Bavarian S 2/6
The steam locomotive S 2/6 of the Royal Bavarian State Railways was constructed in 1906 as a single piece specifically for high-speed tests and put into service with number 3201. The Bavarian railways had been inspired to purchase through the two years before made quick test drives of the Prussian State Railways. Factory was the locomotive factory Maffei in Munich, chief designer Anton Hammel.
Construction
The design of the S 2/6 was seen in contrast to the previous Prussian Versuchslok genus S 9 despite correspondences regarding wheel arrangement ( 2'B2 ') and driving wheel diameter ( 2.200 mm) and in Bavaria until then once applied steam engine of untried innovations or. experiments from. With the use of the proven four-cylinder compound engine of the type of Borries, the smoke tube superheater according to Schmidt and the bars frame the machine nevertheless represented the state of the art at the time of the building. Models in the design of the vehicle were a few years earlier, also designed by Hammel Badische II d and with regard to the engine, the Palatine P 4, which one took over unchanged from that apart from the cylinder diameters. The locomotive was designed and built in the relatively short time of about four months; the order went in Maffei one in December 1905, the delivery was already on 3 May 1906.
The S 2/6 applies under railway enthusiasts as one of the most beautiful locomotives ever. Reasons for this assessment include the balanced proportions and the clear acting because of the bars frame drive. This frame design originated from the U.S., it was first used in Germany in Bavaria.
Despite the lack of streamlining of the locomotive, there are components of what you hoped for a reduction in air resistance. Before the cylinders there is an arched panel, the smoke chamber door is cone-shaped. Chimney and steam dome are provided with cutting wind. The cab is also streamlined shaped and goes seamlessly into the lining of the vessel. The shape of the cab of the S 2/ 6 differs from the modern in the early 20th century, wedge-shaped " wind cutting cabs "; it was applied in Germany only a second time, namely at the Württemberg C.
The grate area of S 2/6 is not only significantly larger than those of the Prussian S 9, but even greater than that of most subsequent unit locomotives with 4.71 m². Only the Baden IV h and the DR series 45 had in Germany even larger grids, the grid of the DR- 05 series was about the same size. The large grate area was also due to the poorer compared to Prussia quality of available locomotive coal in Bavaria.
The superheater of the exposed to a boiler middle of 2950 mm above rail level to the frame boiler is designed to be comparatively small. Since it was one of the first Bavarian steam locomotives in the S 2/6, wanted to take any risks.
Speed record and performance
The test drives were partially held between Munich and Nuremberg, partly between Munich and Augsburg. On 2 July 1907, the S 2/6 reached on the latter track with a train of four express train passenger cars (150 t) a speed of 154.5 km / h, which not only meant the German record for steam locomotives, but in the art world for caused a stir. Engineer of record run was the chief locomotive engineer Johann Zuschanko from Augsburg. It was not until 29 years later, in 1936, this record was surpassed by Germany in the 05 002.
From the circumstances of the record run you close to a power induced by some 2,200 PSI.
The locomotive was a train of 360 t towable mass in the plane at 120 km / h and on a slope of five parts per thousand or with 85 km / h transport. However, the start- prepared with such a heavy train due to the low friction vehicle weight of 32 t trouble.
Operational use
The S 2/6 was the first depot Munich assigned to I, where one was not very happy with her. The problem was that the locomotive had to be used as a single piece in diagrams along with other locomotives, but there was no comparable locomotive. Thus, the S 2/6 was indeed more powerful than the Pacifics of the genus S 3/ 6, but had significantly lower tensile force.
The machine possessed, due to the balanced on an axis acting four-cylinder compound engine and the symmetrical axis sequence with trailing bogie on an exceptionally quiet operation even at high speeds.
Since we had chosen the Six -point support instead of the usual four- point support in Germany of the chassis, the engine, however, responded quite sensitive to unclean laid tracks. Unlike a four- point support had been so connected neither of the two bogies on balance lever with the suspension of the driving axles.
In 1910, the S was 2/6 transferred to the Palatinate network, where they came to Bw Ludwigshafen. There they came with the locomotive, which was affectionately called "Zeppelin", cope better. It was, together with the Bavarian S 2/ 5 and the Palatine P 4 mainly used in express train service between Ludwigshafen and Strasbourg. The locomotive was also common in the Palatinate brown -violet paint.
In 1922, the S reached 2/6 back to Bavaria and was first in Munich, then stationed in 1923 in Augsburg.
Decommissioning
The German Reichsbahn had the S 2/6 filed in definitive renumbering of 1925 in the 15 series. To an exchange of license plates but it is no longer come; the locomotive was worked up in the same year from Maffei and again provided with its original green paint. Then, it transferred it to its present location, the Nuremberg Transport Museum.