BDŽ class 77

The locomotives were built and delivered by the Romanian plant "23 August" (now FAUR) - Bucharest under technical conditions of BDZ. Maximum interchangeability of aggregates, assemblies and parts with the class 76 machines, built in the same plant, was pursued. The main differences are:

• altered gear ratio, reducing the maximum speed in favor of traction;
• increased number of engine cooling radiators;
• changed how the engine is coupled with the hydro compound;
• numerous improvements to the engine (driving mode, increased power output, etc.);
• more cab controls, control devices, etc.

All class 77 locomotives were assigned to the Septemvri depot. This was fully equipped for narrow-gauge locomotives at the time. Since the early 1990s there has been a drastic decline in transport, when almost half of the locomotive fleet was stored. This was relieved in 1996 when members of the class were sold to Argentina. They were loaded onto standard gauge wagons and shipped off via the port of Bourgas on March 20, 1996. They worked a narrow-gauge railroad between the coal mines in the Rio Turbio village and the Rio Galegos port (about 200 km (120 mi) apart) in the Santa Cruz area of Patagonia. One of the remaining five locomotives was scrapped and the rest continue to work on the Septemvri–Dobrinishte narrow-gauge line.

^[1]

1. Translated from Локомотиви БДЖ серия 77.000
2. Димитър Деянов, Локомотивното стопанство на БДЖ 1947 – 1990, Sofia, 1993