Prussian G 4.2

Prussian G 4.2
Company type	Steam locomotive class
Industry	Rail transport
Founded	1882
Founder	Henschel & Son
Headquarters	Germany
Products	Freight locomotives

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Prussian G 4.2, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 29 November 2025

Template:Refimprove

Template:Infobox locomotive

The Prussian G 4.2 represented a series of compound 0-6-0 freight locomotives operated by the Prussian State Railways. This class was essentially a compound adaptation of the earlier Prussian G 3 and Prussian G 4.1 models developed by Henschel & Son.

History

The initial pair of prototypes emerged from Henschel's workshops in 1882, although serial manufacturing did not begin until 1885. Production persisted through to 1899, with an additional order placed in 1903 for the East Prussian Southern Railway (Ostpreußische Südbahn, OS). In total, Prussian railways received 780 units of this design. These compound locomotives demonstrated superior fuel efficiency and enhanced power compared to their two-cylinder simple predecessors. The G 4.2 was primarily deployed for hauling freight over extended distances.

Following World War I, six units were transferred to Italy as reparations, entering service with Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane as numbers 272.005 through 272.010. The Polish State Railways also incorporated this type into their roster, designating them as Th3.

In 1920, the Deutsche Reichsbahn assigned one G 4.2 to the Schwerin Division, where it was renumbered as 406 under the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg Friedrich-Franz Railway. According to the DRG renumbering plan for steam locomotives#1923 DRG renumbering plan, a total of 296 locomotives were cataloged under numbers 53 001 to 53 295 and number 53 451 (the Schwerin Division unit). By the final renumbering scheme in 1925, only numbers 53 001 through 53 024 remained active, with 53 025 being a former G 4.2 from the Imperial Railways in Alsace-Lorraine (Reichseisenbahnen in Elsaß-Lothringen, EL). All units were withdrawn from service by 1930. When the Brunswick State Railway Company (Braunschweigischen Landes-Eisenbahn, BLE) was nationalized on January 1, 1938, four additional G 4.2 locomotives were integrated into the Reichsbahn fleet as numbers 53 7001 to 53 7004 (second series). During World War II, six Polish Th3 locomotives were added and renumbered as 53 7701 to 53 7706.

These engines were paired with pr 3 T 10.5 or pr 3 T 12 tenders.

Additional railways operating G 4.2 locomotives included:

East Prussian Southern Railway: received four units in 1903 which were absorbed into Prussian State Railways that same year;
Eisenach–Lichtenfels railway#Werrabahn: acquired five locomotives between 1893 and 1894, later taken over by Prussian State Railways in 1895;
Royal Prussian Military Railway (Königlich Preussische Militär-Eisenbahn, KPME): one locomotive delivered in 1899 and transferred to Prussian State Railways after World War I in 1919;
Lübeck-Büchen Railway Company (Lübeck-Büchener Eisenbahn, LBE): two locomotives procured in 1896 classified as LBE G 3 and retired by 1923;
Grand Duchy of Oldenburg State Railways (Großherzoglich Oldenburgische Staatseisenbahnen, GOE): operated a fleet of twenty-seven engines, see Oldenburg G 4.2;
Imperial Railways in Alsace-Lorraine: maintained fifty-seven locomotives categorized under classes C28 and C30, along with thirty-six similar engines grouped as classes C25, C26, and C27, detailed under Alsace-Lorraine G 4.

Design

Although Diagram (Musterblatt) III 3a was produced, variations existed among the locomotives. Differences in the number of boiler tubes resulted in varying heating surface areas. The steam dome's position varied, appearing on the first, second, or third boiler course. Earlier models featured riveted counterweights, whereas later ones used cast counterweights. Additionally, some locomotives were equipped with von Borries type starting valves, while others utilized the Dultz type.

G 4.2 on the Mecklenburg Friedrich-Franz Railway

At the turn of the 20th century, rising freight demands compelled the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg Friedrich-Franz Railway (Großherzogliche Mecklenburgische Friedrich-Franz-Eisenbahn, MFFE) to expand its locomotive fleet. Between 1901 and 1905, the MFFE procured five units of the Prussian G 4.2 class, designating them as Mecklenburg X (ten) and assigning numbers 401 through 405. Four of these locomotives were manufactured by Henschel & Sohn, with the fifth supplied by Linke-Hofmann. In 1920, an additional engine—Berlin 3801—was transferred to Mecklenburg by the Deutsche Reichsbahn and renumbered as 406. According to the 1923 Reichsbahn renumbering plan, their numbers were to be changed to 53 401 through 53 405 and 53 451; however, all were renumbered by 1925.

G 4.2 on the Marburger Kreisbahn

The Marburger Kreisbahn acquired a G 4.2 locomotive built by Schichau-Werke in 1892 (serial number 614). Initially designated Erfurt Division 1315, it was reassigned to the Halle Division in 1895 and renumbered as 1014 in 1901.

A tender with a water capacity of 10 m³ (10,000 L; 2,200 imp gal; 2,600 US gal) was required for this locomotive. It featured some distinctive specifications: a high-pressure cylinder bore measuring 480 mm (18+7⁄8 in), a low-pressure bore of 680 mm (26+3⁄4 in), driving wheels with a diameter of 1,200 mm (3 ft 11+1⁄4 in), and a wheelbase of 3,400 mm (11 ft 1+3⁄4 in). With its new tender attached, the total length over buffers was 15,362 mm (50 ft 4+3⁄4 in). The locomotive was equipped with inside Allan valve gear and slide valves.

Following extensive repairs, it was returned to service at the end of 1914 and assigned number 3—the third locomotive on the Marburger Kreisbahn to bear this number. It was the only tender locomotive operated by the MK and, due to a lack of turntables on its route, had to be driven in reverse from Dreihausen.

Initially, braking was limited to a handbrake on the tender alone, causing difficulties when hauling heavy trains with an almost empty tender. Although modifications after World War I added a rear cab wall and Westinghouse brakes, it remained unpopular among crews because of its narrow cab doorway and unreliable Schichau-type starting valve.

Despite undergoing rebuilding efforts, reliability issues persisted; crews colloquially referred to it as the "stubborn goat" (störrischer Bock). It remained a compound locomotive as late as 1926 but may have been converted to simple-expansion operation.

The locomotive was retired in 1934 and sold for scrap that same year to a firm in Marburg. Dismantling took place at Marburg South station.

Brunswick State Railway

In 1922, the Brunswick State Railway Company (Braunschweigische Landes-Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft, BLE) acquired five locomotives. Four of these units—previously Magdeburg numbers 3859, 3863, 3825, and 3839—were recommissioned under the designations 3, 5, 9 (each representing a second assignment of these numbers), and 29. The remaining locomotive was dismantled to provide spare parts. Due to their origins from various production series by two separate manufacturers (Henschel and BMAG), the locomotives exhibited notable design variations. Upon the nationalization of the BLE in 1938, the Deutsche Reichsbahn incorporated these four engines into its fleet as 53 7001 to 53 7004 (second series). Their operational service concluded between 1941 and 1947.

Notes

References

Template:Hütter-50bis53
Nolte, Egbert (1999). Die Marburger Kreisbahn (in Deutsch). Nordhorn: Verlag Kenning. ISBN 3-933613-14-0.
Template:Spielhoff-EL
Wulfgramm, Christopher (2017). Die Braunschweigische Landes-Museumseisenbahn (in Deutsch). Freiburg: EK-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-8446-6409-6.