Prussian T 20
Encyclopedia
The German DRG Class 95 was a ten-coupled tank locomotive
with a 2-10-2 wheel arrangement
, which was procured by the Deutsche Reichsbahn
(also referred to later as the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft
or DRG) in 1922 for hauling heavy goods trains on steep main lines. Because the development of this class was begun by the Prussian state railways
, it was designated as the Prussian Class T 20.
–Probstzella
line, the Spessart ramp
, the Franconian Forest Railway
, the Geislingen ramp (Geislinger Steige
), the Schiefe Ebene
and the Rübeland Railway
, where they earned their nickname Bergkönigin ('mountain queen').
The locomotives were the most powerful tank engines procured by the DRG. They could haul a train load of 2060 tonnes at a speed of 50 km/h on the flat and could still manage 430 tonnes at 25 km/h on a 25‰ incline. The very high traction load of 95.3 tonnes enabled it to cope with inclines of up to 70‰ without needing a rack
and its Riggenbach counter-pressure brake ensured that it could brake even heavy loads on a downhill stretch.
Of the 45 examples owned by the Reichsbahn, the Deutsche Bundesbahn
took over 14 that, towards the end, were stationed in Aschaffenburg
and used as pusher locomotives on the Spessart
ramp. They were retired in 1958. Locomotives had also been stabled in Neuenmarkt-Wirsberg until 1952 for duties on the Schiefe Ebene
.
31 locomotives ended up in the East German Deutsche Reichsbahn. Of these, 24 were rebuilt to oil-firing between 1971 and 1973 and ten were given a newly-designed boiler
. From 1970 the oil-fired engines were designated as DR Class 95.0 and the unconverted ones as DR Class 95.1. The last locomotives worked the line from Sonneberg toEisfeld and were retired in 1981.
At present only 95 027 is operational.
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...
with a 2-10-2 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...
, which was procured by the Deutsche Reichsbahn
Deutsche Reichsbahn
Deutsche Reichsbahn was the name of the following two companies:* Deutsche Reichsbahn, the German Imperial Railways during the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich and the immediate aftermath...
(also referred to later as the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft
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....
or DRG) in 1922 for hauling heavy goods trains on steep main lines. Because the development of this class was begun by the Prussian state railways
Prussian state railways
The term Prussian state railways encompasses those railway organisations that were owned or managed by the State of Prussia...
, it was designated as the Prussian Class T 20.
History
The first ten locomotives, built in 1922, were ordered as T 20 Magdeburg 9201–9210 and, because they were at first intended to be grouped into Class 77, were supplied as numbers 77 001 to 77 010. By 1923 they had been renumbered to 95 001–010. A total of 45 locomotives were built by 1924. Their areas of operations included the SonnebergSonneberg
Sonneberg is a town in Thuringia, Germany, which is seat of the district Sonneberg.It has long been a centre of toy making and is still well known for this...
–Probstzella
Probstzella
Probstzella is a municipality in the district Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, in Thuringia, Germany.-History:Between 1945 and 1990 Probstzella station served as East German inner German border crossing for rail transport...
line, the Spessart ramp
Spessart Ramp
The Spessart Ramp is a 5.4 km long incline on the Main-Spessart Railway in southern Germany between Laufach at one end and the Schwarzkopf tunnel and Heigenbrücken at the other, with an average incline of 20 ‰...
, the Franconian Forest Railway
Franconian Forest Railway
The Franconian Forest Railway , route no. KBS 840, is an 88 kilometre long, electrified, double-tracked main line from Lichtenfels via Kronach to Saalfeld. It is part of the Munich–Nuremberg–Bamberg–Jena–Halle/Leipzig–Berlin trunk route...
, the Geislingen ramp (Geislinger Steige
Geislinger Steige
The Geislinger Steige is an old trade route over the low mountain range of the Swabian Jura in southern Germany. It links Geislingen an der Steige with Amstetten and is one of the most famous ascents in the Jura...
), the Schiefe Ebene
Schiefe Ebene
The Schiefe Ebene is a steep railway incline on the course of the Ludwig South-North Railway from Bamberg to Hof in the region of Upper Franconia, in Bavaria, Germany....
and the Rübeland Railway
Rübeland Railway
The Rübeland Railway is a railway link from Blankenburg via Rübeland and Königshütte to Tanne in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It was built by the Halberstadt-Blankenburg Railway between 1880 and 1886. The route length is 30.6 kilometres, the height difference over 300 metres...
, where they earned their nickname Bergkönigin ('mountain queen').
The locomotives were the most powerful tank engines procured by the DRG. They could haul a train load of 2060 tonnes at a speed of 50 km/h on the flat and could still manage 430 tonnes at 25 km/h on a 25‰ incline. The very high traction load of 95.3 tonnes enabled it to cope with inclines of up to 70‰ without needing a rack
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...
and its Riggenbach counter-pressure brake ensured that it could brake even heavy loads on a downhill stretch.
Of the 45 examples owned by the Reichsbahn, 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 '...
took over 14 that, towards the end, were stationed in Aschaffenburg
Aschaffenburg
Aschaffenburg is a city in northwest Bavaria, Germany. The town of Aschaffenburg is not considered part of the district of Aschaffenburg, but is the administrative seat.Aschaffenburg is known as the Tor zum Spessart or "gate to the Spessart"...
and used as pusher locomotives on the Spessart
Spessart
The Spessart is a low mountain range in northwestern Bavaria and southern Hesse, Germany. It is bordered on three sides by the Main River. The two most important towns located at the foot of the Spessart are Aschaffenburg and Würzburg....
ramp. They were retired in 1958. Locomotives had also been stabled in Neuenmarkt-Wirsberg until 1952 for duties on the Schiefe Ebene
Schiefe Ebene
The Schiefe Ebene is a steep railway incline on the course of the Ludwig South-North Railway from Bamberg to Hof in the region of Upper Franconia, in Bavaria, Germany....
.
31 locomotives ended up in the East German Deutsche Reichsbahn. Of these, 24 were rebuilt to oil-firing between 1971 and 1973 and ten were given a newly-designed 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:...
. From 1970 the oil-fired engines were designated as DR Class 95.0 and the unconverted ones as DR Class 95.1. The last locomotives worked the line from Sonneberg toEisfeld and were retired in 1981.
Preserved Locomotives
The following locomotives have been preserved:- 95 027 restored and operating on the Rübeland RailwayRübeland RailwayThe Rübeland Railway is a railway link from Blankenburg via Rübeland and Königshütte to Tanne in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It was built by the Halberstadt-Blankenburg Railway between 1880 and 1886. The route length is 30.6 kilometres, the height difference over 300 metres...
(as of 27 Nov 2010) - 95 009 (photo above left) at Dieringhausen Railway MuseumDieringhausen Railway MuseumThe Dieringhausen Railway Museum is a railway history museum in Dieringhausen in the district of Oberbergischer Kreis in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
- 95 028 in the Bochum-Dahlhausen Railway Museum
- 95 016 (ex Kamenz locomotive depot) 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...
at Neuenmarkt-Wirsberg. - 95 020 on display at the Technikmuseum Speyer.
At present only 95 027 is operational.
See also
- Prussian state railwaysPrussian state railwaysThe term Prussian state railways encompasses those railway organisations that were owned or managed by the State of Prussia...
- List of DRG locomotives and railbuses
- List of Prussian locomotives and railbuses
Sources
- Wolfgang Brozeit, Hans Müller, Günter Bölke: Baureihe 95: Der Lebenslauf der "Bergkönigin". transpress Verlagsgesellschaft, Berlin 1990 (1. Aufl.) und 1994 (2. Aufl.), ISBN 3-344-00377-1.
- Harald Vogelsang: Die Fahrzeuge und Anlagen des Eisenbahnmuseums Bochum-Dahlhausen, ISBN 3-921700-99-X
External links
- Bilder der Baureihe 95
- There is a relevant English-language forum at Railways of Germany