DRB Class 50

Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft (DRG) / Deutsche Reichsbahn (DRB)

Industry	Railway locomotives manufacturing
Founded	1939
Fate	Production ended in 1948
Area served	Germany and other European countries
Products	DRB Class 50 steam locomotives

Overview

The DRB Class 50 represent a German series of 2-10-0 "Decapod" steam locomotives designed primarily for freight service. Introduced from 1939 onward as a standardized type (Einheitsdampflokomotive), these engines featured a single leading axle followed by five driving axles, establishing themselves as one of the most effective models produced for the Deutsche Reichsbahn.

This locomotive series was commissioned in Germany amidst the Nazi Party's military buildup preceding the Second World War (1939–1945). Production continued until 1948, culminating in a total output of 3,164 units manufactured across numerous European factories. Late in the conflict, some were produced as simplified "provisional war locomotives" (Übergangskriegslokomotiven) and designated as 50 ÜK.

By the conclusion of steam traction's dominance, these locomotives had evolved into a nearly universal mixed-traffic class. Their relatively low axle load enabled operation even on lighter branch lines with less robust track beds. In 1968, the Deutsche Bundesbahn reorganized the fleet into Classes 050, 051, 052 and 053 to facilitate computer-compatible numbering systems.

Additionally, several units of this class were integrated into the Polish State Railways' roster under the classification Ty5.

General

50 1724 at Köln-Gereon (26 May 1990)

DB No. 050 915-8 operating a passenger train between Hof and Marktredwitz, Easter 1972

Despite the losses sustained during the war, a substantial fleet of locomotives remained by 1945. The Deutsche Bundesbahn alone inherited no fewer than 2,159 operational engines, which, alongside the larger DRG Class 44, served as the primary workhorses for freight transport for many years. These locomotives were also deployed for passenger service duties.

To safeguard the crew when the locomotive was running tender-first, the front section of the tender (a 2'2' T 26) was equipped with a protective screen. Post-war modifications saw many locomotives have their original Wagner smoke deflectors replaced by the Witte style. Additionally, on 735 of the Deutsche Bundesbahn’s fleet, tenders were modified to include a conductor’s cab, which necessitated reducing the coal bunker capacity.

A total of 1,452 locomotives were incorporated into the new DB classification scheme, although 88 of these were already scheduled for decommissioning. Since class numbers were required to be three digits, designations such as 051, 052, and 053 were introduced alongside the original 050.

Consequently, the former Class 50 was subdivided as follows:

Classification	Number of Units	Scheduled for Withdrawal
050	521	36
051	413	22
052	450	23
053	77	7

The final Deutsche Bundesbahn Class 50 locomotives were withdrawn from service at Duisburg-Wedau in 1977.

In contrast, only around 350 Class 50 engines remained with the DR in East Germany after WWII. Given that few Class 44 locomotives were allocated to East Germany, the DRB Class 52 became the dominant freight locomotive in many regions there. Out of the Class 50s, 208 units underwent reconstruction into Class 50.35-37 variants. The original models primarily operated in southern areas but saw widespread retirement starting in the mid-1970s, becoming increasingly scarce by the 1980s. The last active units, including rebuilt versions (Rekoloks), concluded service in 1987.

Several original locomotives have been preserved; notable examples include numbers 50 622 and 50 849. Locomotive No. 50 622 is housed at the Nuremberg Transport Museum, where it suffered significant damage during a major fire at the locomotive shed on the evening of October 17, 2005. Restoration efforts are planned with support from donations. Number 50 849 is maintained by the Glauchau Railway Society (Eisenbahnverein Glauchau) and retains its Wagner smoke deflectors.

Following World War II, numerous Class 50 engines remained scattered across various European countries and some continued operating until steam traction was phased out. They saw service with railways such as PKP (55 units reclassified as PKP class Ty5), ČSD (28 units redesignated class 555.1), ÖBB, and DSB.

DB Class 50.40

Because the Deutsche Bundesbahn possessed an ample number of freight locomotives, they were able to swiftly retire the DRB Class 52 engines, allowing the older boilers on the Class 50 locomotives to be replaced with those from the Class 52 series. Among other adaptations, the trough tender originally designed for the Kriegslokomotiven was also utilized by the Class 50s. During the 1950s, a number of Class 50 locomotives were employed as testbeds for various modifications. For example, 35 units were fitted with boilers incorporating mixer preheaters and turbo feed pumps. Locomotive number 50 1503 underwent experimental installation of a Giesl ejector. In 1959, ten locomotives received boilers featuring a reduced grate area in an effort to decrease coal consumption.

Following successful trials with Franco-Crosti boilers on Class 52 locomotives (notably the DB Class 42.90), Henschel rebuilt locomotive number 50 1412 in 1954 to include such a boiler system. This design incorporated an auxiliary preheater boiler positioned beneath the main boiler of the locomotive. After passing through the main boiler, exhaust gases were redirected to flow through this secondary preheater before being expelled into the atmosphere via a side chimney alongside exhaust steam. The feedwater was first warmed in a surface or mixer preheater, then further heated in the preheater boiler prior to entering the main boiler. This arrangement allowed for more efficient utilization of combustion heat and contributed to fuel savings. By 1958, an additional 30 locomotives were equipped with Franco-Crosti smoke gas preheaters and subsequently reclassified as numbers 50 4001 through 50 4031. Among these, number 50 4011 was adapted for oil firing and operated in the regions of Münsterland and the Rhineland. All units were withdrawn from service by 1967.

In his work „Anatomie der Dampflokomotive," Adolph Giesl-Gieslingen notes that sulfuric acid present in the exhaust condensed within the preheater and caused corrosion damage to the Heat exchanger. The shift towards Diesel and Electric traction led both Italy and Germany to discontinue further development of Franco-Crosti smoke preheaters.

No examples of this locomotive class have been preserved.

DR Class 50.35-37

50 3552 operating as the "Teddybear Express" on the Nidder Valley Railway

A DRG 50 locomotive pulling a special train on the Rennsteigbahn near Ilmenau

DRG 50 3552 stationed in Bischofsheim, Hesse

By the late 1930s, the discovery of St 47 K-Mo steel seemed to offer a solution for increasing boiler pressure to 20 bar without a significant rise in boiler weight. This newly introduced steel possessed greater strength compared to the previously used St 34 type; however, it suffered from notably poorer thermal conductivity. Under the demanding conditions typical of steam locomotive operations, this material experienced rapid fatigue, leading to boilers constructed from it requiring replacement after only a few years in service. The Class 50 initially utilized boilers made from this steel. Although their deterioration was less severe than in other classes, replacement became essential by the late 1950s.

Consequently, the DR developed the 50E replacement boiler for use in East Germany, drawing on the design of boilers fitted to Classes 23.10 and 50.40. Due to differences in locomotive frames, this boiler featured a barrel length extended by 500 mm. This design was later adopted for various rebuild projects (known as Rekoloks), which included conversions of Class 23 engines and transformations of Class 52 locomotives into 52.80s, as well as Class 58 units into 58.30s.

Between 1958 and 1962, a total of 208 Class 50 locomotives received these updated boilers along with mixer preheaters, expanded radiative heating surfaces, and enhanced draught systems that collectively improved their operational efficiency. Many were also fitted with Giesl ejectors. These modernized locomotives were classified under sub-class 50.35 and assigned running numbers from 50 3501 through to 50 3708. Toward the end of their service life, they frequently operated with new 2'2' T 28 tenders.

Following these upgrades, the locomotives were primarily concentrated within railway divisions in the northwest region. After some units were converted to oil-firing as part of the Class 50.50, the remaining coal-fired engines were centralized in the Magdeburg division. By the late 1970s, they had returned to service within the Dresden and Schwerin divisions, replacing both older steam locomotives and oil-fired counterparts.

The final scheduled standard gauge steam train hauled by a Class 50.35 was locomotive number 50 3559, which led an official farewell journey on October 29, 1988. The route comprised a round trip from Halberstadt through Magdeburg and Thale, returning to Halberstadt. Currently, locomotive No. 50 3559 serves as a stationary restaurant in Liblar.

Numerous Class 50.35 engines remain preserved today, with several still operational under Deutsche Bahn AG as well as various heritage railways and museums. Notable preserved units include numbers 50 3501, 50 3539, 50 3564, 50 3576, 50 3616, 50 3648, 50 3654, 50 3695, and 50 3708.

DR Class 50.50

No. 50 0072 at the 50th Anniversary of the Bayerisches Eisenbahnmuseum

Between 1966 and 1971, a total of 72 locomotives from the Class 50.35 series were converted to operate with oil firing and subsequently reclassified as Class 50.50. Following the implementation of electronic data processing (EDP) numbering in 1970, these locomotives received numbers ranging from 50 0001 to 50 0072. They were assigned primarily to the Reichsbahn divisions of Schwerin and Greifswald, where they served predominantly on heavy freight trains. Their abrupt retirement in 1981 was driven by political decisions linked to a sharp increase in crude oil prices within the Eastern Bloc, which rendered the chemical processing of Bunker oil D—previously used for locomotive fuel—no longer feasible.

The final surviving example of this class, locomotive number 50 0072, is preserved at the Bavarian Railway Museum (Bayerischen Eisenbahnmuseum) located in Nördlingen.

DR Class 50.40

Alongside modern locomotives designed for passenger services, the DR required additional freight engines capable of operating with a maximum axle load of approximately 15 tonnes. Consequently, a dual development approach was adopted, reminiscent of pre-war practices: a passenger locomotive—the DR Class 23.10—and a freight locomotive designated as the DR Class 50.40. This strategy allowed for extensive parts interchangeability between the two classes. The running gear largely followed the design principles of the Einheitsdampflokomotive#Einheitslok, but due to manufacturing constraints, plate frames replaced bar frames, which were no longer feasible to produce.

The boiler represented a modern design incorporating a combustion chamber and a mixer preheater, delivering performance comparable to standard boilers but with improved fuel efficiency. These locomotives were paired with new tenders classified as the 2'2' T 28 type. A total of eighty-eight units were produced between 1956 and 1960, numbered sequentially from 50 4001 through to 50 4088—the latter marking the final standard gauge steam engine constructed new in Germany.

These locomotives primarily operated on flat terrain routes within northern railway divisions. However, due to persistent issues with the plate frame's durability and associated maintenance costs, they were withdrawn from active traction duties by around 1980, though they remained in service as stationary heating engines for some time afterward.

The last preserved locomotive of this series, number 50 4073, is held by the Bavarian Railway Museum (Bayerische Eisenbahnmuseum) in Nördlingen. It is currently housed at the Meiningen Steam Locomotive Works, where it awaits external restoration efforts.

Other railway operators

Following the Second World War, a number of Class 50 locomotives remained in Eastern Europe, where several railway companies acquired additional units. Notably, the Romanian State Railway CFR manufactured 282 locomotives modeled on the Class 50 design between 1947 and 1959. In 1958, 40 of these Romanian-built 150 class locomotives were exported to China, where they were reclassified as DK5 in 1959 and assigned numbers ranging from 241 to 280. One example, DK5-250, is currently exhibited at the Shenyang Railway Museum. Additionally, some units were delivered to the Korean State Railway in North Korea, where they were incorporated into the 150 series numbering system.

• 
  Romanian 150 class locomotive, a Resita-built copy of the DRG Class 50; near Cluj-Napoca, 1972
• 
  DK5-250 displayed at the Shenyang Railway Museum

See also

• List of DRG locomotives and railbuses

References

• Jürgen U. Ebel, Hansjürgen Wenzel, Die Baureihe 50, Bd. 1 und 2, EK Verlag, Freiburg, 2007, ISBN 978-3-88255-545-5
• Dirk Endisch, Baureihen 50.35 und 50.50 - Die kohle- und ölgefeuerten Reko-50er der DR, Verlag Dirk Endisch, Leonberg, 2007, ISBN 978-3-936893-44-1
• Template:Hütter-50bis53
• Ludwig Rotthowe, Ein letzter Versuch. Erinnerung an die 50.40 der DB, Lok Magazin, vol. 42, issue 260, GeraNova Zeitschriftenverlag GmbH, München, 2003, pp. 56–63
• Klaus-J Vetter, Das große Handbuch deutscher Lokomotiven, Bruckmann Special, München, 2002, ISBN 3-7654-3764-6
• Template:Weisbrod-EFA1.2

External links

• Photographs of a classic original Class 50: unit 50 1002
• Unit 50 2988