FAUR

FAUR S.A.

Company type	Public:(BVB:FAU)
Industry	Railroad Power Generation
Predecessor	MALAXA 23 August Works
Founded	1921(1921)
Founder	Nicolae Malaxa
Headquarters	Bucharest,Romania
Products	Locomotives Diesel engines OEM parts
Services	Locomotive maintenance Locomotive management Training
Parent	Bega Group
Website	faur.ro

FAUR S.A.is an industrial engineering and manufacturing company based inBucharest,Romania.

History

FAUR was founded byNicolae Malaxain 1921 under the nameMALAXA.Main activities were the repairing of rolling stock, manufacturingsteam locomotives,diesel locomotives,car-engines and passenger coaches, diesel engines, brake equipment, and special alloy steels. By the end of the 1930s, the Malaxa factories were one of the biggest industrial group in Southeastern Europe, and the main provider of equipment for theRomanian Railwaysduring the period.

Nationalisedin 1948, part of the company became known as23 August Works,referring to the1944 Romanian coup d'état.DuringCommunist Romaniait extended its range of manufacturing by approaching pilot projects to the most Romanian industries but also to other countries in Europe, Asia and Africa.

From 1976 to 1985, 200DR Class 119engines were built forDeutsche Reichsbahn (East Germany),as a result of the 1970sComecon(Council for Mutual Economic Assistance) agreements. TheEast Germaneconomy was not allowed anymore to build diesel locomotives with more than 1,500 horsepower, and the locomotive builders of the Soviet Union could only supply engines that were too heavy for some lines in East Germany, limited to an axle load (Achsfahrmasse) of under 16 t. Yet, a power output of over 2,000 horsepower was needed. LiterallyDesign by committee,the 119 was built in Romania according to a "construction kit" (Baukasten) principle. East German diesel engines should have been used, but due to coordination problems in East Germany's national planning commission, the Bucharest factory installed engines under licence from theWest Germanmanufacturer,MTU.Other countries in Comecon also received subcontractor orders. East Germany itself suppliedinter aliahydrodynamic transmissionsand axle motors. The locomotive drive was, however, plagued by shortcomings and problems from the start. In its early days, 50% of the locomotives were in the workshops at any one time. As a result, only 200 engines were built, not 250 or more as intended.

In 1990, the company was renamed FAUR and privatized.

Since 2004, FAUR is part ofBega Group.

Steam locomotives

Steam locomotive 50.770; factory number 299, construction year 1938

Since 1920, the design and the construction of different types ofrailway enginesbegan at the Domains Factories (nowadaysUMC Reșița) inReșițaand Malaxa Factories in Bucharest. Due to the success of the construction of the railway engines in Reșița and Bucharest factories, Romania ceased importing railway locomotives starting with 1930. Between 1926 and 1960, a total number of 1,207steam locomotiveswere built in Romania: 10 models forstandard tracksand 3 models for thenarrow gauge railways.From these, 797 steam locomotives were made in Reșița Factories and 410 at Malaxa Factories. In 1960 the production of steam locomotives was ceased, the Romanian industry focusing on fabrication of the diesel railway engines.

Diesel-electric and diesel-hydraulic locomotives

DR Class 119(later 219) engines produced 1976–1985 for East Germany, later in used byDeutsche Bahn

• List of FAUR locomotives

See also

• Malaxa car
• Căile Ferate Române,Romanian Railways
• Mareșal tank destroyer
• Renault UE Chenillette

External links

• Official website(in English)
• Clippings about FAURin the20th Century Press Archivesof theZBW