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Here is what I can piece together:

 

This page is in French, but Google Chrome prompted to translate it and it is quite understandable:

BLZ TYPE 1B1 LOCOMOTIVE

Remember that the BLZ type 1B1 locomotive was a major success when it was released in 1947. This locomotive measures 24 cm long, for 9 cm high (excluding pantographs) and 6.4 cmin its greatest width; his weight reached1 kg 530. It bears the catalog references 1001.f (socket outlet by slider) and 1001.p (socket outlet at the pantograph).

 As already mentioned in the first part devoted to the patents filed by BLZ , the body is made up of two almost identical half-bodies fixed to one another by four screws (two under the pantographs, two under the chassis ) and by the buffer cross members. The body color was offered in the following colors: dark green, brown, chocolate and two-tone ( light green for the top and dark green for the bottom ). Note that the two-tone model is the only model equipped with a device for remote reversing of the direction of travel (catalog references 1001.t), the other models comprising a simple manual device with a lever mounted on the locomotive. 

The very powerful motor, which can accept direct current or (preferably) alternating current up to 33 volts, allows the locomotive to be driven smoothly and at high speed even when it is coupled to several cars and wagons, for example. five to six or more. 

I - First of all, we will look at the BLZ type 1B1 locomotive equipped with a manual reverser of the direction of travel (forward / reverse) placed at the rear end of the body  : 

ELECTRICAL OPERATION OF THE LOCOMOTIVE

 The motor of this locomotive is a universal motor of the classic "series" motor type where the supply current (depending on its polarity), either is transmitted from the armature to the wound inductor, or is transmitted from the wound inductor to the armature, and then returns to the other source. In other words, inductor and armature are arranged one behind the other. 

The diagram given below illustrates the general design of this type of engine and it is supposed to represent the half-body of the locomotive containing the engine seen from the internal side, this locomotive being placed flat on its right side and having its front end which is therefore located on the left on the diagram (or the image appearing below); in this position, the shifting device handle moves in a vertical plane from top (for contact with terminal C1) to bottom (for contact with terminal C2)

 

 

The engine is made up from right to left of the following essential components:

1) a reversing switch where the terminals C1 and C2 are respectively connected to the terminals e1 and e2 of the wound inductor, the switch being electrically connected by its terminal C0 to the running rails;

 2) a wound inductor comprising two windings E1 and E2, the characteristics of which are as follows:

Ø    they are both wound in a clockwise direction (about 250 turns each),

Ø    winding E1 or E2 is put into service depending on whether the switch handle is placed on terminal C1 or C2,

Ø    the supply current passes from the friction contact to terminal B2 (brush), to the collector, to the armature, to terminal B1 (brush; terminal common to the two windings E1 and E2), to the wound inductor, then to the switch and it then returns to the two running rails via the mass and the wheels,

Ø    depending on whether the current flow passes, after the wound inductor, through terminal C1 or C2, the motor rotates in one direction or the other; in fact the direction of the current in the inductor is in one direction or in a reverse direction, while in the armature the direction of the current is not modified by the position of the switch handle:

  • The flow of current through the terminal C1: the winding E1 is turned on and current flows from right to left there, the e'1 terminal (end of winding) to the position e1 (beginning 'winding), the rotor then turns clockwise and the gear system drives the locomotive to the left, that is to say forward; the front circuit appears on the diagram in solid red lines;
  • The flow of current through the terminal C2: the winding E2 is turned on and current flows from left to right are the e'2 terminal (start of winding) to the position e2 (end of the winding), the rotor then turns anti-clockwise and the gear system drives the locomotive to the right, i.e. in reverse; the rear circuit appears in the diagram in solid blue lines.

3) a rotor-collector comprising fairly conventional constituent parts, namely: a triple star armature, a flat collector comprising three solid copper plates which support the carbon brushes (the latter being pressed onto the rotating surface by small springs; carbon size: diameter = 0.3 cm, length with spring = about 2cm). 

LIGHTING THE LOCOMOTIVE

 Lighting the BLZ 1B1, mounted at the front of the locomotive, is very simplistic and boils down to a simple white bulb. 

The front and rear faces however have other holes that can be used to install additional lamps. We propose below a lighting system made up of four lamps L1 (front face: white lamp, illuminated in forward gear), L2 (front face: red lamp, illuminated in reverse gear), L3 (rear face : white lamp, lighting up in reverse) and L4 (rear face: red lamp, lighting in forward gear).

The current for the lighting of the locomotive is taken as shown below.

1) Lighting of lamps L1 (white) and L4 (red) corresponding to forward travel: the base of L1 and one of the terminals of L4 are connected to terminal C2 of the switch, the other terminals of these lamps being connected to the mass.

 2) Lighting of lamps L3 (white) and L2 (red) corresponding to reverse gear: the base of L3 and one of the terminals of L2 are connected to terminal C1 of the switch, the other terminals of these lamps being connected to the mass.

 

 Caption:

(1): these wires connect the base of L1 with terminal C2 (via beige wire, then domino on the left above armature, then black wire) and with a terminal of L4 (via white wire leaving from the aforementioned domino).

(2): these wires connect the base of L3 with the C1 terminal (via greenish wire, then domino on the right inductor, then black wire) and with a terminal of L2 (via white wire starting from the aforementioned domino).

(3): this blue wire, with two conductors, connects the end of winding E1 and the beginning of winding E2 to the common terminal B1.

(4): this other blue wire, with one conductor, connects the start of winding E1 to terminal C1.

(4 '): hidden there is a third blue wire, with one conductor, which connects the end of winding E2 to terminal C2.

 II - In a second step, we will focus on the BLZ type 1B1 bico lore locomotive equipped with a reverser remote from the direction of travel :

 II-1 - INVERSION BY CURRENT CUT-OFF AND RECOVERY  : 

It should be noted in the preamble that it is not certain that the device for remote reversing of the direction of travel which will be discussed below was originally fitted by BLZ; it is possible that such a reversing device was installed after BLZ by a craftsman specializing in the toy train, using construction elements available on the market at the time. Whatever the case, the two-color motor thus equipped accepts both alternating and direct current. 

More precisely, the locomotive is equipped with a reversing device of the type described and claimed by JEP in its patent n ° 9 of 1943, FR 980 738, that is to say a device whose specificity lies in the fact that the direction of travel is reversed by simply cutting off and restoring the current. 

The device mounted in the BLZ loco therefore works according to the principle of interruption, but if the construction elements of the reverser at BLZ (namely: electromagnet separate from the wound inductor; attracting a moving pallet; which pallet cooperating with a spring-loaded reversing finger; this finger actuating a switch) are in their design quite close to those of JEP, one can note on the other hand appreciable differences in their shape, their arrangement and their electrical assembly (in particular the electromagnet at BLZ is mounted in parallel with the two windings of the inductor). 

If the device was originally mounted by BLZ, there is reason to believe that it is not the JEP patent which is at the origin of these differences (which could have been made by BLZ in an attempt to s 'move away from JEP technology) because, at the time of the installation of the device in his loco, BLZ was probably not aware of the JEP patent which was published on May 17, 1951, the year of BLZ's disappearance. 

 

  

reversing device seen "in elevation"

reversing device seen from above

reversing device seen from below

 I also found this poor exploded diagram image:

 

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Last edited by bmoran4

BLZ is a small french manufacturer who made trains in O gauge from 1945-51. The American type loco, inspired by the GGI of the pennsy railroads is a very common piece in France, it has been a succesful model.  BLZ is from the initials of the three associated people who ran the manufacturing in Paris, Bourdeaux, Lheurre and Zedda.

The most common one is the green model and after the brown, the very dark brown one, near black is the rarest. The power intended to run the trains is 20 v AC. In fact a Lionel ZW will work perfectly and those locos are very good pullers.

Here are three models,

IMG_7008IMG_7009IMG_7011

Daniel

 

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