DRG Class 85
Encyclopedia
The Class 85 was a German goods train tank engine
and standard locomotive (Einheitslok
) with the Deutsche Reichsbahn
.
in the Black Forest
. Thanks to this engine, the Höllental Railway could do away with rack railway
operations from 1933. The running gear and the superheated
system were taken from the Class 44
. The boiler
, with a few minor alterations, was the same as that of the Class 62
. All the locomotives were stabled at the Freiburg shed. Apart from number 85 004, which was lost in the Second World War, all the engines were in operation in the Black Forest until 1961, the year the route was converted from experimental electrical operations with 20 kV/50 Hz lines to the usual Deutsche Bundesbahn
standard of 15 kV/16 2/3 Hz. One engine, number 85 007, was still in service in Wuppertal
until the end of the year, but they were all retired by the beginning of the next year.
Tank locomotive
A tank locomotive or tank engine is a steam locomotive that carries its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of pulling it behind it in a tender. It will most likely also have some kind of bunker to hold the fuel. There are several different types of tank locomotive dependent upon...
and standard locomotive (Einheitslok
Einheitsdampflokomotive
The German term Einheitsdampflokomotive, sometimes shortened to Einheitslokomotive or Einheitslok, means standard steam locomotive and refers to the steam engines built in Germany after 1925 under the direction of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft...
) with the Deutsche Reichsbahn
Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft
The Deutsche Reichsbahn – was the name of the German national railway created from the railways of the individual states of the German Empire following the end of World War I....
.
History
In 1931, the DRG ordered ten locomotives from the firm of Henschel that were taken into the fleet as numbers 85 001–010. The Class 85 was intended for hauling passenger and goods trains. They were however also employed as pusher locomotives on the HöllentalbahnHöllentalbahn
Höllentalbahn is the name of a number of stretches of railway in German-speaking countries. They are differentiated by the name of the region in which they are located...
in the Black Forest
Black Forest
The Black Forest is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres ....
. Thanks to this engine, the Höllental Railway could do away with rack railway
Rack railway
A rack-and-pinion railway is a railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with this rack rail...
operations from 1933. The running gear and the superheated
Superheater
A superheater is a device used to convert saturated steam or wet steam into dry steam used for power generation or processes. There are three types of superheaters namely: radiant, convection, and separately fired...
system were taken from the Class 44
DRG Class 44
The Class 44 was a ten-coupled, heavy goods train steam locomotive built for the Deutsche Reichsbahn as a standard steam engine class . Its sub-class was G 56.20 and it had triple cylinders...
. 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:...
, with a few minor alterations, was the same as that of the Class 62
DRG Class 62
The German Class 62 engines were standard passenger train tank locomotives with the Deutsche Reichsbahn.The Class 62s were developed and delivered by the firm of Henschel for the Reichsbahn during the 1920s. The engines were two-cylinder superheated steam locomotives. A total of 15 units were...
. All the locomotives were stabled at the Freiburg shed. Apart from number 85 004, which was lost in the Second World War, all the engines were in operation in the Black Forest until 1961, the year the route was converted from experimental electrical operations with 20 kV/50 Hz lines to the usual 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 '...
standard of 15 kV/16 2/3 Hz. One engine, number 85 007, was still in service in Wuppertal
Wuppertal
Wuppertal is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in and around the Wupper river valley, and is situated east of the city of Düsseldorf and south of the Ruhr area. With a population of approximately 350,000, it is the largest city in the Bergisches Land...
until the end of the year, but they were all retired by the beginning of the next year.
Preserved Locomotives
Number 85 007 belongs to the town of Freiburg im Breisgau. It is not operational, but is maintained by the Bahn-Sozialwerk-Gruppe. The engine is housed in the former locomotive shed.Literature
- Scharf, Hans/Wollny, Burkhard: Die Höllentalbahn. EK Verlag, Freiburg 1987. ISBN 388255780X
External links
- History of the Class 85 in the Höllental, Black Forest
- 85 007
- There is a relevant English-language "Railways of Germany" forum