Prussian G 8
| Company type | Steam locomotive |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Founded | 1902 |
| Headquarters | Prussia (historical) |
| Products | Freight locomotives |
The Prussian Class G 8 series consisted of eight-coupled, superheated freight locomotives operated by the Prussian state railways. This class included two main versions: the original G 8 produced from 1902 featuring a maximum axle load of 14 tonnes, and the later "reinforced G 8" (verstärkte G 8), introduced in 1913 and subsequently reclassified as the Prussian G 8.1, which supported a heavier axle load of approximately 17 tonnes. Notably, the latter variant became the most widely produced locomotive among German state railways (Länderbahn), with over 5,000 units constructed.
History
Between 1902 and 1913, a total of 1,054 units of the Prussian G 8 were manufactured by several firms. As Prussia's initial superheated freight locomotive, it encountered numerous early operational difficulties. Additionally, the strict limitation to a maximum axle load of around 14 tonnes necessitated lightweight construction of various components to meet this constraint. Throughout its production run, the design underwent continual enhancements: cylinder diameters were increased from approximately 575 to 600 mm (22.64 to 23.62 in), while improvements were also made to the grate area as well as both evaporative and superheater surface areas.
Experimental modifications included fitting seven locomotives with Stumpf parallel flow cylinders (Gleichstrom-Zylindern) and equipping ten others with Lenz valve gear. However, neither alteration yielded performance improvements over the standard configuration.
The aftermath of the First World War saw the transfer of 336 locomotives as reparations to former adversaries and an additional eighteen units allocated to the Saar Railway.[1] By 1925, the Deutsche Reichsbahn incorporated 656 of these engines into its fleet under the designation Class 55.16-22, assigning them numbers from 55 1601 through to 55 2256 according to their steam locomotive renumbering system.[1] An extra twelve locomotives from the Saarbahn joined in 1935 with numbers ranging from 55 2257 to 55 2268.Template:Sfnb During Second World War, several additional units acquired from Poland received numbers previously assigned to withdrawn engines between 55 1604 and 55 1710.
Following WWII, the Deutsche Bundesbahn retained a fleet of approximately 205 locomotives while the Deutsche Reichsbahn (GDR) operated around fifty units. The last examples were retired in East Germany by 1969; meanwhile, Western Germany’s Bundesbahn had withdrawn them by around 1955.
In Austria, three locomotives—numbers 55 1681, 1881, and 2180—remained after WWII. Of these, No. 55 1881 was returned to the DB in 1950, while the other two formed part of the ÖBB Class 755 roster under their original serial numbers. The unit numbered 755.2180 was retired in 1954 and No. 755.1681 continued service until 1957.
The locomotive No. 4981 Mainz (depicted in the infobox image) is preserved in operational condition. Constructed in 1913[2] by Hanomag as No. 6721 and initially designated 4981 Münster within the Prussian state railways, it was dispatched in 1916 alongside twenty-four similar engines to assist with building the Baghdad Railway (Bagdadbahn)[3] in what is now Turkey, where it was assigned Turkish Railways number 44 079.[4] In 1987 German railway enthusiasts purchased this still-functioning locomotive and transported it through Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, and Austria back to Germany for restoration at the Darmstadt-Kranichstein Railway Museum. The journey cost approximately DM 47,000—of which DM 36,531 was charged by Deutsche Bahn for transit within Germany—and has been documented in a published volume.[5]Template:Page needed
Of the twenty-two locomotives allocated to Italy as war reparations—classified by Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane as FS Class 422—two are extant today under custody of the Museo Ferroviario Piemontese. One is exhibited at Savigliano,[6] while its counterpart is preserved at a nearby railway station.[7]
These locomotives were paired with Prussian tenders classified as pr 3 T 12, pr 3 T 16.5, and pr 2'2' T 16.
See also
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedbaureihen192 - ↑ "Stefan's Eisenbahnseite". S-erben.de. Retrieved 29 December 2008.
- ↑ Horst Hansel. "G8 4981 Mainz vom Eisenbahnmuseum Darmstadt-Kranichstein". Weiltalbahn.de. Retrieved 29 December 2008.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|access-date=(help); no-break space character in|access-date=at position 12 (help); no-break space character in|title=at position 3 (help) - ↑ "The Turkish G 8". Retrieved 29 December 2008.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|access-date=(help); no-break space character in|access-date=at position 12 (help); no-break space character in|title=at position 14 (help) - ↑ Breitmeier, Uwe (1997). Rückkehr aus dem Morgenland: die abenteuerliche Reise einer preußischen Dampflok. Stuttgart: Transpress Verlag.
- ↑ "Locomotiva 422.009 "Lucia"".
{{cite web}}: no-break space character in|title=at position 11 (help) - ↑ "Locomotiva 422.022".
{{cite web}}: no-break space character in|title=at position 11 (help)
References
Further reading
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