industrial monuments, witnesses of the economic boom it experienced between the end of the XIXth and the beginning of the XXth. Those industrial traces are as important as the fortresses, the palaces, the castles, the churches and the monasteries of the area, because they illustrate, too the result of the work, the sacrifices and the aspirations of the communities to which they belonged.A pearl of industrial archaeology is the hydroelectric power station from Timişoara, known among the inhabitants by the name „The Turbins”. She will be, on the 3rd of May 2010, a hundred years old.The Bega River harnessing was begun in 1728, but only at the beginning of the XXth century it was fully transformed in a modern navigable canal, with a length of 120 km. and six hydro-technical knots (pound locks) (dam, lock [10].In the territory of the Timişoara/Temesvár city, Bega River was schemed for modern navigation up to the Fabric neighborhood, where the waters of the river spread in multiple canals and branches. The weirs were used to ensure the water chute for moving the wheels of watermills. Eight such watermills were in the property of the city and their lease brought a solid income to the city’s budget.But, at the end of the XIXth century the watermills’ mechanical efficiency was lower than those of the new steam-engine mills. The city administration decided to use the water energy more efficiently through the building of a hydroelectric power station. There were also in plan: the draining of the Fabric/Gyárváros neighborhood, the lowering the level of the phreatic waters, the elimination of the channels that transformed this neighborhood in Timişoara’s own Venice, the building of a new canalized river bed that would allow the access upstream of the biggest barges standardized for the navigation on the interior rivers. The building of a hydroelectric power station, through which it will be „exploited much more efficiently the energy of the Bega’s waters”, was decided by the Town Council. The large scale project of urban planning – important due to both architectural and public health issues – of eliminating the old streams and canals that spread in the Fabric neighborhood and the building of the hydroelectric power station was made by Timişoara/Temesvár’s engineerin-chief, Emil Szilárd. In the chapter dedicated to the expense-income issue, the engineer-in-chief demonstrated that, by the construction of a hydroelectric power station simultaneously with to draining of the neighborhood, this large investment of city planning will pay-off very quickly.Timişoara was a pioneer in this field, because the building of hydroelectric power stations was at its earliest stages across Europe. The first hydroelectric power stations were erected in the last decades of the XIXth century. Between 1893 and 1911, in what was then Hungary, 39 hydroelectric power stations were build for public use, out of which, the ones from Târgu Mureş/Marosvásárhely and Timişoara/Temesvár had an installed power of over 1000 HP.On the nowadays territory of Romania, the hydroelectric power station from Timişoara is the first a hydroelectric power station of the type dam – power station (hydroelectric dam).The hydroelectric power station, „built by the most modern knowledge”, was planned to be erected in the eastern edge of the city, the area where the Bega River, coming from the Ghiroda village enters Timişoara/Temesvár’s territory. Downstream from the hydroelectric power station, engineer-in-chief Szilárd envisaged the digging of a new canalized riverbed, 2400 m in length, and with a transversal section large enough to ensure a large flow of water. After the end of the works, the level of the Bega canal became lower with 4,40 m. The new riverbed was designed with the characteristics that would also allow the navigation in that sector. On top of the riverbed there were planned three new bridges, made in concrete steel. The one on the Park Street became famous because it was the largest bridge on concrete steel beams (Gerber system) in the world at the time [11], [12], [13], [14], [15].The cost estimate was of 1.700.000 crowns. The engineer-in-chief demonstrated, through detailed calculations, this investment will help save a 188.179 crowns worth of coal, thus it will pay-off very fast.The diggings of the new canalized riverbed, 2400 meters long and most of the power station’s construction works were finished by 1909. In the time of the building activities, the Bega waters were re-directed through the riverbed of Vâna Roşie/Vörös ér and of Suboleasa/Subolyásza so that the new riverbed, the power station and the three birdges were built on dry land. The architectural design of the power station’s building and annexes were madeby the famous city architect-in-chief, László Székely, in a historicist style, with many elements of Hungarian Seccessio influences. The majority of the power station works were made by the Hungarian building firm „Magyar Beton- és Vasbeton Építési Vállalat Wayss G.A. és Tsa.” from Budapest. The small-scale works were commissioned to some firms and entrepreneurs from Timişoara.The hydroelectric power station was equipped with three identical motor groups: each a triplex horizontal Francis turbine, producing 660 HP, with 140 rpm. At a water level difference of 5 m, each turbine needs a water flow of 12,85 m³/s, totaling 36-37 m³/s for the whole power station. The turbines and the generators have the same axis. The three power generators have a power of 400 kW each and are producing alternative biphasic electrical current with a tension of 2 × 2100 V.The turbines were bought in 1909 from the well-known Budapest firm „Ganz Danubius” and the generators from the sister-firm „Ganz-féle Villamossági R.-T.”. The Ganz group was already experienced from works on the electric power stations all over the world, of which, the largest was the hydroelectric power station from Tivoli that supplied power to the Italian capital. The calculations and planning for the power station’s installations were made by the two supplying firms.Due to unexpected expenses, the final cost of the investment was 2.132.950 crowns.Timişoara’s hydroelectric power station began its service at the 3rd of May 1910. In the first full year, it produced 4.132.000 kWh, which was 89% of electricity consumption of the Banat’s city. „We can say the hydroelectric power station is the most successful in the whole Hungary and is the proud successor of the oldest Hungarian hydroelectric power station both technically and economically. Timişoara / Temesvár remained loyal to itself when it accomplished this power station and has set an example about the way it should be organized and used such a communal station” wrote dr. Mihály Seidner in an article featured in the technicians magazine from Hungary, in which he made a presentation of the hydroelectric power station from the city on the Bega River.During the First World War, Timişoara/Temesvár felt less the lack in coal supply, due to the electricity provided by the hydroelectric power station on the Bega river.After the First World War, Timişoara/Temesvár and about two thirds of the historical Banat province were included in the territory of Romania. After the nationalization of the main inputs (11th of June 1948) in the socialist era the station became a sub-unit of different state departments. After 1990, the hydroelectric power station built with the citizens’ money returned into the possession of the city administration. It was kept in good conditions, the 100-year old installations still work today, the machines’ hall was beautifully renovated and the building that houses the command mechanisms for the weirs was restored following the original model in an exemplary manner. The hydroelectric power station – „The Turbins” from Timişoara/Temesvár – is a working technical monument, an extremely valuable sample of industrial archaeology.


Book
Az Arad-Temesvár vasútvonal története
Authors: ---
ISBN: 606817848X Year: 2012 Publisher: Cluj-Napoca [Romania] : Erdélyi Múzeum-Egyesület

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The two citys of Arad and Temesvár/Timişoara, being both rivals and sister-castles at times, were connected to the European railway network at one year’s difference. The Szeged–Temesvár/Timişoara section of the Imperial and Royal Privileged Society of Austrian National Railways (StEG) was inaugurated on 15 November 1857, and the Arad– Szajol section of the Pest–Arad railway of the Tisa Region Railway Society (TVV) was opened on 25 October 1858.The two large neighbouring cities, Arad and Temesvár/Timişoara, situated at only 55 km distance from each other, had no direct railway connection.Several attempts were made to build a railway between the two cities, but remained uncompleted due to the lack of funding.After the 1867 reconciliation and the foundation of the dualist state of Austro-Hungary, the laws which prevented economic development and the industrialization of the area were abrogated; the Vienna court had previously used this area as a supplier of cheap resources and an agrarian territory. As a result, industry began to thrive, and railways enmeshed the country, offering transportation means for various goods. The new circumstances raised once again the issue of constructing a railroad between Arad and Timişoara. The city council of Timişoara used heavy lobby for this purpose.One of the promoters of the project was the legendary 1848 General György Klapka, originating from Timişoara, who returned to the country after a long period of emigration, during which he had the possibility to get acquainted with the role of the railroad in the development of Western countries.Klapka requested and received the approval for the initiation of the preliminary procedures. The hardest job he had to face was again the raising of the necessary funds. Klapka turned to several financial institutions in the country and abroad. With great difficulties, he managed to convince the General Hungarian Credit Bank, the Imperial and Royal Privileged Institute of Industrial and Commercial Credit, the Darmstadt Bank for Commerce and Industry, the Sultzbach brothers from Frankfurt am Main, and Cramer Klett from Nuremberg. Klapka and his partners presented their request for the authorization of the construction works.The first two banks changed their mind, therefore the authorization was issued for the following names: the Darmstadt Bank for Commerce and Industry, the Sultzbach brothers from Frankfurt am Main, György Klapka, and Cramer Klett from Nuremberg. The authorization was granted by law no. XXXVII signed at Buda on 3 December 1868 by His Majesty Franz Joseph Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, etc. and Apostolic King of Hungary, and by Count Gyula Andrássy, Prime Minister (We, considering it correct, pleasant and accepted both this law and everything contained in it, both as a whole and in its details, we approve of it by our royal power, we enforce it and sanction it, respect it, and oblige all our subjects to respect it”). The law was voted in the Parliament at Pest, on 5 December in the Lower House, and on 5 December 1868 in the Upper House.The law stipulated that the Hungarian state granted interest guarantee for the construction of the Arad–Temesvár/Timişoara railway, which started from the Arad railway station of the Tisa Region Railway Society and ended in the Timişoara railway station of the StEG society. The following stations would be built on the route: Újarad/Aradul Nou, Németság/Şagul, Vinga, Orczyfalva/Orţişoara, Merczyfalva/Merţişoara, and Szentandrás/Sânandrei. A condition imposed by the law was that the beneficiaries of the authorization should start the construction works within three months at latest after the enforcement of the law, and finish them within a year and a half, after which the railroad must become operational.The law stipulated the way of expropriations that had to be done on the expense of the beneficiaries of the authorization, and provisioned the methodology of the expropriation of lots of land needed in the case of double lines. The beneficiaries had the obligation to guarantee the observation of technical conditions and the deadlines for the completion of the works. The projects had to be approved by governmental institutions as well. The state also offered a guarantee: in case the net profit would not have reached 39,500 silver florins per mile over a year, the state obliged itself to pay the difference over the whole period of the authorization (this way, until its nationalization, the state paid around 4 million florins for the railway society). The authorization period was established for 90 years, with the possibility for the state to buy it back after 30 years.The beneficiaries had to prove they possessed 30% of the investment capital. The Ministry of Public Works and Commerce and the Ministry of Finance were empowered to supervise the fulfilment of the legal conditions.On the basis of the article in the establishment act the beneficiaries of the concession for the construction and operation of the Arad–Temesvár/Timişoara railroad founded the corporation “Arad–Temesvár Railway”.The statute of the society was approved “at the highest instance” on 3 March 1871, and confirmed by order no. 4061 of 23 March 1871 of the Hungarian Regional Ministry of Public Works and Transport.Before starting the construction works, according to the legislation an administrative reambulation was needed. The representatives of all parties concerned took place in it, and an official report was drawn up which contained all problems of common interest. The reambulation took place on 20 March 1869. Afterwards, the Minister of Public Works and Transport issued the authorization for building. Since the military authorities asked for the replanning of a section next to the castle of Arad and its being moved at a distance longer than the range of a cannon shot, the authorization was given except for this section. Consequently, the route of the railway between Arad and Aradul Nou had to be replanned for a new location. This was indeed done, and in October a new administrative reambulation of this section took place, after which the authorization for this section was also issued. The works started very enthusiastically, but soon the military authorities came up with new pretences. As a result of misunderstandings and disagreements with the military authorities, the works were paused. The government ordered the establishment of a mixed committee formed by the representatives of civil and military authorities, which would clarify all problems and disagreements raised at the site. The delay lasted quite long. So, although the works started in April 1869, because of the obstacles of the military authorities, they were only completed 11 months later than it was imposed in the authorization of concession. Finally, after the works were finished, the Arad–Temesvár/Timişoara railroad became operational and was solemnly inaugurated on 6 April 1871. The government took into account that the delays were caused by the unfriendly attitude of the military authorities and returned the guarantee of 300,000 florins. The construction company chosen by the society was Schwarz and Fleischmann from Pest.6 steam engines, 19 passenger coaches and 79 freight cars were used for the operation of the railway.For a short period of time the railway services were offered by the company “Alföld–Fiumei Vasút Rt” (Alföld–Fiume Railway Corporation), then by TVV. After the nationalization of TVV in 1880 and its incorporation into the Hungarian State Railway Company (Magyar Államvasúttársaság, MÁV), this company took over also the operation of this railroad.The Arad–Timişoara line connected the lines of two rivalling private railways. Both of these societies wanted to control this line. The battle was won by StEG, which managed to buy the majority of the shares, gaining thus control in the general assembly of the shareholders. Once all the lines of the Imperial and Royal Privileged Society of National Austro- Hungarian Railways, which lay on the territory of Hungary, were bought back by the state, the Arad–Temesvár/Timişoara line became the property of the Hungarian Railways. MÁV made a series of modernization works: the rails were replaced with heavier ones, several bridges were rebuilt, and the over-structures were made of cast steel, the old metal bridge of Arad was replaced by a new metal bridge.Three other railroad lines were later connected to the Arad–Temesvár/Timişoara line: the Timişoara–Lovrin line (in 1895), the Szentandrás/Sânandrei–Varjas/Variaş line (in 1908) and the Varjas/Variaş–Arad line (in 1910).After WWI the Arad–Temesvár/Timişoara line was moved to the patrimony of the Romanian state. The administration, operation, and maintenance of the line was taken over by the Romanian Railways (CFR). In the period 1945–1948 another reconstruction took place, followed by others between 1967 and 1968.At the restoration of the Timişoara–Şagu line (1979–1980), rails of 60 and 65 kg were used. Such works were also conducted on the section between Arad and Aradul Nou in the period 1986–1987.After 1990 the old over-structure of the bridge over Maros/Mureş river was also replaced.The book is an exhaustive presentation of the history of the construction of the Arad–Timişoara railway, and it is based on the research of original documents and plans. Naturally, materials published in various monographs, books, or periodicals have also been used. The book contains very many copies of documents previously unpublished, maps, and photographs.Written by an expert in the field, but in a widely accessible language, the book is addressed both to the wide audience interested in the history of technology and transportation, or in local and regional history, and to experts who may find a plethora of very accurate technical data, gathered from documents of the age, and preserved in various archives.

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