Alsace-Lorraine B 1
Encyclopedia
The steam locomotives of Alsace-Lorraine Class B 1 were procured by the Imperial Railways in Alsace-Lorraine
in 1871. In 1906 they were reorganised into Class P 1.
took over the railway network in Alsace-Lorraine
following their victory in the Franco-Prussian War
, there was a need to procure locomotives and coaches because the French had withdrawn all the railway stock. Originally the intent was to use the 12 locomotives (nos. 16 to 23) built by Strousberg
to 'Strousberg norms' for the Halle
-Sorau-Guben
railway. They were no longer in service there, because the Reich railways purchased them immediately after their delivery. The locomotives were given the numbers 30 to 41 and christened with the names of various German rivers.
In 1906 the locomotives were renumbered as 501 to 512. In 1912, numbers 504 and 509 were again renumbered to 101 and 102. All other locomotives had already been retired by then. Locomotive 102 was still occasionally working in 1918 (as a so-called Auswaschlokomotive) in the Mühlhausen
area.
and the boiler
had three shells, the rear one being crowned by the steam dome
. The outer firebox had a Belpaire
cover, a deep firebox that extended below the axles and a large smokebox
.
The locomotive had an outside, twin-cylinder wet steam engine and an inside Allan valve gear. The connecting rod
drove the second coupled axle.
Springing of the coupled axles was achieved using leaf springs above the axles. The spring elements were linked by compensating levers. On the carrying axles, transverse leaf springs were used.
The locomotives were later fitted with a Westinghouse
compressed-air brake, a steam heating system, washout equipment, sand distributor and adjustable blastpipe
.
The tender had a horseshoe water tank and a second water container between the frame. That enabled it to carry up to 9 m³ of water.
Imperial Railways in Alsace-Lorraine
The Imperial Railways in Alsace-Lorraine were the first railways owned by the German Empire.They emerged in 1871, after France had ceded the region of Alsace-Lorraine to the German Empire under the terms of the peace treaty following the Franco-Prussian War...
in 1871. In 1906 they were reorganised into Class P 1.
History
When GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
took over the railway network in Alsace-Lorraine
Alsace-Lorraine
The Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine was a territory created by the German Empire in 1871 after it annexed most of Alsace and the Moselle region of Lorraine following its victory in the Franco-Prussian War. The Alsatian part lay in the Rhine Valley on the west bank of the Rhine River and east...
following their victory in the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
, there was a need to procure locomotives and coaches because the French had withdrawn all the railway stock. Originally the intent was to use the 12 locomotives (nos. 16 to 23) built by Strousberg
Hanomag
Hanomag was a German producer of steam locomotives, tractors, trucks and military vehicles. Hanomag first achieved international fame by delivering a large number of steam locomotives to Romania and Bulgaria before World War I....
to 'Strousberg norms' for the Halle
Halle, Saxony-Anhalt
Halle is the largest city in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from the town of Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia...
-Sorau-Guben
Guben
Guben is a town on the Lusatian Neisse river in the state of Brandenburg, Germany. Located in the Spree-Neiße district, Guben has a population of 20,049...
railway. They were no longer in service there, because the Reich railways purchased them immediately after their delivery. The locomotives were given the numbers 30 to 41 and christened with the names of various German rivers.
In 1906 the locomotives were renumbered as 501 to 512. In 1912, numbers 504 and 509 were again renumbered to 101 and 102. All other locomotives had already been retired by then. Locomotive 102 was still occasionally working in 1918 (as a so-called Auswaschlokomotive) in the Mühlhausen
Mühlhausen
Mühlhausen is a city in the federal state of Thuringia, Germany. It is the capital of the Unstrut-Hainich district, and lies along the river Unstrut. Mühlhausen had c. 37,000 inhabitants in 2006.-History:...
area.
Design features
The locomotives had an inside frameLocomotive frame
A locomotive frame is the structure that forms the backbone of the railway locomotive, giving it strength and supporting the superstructure elements such as a cab, boiler or bodywork. The vast majority of locomotives have had a frame structure of some kind...
and the boiler
Boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Materials:...
had three shells, the rear one being crowned by the steam dome
Steam dome
A Steam dome is a vessel fitted to the top of the boiler of a steam locomotive. It contains the opening to the main steam pipe and its purpose is to allow this opening to be kept well above the water level in the boiler...
. The outer firebox had a Belpaire
Belpaire firebox
The Belpaire firebox is a type of firebox used on steam locomotives. It was invented by Alfred Belpaire of Belgium. It has a greater surface area at the top of the firebox, improving heat transfer and steam production...
cover, a deep firebox that extended below the axles and a large smokebox
Smokebox
A smokebox is one of the major basic parts of a Steam locomotive exhaust system. Smoke and hot gases pass from the firebox through tubes where they pass heat to the surrounding water in the boiler. The smoke then enters the smokebox, and is exhausted to the atmosphere through the chimney .To assist...
.
The locomotive had an outside, twin-cylinder wet steam engine and an inside Allan valve gear. The connecting rod
Connecting rod
In a reciprocating piston engine, the connecting rod or conrod connects the piston to the crank or crankshaft. Together with the crank, they form a simple mechanism that converts linear motion into rotating motion....
drove the second coupled axle.
Springing of the coupled axles was achieved using leaf springs above the axles. The spring elements were linked by compensating levers. On the carrying axles, transverse leaf springs were used.
The locomotives were later fitted with a Westinghouse
Westinghouse Air Brake Company
The railway air brake was invented by George Westinghouse of New York state in 1869. Soon after, he moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he established the Westinghouse Air Brake Company on September 28, 1869...
compressed-air brake, a steam heating system, washout equipment, sand distributor and adjustable blastpipe
Blastpipe
The blastpipe is part of the exhaust system of a steam locomotive that discharges exhaust steam from the cylinders into the smokebox beneath the chimney in order to increase the draught through the fire.- History :...
.
The tender had a horseshoe water tank and a second water container between the frame. That enabled it to carry up to 9 m³ of water.
Literature
- Spielhoff, Lothar, Dampflokomotiven: Bahnen in Elsaß-Lothringen (EFA F.1), 1991, Alba, Düsseldorf, ISBN 3-87094-142-1
See also
- Imperial Railways in Alsace-LorraineImperial Railways in Alsace-LorraineThe Imperial Railways in Alsace-Lorraine were the first railways owned by the German Empire.They emerged in 1871, after France had ceded the region of Alsace-Lorraine to the German Empire under the terms of the peace treaty following the Franco-Prussian War...
- List of Alsace-Lorraine locomotives
- LänderbahnenLänderbahnenThe German term Länderbahnen generally refers to the state railways of the German Empire in the period from about 1840 to 1920 when they were merged into the Deutsche Reichsbahn after the First World War....
External links
- There is a relevant English-language forum at Railways of Germany