DB Class 23
Encyclopedia
The steam locomotive
s of Class 23 were German passenger train locomotives developed in the 1950s for the Deutsche Bundesbahn
. They had a 2-6-2 wheel arrangement
and were equipped with Class 2'2' T 31 tenders. They were designed to replace the once ubiquitous Prussian P 8
engines that had been built between 1908 and 1924 and, in their day, were the most numerous post-war replacement class.
services. They had welded locomotive frames, boilers and tenders together with all the latest refinements of German practice. These included a superheated multiple-valve regulator and central lubrication of the least accessible parts of the running gear
. Engines up to operating number 023 had Knorr surface preheaters and journal bearings. Locomotives with serial numbers 024 and 025, as well as those from 053 onwards were equipped with roller bearings for the axles and drive as well as mixer-preheaters. A small number of vehicles were given Heinl preheaters and several were equipped for push-pull train
operations.
and taken into service by the DB in December 1959, was the last steam engine to enter service in the Federal Republic of Germany. After its retirement it was stabled at the Nuremberg Transport Museum
where it was severely damaged by the great fire in the locomotive shed on 17 October 2005.
locomotive depot (Bahnbetriebswerk or Bw).
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s of Class 23 were German passenger train locomotives developed in the 1950s for the Deutsche Bundesbahn
Deutsche Bundesbahn
The Deutsche Bundesbahn or DB was formed as the state railway of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany on September 7, 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft '...
. They had a 2-6-2 wheel arrangement
Whyte notation
The Whyte notation for classifying steam locomotives by wheel arrangement was devised by Frederick Methvan Whyte and came into use in the early twentieth century encouraged by an editorial in American Engineer and Railroad Journal...
and were equipped with Class 2'2' T 31 tenders. They were designed to replace the once ubiquitous Prussian P 8
Prussian P 8
The Prussian Class P 8 steam locomotive of the Prussian state railways was built from 1906 onwards by the Berliner Maschinenbau and the Linke-Hofmann factory in Breslau by Robert Garbe...
engines that had been built between 1908 and 1924 and, in their day, were the most numerous post-war replacement class.
Manufacture and Design
From 1950, 105 examples of this newly-designed class were manufactured for medium passenger train and light express trainExpress train
Express trains are a form of rail service. Express trains make only a small number of stops, instead of stopping at every single station...
services. They had welded locomotive frames, boilers and tenders together with all the latest refinements of German practice. These included a superheated multiple-valve regulator and central lubrication of the least accessible parts of the running gear
Running gear
The term running gear is used to describe the wheels, suspension, steering, powertrain & chassis/bodyshell of a motor-car or automobile, or the tracks and road wheels of a tank or similar tracked vehicle....
. Engines up to operating number 023 had Knorr surface preheaters and journal bearings. Locomotives with serial numbers 024 and 025, as well as those from 053 onwards were equipped with roller bearings for the axles and drive as well as mixer-preheaters. A small number of vehicles were given Heinl preheaters and several were equipped for push-pull train
Push-pull train
Push–pull is a mode of operation for locomotive-hauled trains allowing them to be driven from either end.A push–pull train has a locomotive at one end of the train, connected via some form of remote control, such as multiple-unit train control, to a vehicle equipped with a control cab at the other...
operations.
Last new steam locomotive in West Germany
Locomotive number 23 105, built by Arnold Jung LokomotivfabrikArnold Jung Lokomotivfabrik
The Arnold Jung Lokomotivfabrik was a locomotive manufacturer, in particular of Feldbahn locomotives, in Kirchen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany....
and taken into service by the DB in December 1959, was the last steam engine to enter service in the Federal Republic of Germany. After its retirement it was stabled at the Nuremberg Transport Museum
Nuremberg Transport Museum
The Nuremberg Transport Museum is based in Nuremberg, Germany, and consists of the Deutsche Bahn's own DB Museum and the Museum of Communications . It also has two satellite museums at Koblenz-Lützel and Halle...
where it was severely damaged by the great fire in the locomotive shed on 17 October 2005.
Reclassification and retirement
On the introduction of the new DB numbering scheme on 1 January 1968 the class was redesignated as Class 023. The last few locomotives were retired in 1976 at CrailsheimCrailsheim
Crailsheim is a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, 32 km east of Schwäbisch Hall, 40 km southwest of Ansbach in the Schwäbisch Hall district, incorporated in 1338....
locomotive depot (Bahnbetriebswerk or Bw).
Preserved locomotives
The following engines had been preserved as at September 2006:- 23 019 in the German Steam Locomotive MuseumGerman Steam Locomotive MuseumThe German Steam Locomotive Museum or DDM is located at the foot of the famous Schiefe Ebene ramp on the Ludwig South-North Railway in Neuenmarkt, Upper Franconia. This region is in northern Bavaria, Germany...
(Deutsche Dampflokomotiv-Museum) at Neuenmarkt-Wirsberg in Upper FranconiaUpper FranconiaUpper Franconia is a Regierungsbezirk of the state of Bavaria, southern Germany. It forms part of the historically significant region of Franconia , all now part of the German Federal State of Bayern .With more than 200 independent breweries which brew...
, BavariaBavariaBavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, Germany. - 23 023 at the Stoom Stichting NederlandStoom Stichting Nederlandthumb|200px|The Stoom Stichting Nederland railwayThe Stoom Stichting Nederland is a railway museum in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, founded in 1976.-Facilities:...
in RotterdamRotterdamRotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, Netherlands (not operational). - 23 029 as a monument in front of the technical school in AalenAalenAalen is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, about east of Stuttgart and north of Ulm. It is the seat of the Ostalbkreis district, and its largest city, as well as the largest city within the Ostwürttemberg region. In spatial planning, Aalen is designated a Mittelzentrum...
, Germany. - 23 042 at the Darmstadt-Kranichstein Railway MuseumDarmstadt-Kranichstein Railway MuseumThe Darmstadt-Kranichstein Railway Museum a railway museum in the German city of Darmstadt. It is also the largest railway museum in the state of Hesse....
in HesseHesseHesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
, Germany (operational). - 23 058 with EUROVAPOREurovaporThe eurovapor is a European society of railway fans dedicated to the preservation of steam locomotives and historic railway vehicles.-History:...
in BaselBaselBasel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
-Haltingen, Switzerland, is looked after by Club 41 073 e. V. (operational). Rented to the Friese Stoomtrein Maatschappij (FStM) in the Netherlands. - 23 071 with the Veluwsche Stoomtrein Maatschappij in ApeldoornApeldoornApeldoorn is a municipality and city in the province of Gelderland, about 60 miles south east of Amsterdam, in the centre of the Netherlands. It is a regional centre and has 155,000 . The municipality of Apeldoorn, including villages like Beekbergen, Loenen and Hoenderloo, has over 155,000...
, Netherlands (operational). - 23 076 also with the Veluwsche Stoomtrein Maatschappij in Apeldoorn (operational since June 2007).
- 23 105 in the South German Railway MuseumSouth German Railway MuseumThe South German Railway Museum is a railway museum at Heilbronn in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwestern Germany. It was founded in 1998.-Aims:...
at HeilbronnHeilbronnHeilbronn is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is completely surrounded by Heilbronn County and with approximately 123.000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state....
(Süddeutsches Eisenbahnmuseum Heilbronn) in Baden-WürttembergBaden-WürttembergBaden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
, Germany (on loan from the DB until 2016).
External links
- There is a relevant English-language forum at Railways of Germany