Prussian G 8.1

Prussian G 8.1

Company type	Steam locomotive class
Industry	Rail transport
Founded	1913
Founder	Robert Garbe
Fate	Retired by 1972
Area served	Germany, Alsace-Lorraine, Mecklenburg, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Belgium, France, Lithuania
Products	Steam locomotives

The Prussian G 8.1 was a steam locomotive class utilized by the Prussian state railways. Developed as a more robust and heavier successor to the Prussian G 8, it was originally known under the designation Verstärkte Normalbauart or 'strengthened standard design'.

History

Conceived by Robert Garbe, these locomotives were manufactured from 1913 through to 1921 and became the largest series of locomotives employed by German state railways. Featuring a boiler larger than that of the G 8, the design emphasized increased weight to enhance traction and enable hauling of extremely heavy trains without the need for sanding. Due to their substantial axle load, deployment was limited to mainline routes. Besides their primary role in freight transport, they were later assigned to heavy Bank engine#Pusher duties as well.

Production numbers included approximately 4,958 units built for the Prussian state railways and subsequently the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft. The Imperial Railways in Alsace-Lorraine received 137 units (refer to Alsace-Lorraine G 8.1), while the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg Friedrich-Franz Railway acquired ten locomotives. During World War I, fifty were allocated to German military rail operations; six to ten served at the Gewerkschaft Deutscher Kaiser coal mine in Duisburg; and a total of 185 were exported to countries including Poland, Romania, and Sweden. In particular, Linke-Hoffman supplied twenty engines to the Swedish State Railways (SJ) in 1918 as Class G.

When the Reichsbahn assumed control in 1925, it incorporated 3,121 Prussian locomotives into its roster as Class 55.25–56, numbered from 55 2501 to 5622 (excluding number 55 3367). The twelve Mecklenburg units—two having been procured by Prussia in 1920—were classified as Class 55.58 with numbers ranging from 55 5801–5810 and from 55 5851–5852. Included among these were also ten G 8.1 engines originating from Alsace-Lorraine. In addition, in 1935 forty-three locomotives from the Saarland region were integrated into the Reichsbahn fleet under numbers from 55 5623 to 5665; many of these also had origins in Alsace-Lorraine. During World War II, numerous locomotives captured or acquired from Poland and Lithuania were assigned to Class 55 as well. Units taken over from Belgium received fleet numbers between 55 5666 and 5699. Following the war's conclusion, the East German DR added one more locomotive from Poland (numbered as 55 5898) and several others from Belgium and France numbered between 55 7251–7260 and number 55 8170.

Between the years of 1934 and 1941, a total of six hundred ninety-one G 8.1 locomotives underwent modification with the addition of a leading axle to permit higher maximum speeds and lower average axle loads; these modified units were reclassified as DRG Class 56.2–8.

More than one thousand examples remained operational after World War II ended. By the year 1968, the East German Deutsche Reichsbahn still operated around one hundred fifty units while the West German Deutsche Bundesbahn maintained approximately fifty; these West German locomotives were reclassified as Class 055 starting in that year. The final G 8.1 locomotive on Deutsche Bundesbahn's roster—numbered 055 538–3—was retired on December 21, 1972.

These engines were typically paired with Prussian tenders types: 3 T 16,5, 3 T 20, and 2'2' T 21,5.

Preservation efforts have saved locomotive number '55 3345' (formerly Cassel 5159), which was constructed by Henschel in 1915 and is currently exhibited at the Bochum Dahlhausen Railway Museum.

See also

• Prussian state railways
• List of Prussian locomotives and railcars

References

• Diehl, Ulf; Fjeld, Ulf; Nilsson, Lennart (1973). Normalspåriga ånglok vid Statens Järnvägar. Stockholm: Svenska Järnvägsklubben. ISBN 91-85098-13-2.
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Further reading

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