DRG Class 45
| Industry | Railway |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1936 |
| Headquarters | Germany |
| Products | Steam locomotives |
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The German Class 45 steam locomotives were standardised engines (Einheitsdampflokomotive) developed by the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft specifically for freight service.
History
The Class 45 locomotives represented the most powerful steam engines ever utilized in Germany. Manufactured by Henschel between 1936 and 1937, the initial pair entered service before an additional 26 units were delivered in 1940. Plans for a third batch of 103 locomotives were abandoned in 1941 due to the onset of the Second World War, which prioritized the production of simpler wartime engines known as Kriegslokomotiven. These locomotives bore the operating numbers 45 001 through 45 028.
Following the war, rapid deterioration of the boiler necessitated reducing the boiler overpressure to 16 bar. Consequently, from 1950 onwards, several Deutsche Bundesbahn locomotives were retrofitted with an external firebox featuring a combustion chamber and equipped with a mechanical underfeed stoker (Rostbeschicker). Units numbered 45 010, 45 016, 45 019, 45 021, and 45 023 received welded boilers along with this stoker technology.
In East Germany, the Deutsche Reichsbahn rebuilt its only Class 45 engine, number 45 024, into a high-pressure variant designated H 45 024. This modification ultimately failed and led to its retirement in 1959. Components from this locomotive—including external cylinders, trailing wheels, and the rear frame section—were repurposed for constructing engine no. 18 201.
By 1968, only three Class 45 engines remained within the Deutsche Bundesbahn fleet. These were utilized as braking and experimental locomotives at the Bundesbahn Central Office facilities in Munich and Minden. Specifically, number 45 023 was housed in Munich, while numbers 45 010 and 45 019 were stationed at Minden. On the evening of October 17, 2005, a fire devastated the locomotive shed at the Nuremberg Transport Museum, severely damaging the last surviving example of this class, locomotive number 45 010. Restoration efforts commenced promptly and were finalized by 2012.
Initially plagued by design flaws akin to those found in the DRB Class 06, mainly due to an inadequate boiler, the Class 45’s performance improved significantly following boiler replacement and installation of mechanical stoking equipment. Beyond their role as braking engines for the Bundesbahn Central Office, locomotives numbered 45 019 and 45 010 were frequently assigned to handle heavy freight services that posed challenges for Class 44 locomotives during their final operational years.
These locomotives operated with tenders classified as 2′3 T 38. Those fitted with underfeed stokers were paired with tenders designated as 2′3 T 29 Stoker tenders.
| Year | Quantity in Service at Start |
Number Withdrawn |
Locomotive Numbers | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | 27 | 1 | 45 002 | |
| 1953 | 26 | 12 | 45 001, 005–007, 013, 015, 017, 018, 025–028 | |
| 1955 | 14 | 2 | 45 004, 011 | |
| 1957 | 12 | 6 | 45 003, 008, 009, 014, 021, 022 | Number 021 reboilered |
| 1958 | 6 | 1 | 45 012 | Later reinstated |
| 1959 | 5 or 6 | 1 | 45 020 | |
| 1961 | 5 | 1 | 45 012 | |
| 1964 | 4 | 1 | 45 016 | Reboilered |
| 1968 | 3 | 2 | 045 019-7, 023-9 | Reboilered |
| 1969 | 1 | 1 | 045 010-6 | Reboilered; preserved |
See also
References
- Template:Hütter-01bis45
- Seiler, B.; Ebel, Jürgen U. (2006). Die Baureihe 45 (in Deutsch). Freiburg: EK-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-88255-151-8.
- Template:Weisbrod-EFA1.2