DRB Class 41

The Class 41 locomotives were steam locomotives freight unit of Deutsche Reichsbahn.

History

Looking for a new, fast freight locomotive the German State Railroad Company (DRG) favored in 1934 by the Berliner Maschinenbau AG ( BMAG, formerly Louis Schwartzkopff ) Proposal submitted a 1'D1' - h2 locomotive ( " Mikado "). The largely developed by Friedrich Wilhelm Eckhardt design deviated from the original demand of the DRG after a 1'D machine from. On a 1'D1' chassis the required performance parameters at 18 t axle mass were better accommodate than a 1'D machine. An adherence to the prescribed wheel arrangement would ultimately means no real advantage over meant to replace Prussian freight locomotives. The Reichsbahn Central Bureau of Engineering ( SVM) adopted the proposal of the BMAG to finally and asked the company, durchzukonstruieren the draft submitted and to manufacture two models.

In January 1937, the DR was the prototype locomotives 41 001 and 41 002 emergency was an intense testing and finally acceptance. Already the two prototypes impressed by their performance, smoothness and exceptional acceleration.

In the development of the BR 41 and the principle of unity locomotives showed the financial benefits of standardization. Thus, the construction cost of the machine were through the use of modules of the same time series developed 03, 06 and 45 below 10,000 Reichsmarks.

The February 1937 as a German state Reichsbahn (DR ) converted German State Railroad Company issued in October 1938, the first series of Class 41 locomotives in order. At the production of the locomotive all the renowned German locomotive manufacturers such BMAG, Borsig, Maschinenfabrik Esslingen, Henschel & Sohn, Arnold Jung Locomotive Factory, Krauss -Maffei, Krupp, Orenstein & Koppel and Schichau were involved.

Notwithstanding the type locomotives has been dropped with the regular production on the angle valve and pressure equalizer for a better idle pressure compensation piston valve of the type Nicolai (later " Karl Schultz- shifter " ) was used. When controlling a normal hanging iron control replaced the more expensive to manufacture Kuhnian loop of the model.

Similar to the series 03, 45 and 50 after a short time prepared consisting of not adequately resistant to aging as a boiler building material steel grade St 47 K -crafted 20 -bar boiler already significant problems with cracking. Interestingly, the damage in this series were, however, according to statistics from the DR from August 31, 1941 according to the manufacturer differently to. It showed, for example, 78 % of the manufactured by Krauss -Maffei machine damage, while the slightly larger building lots of Orenstein & Koppel and BMAG no. The DR decreed due to the formation of cracks and Kesselzerknalle (eg 50 185 ) already at 21 August 1941, the reduction in the permissible operating pressure of all of St 47 K manufactured boiler at 16 bar. This allowed the wear of the boiler are first slowed down. At the same time one began with the procurement of spare boilers from the material St 34 To enable a boiler pressure of 20 bar due to the other strength properties, the boiler plate thickness was increased from 20 to 22 mm. Despite the design to 20 bar but were also the replacement boiler to be appointed to in 1943 ceased in terms of new welding processes in the repair again, removed only for a pressure of 16 bar.

The axle load of the locomotive was by changing of bolt t in the equalizer levers between 18 and 20 t be changed. The locomotive should thus be freizügigiger used. However, that possibility hardly been utilized. The German Federal Railways and the German Reichsbahn in the GDR later left the bolts to 18 t set.

The locomotives were coupled with the exception of the vehicle equipped with the Tender 2'2'T32 type locomotives with tenders of type 2'2'T34. But are also known machines that were on the road because of the use of 20m - turntables with tenders of Baurart 2'2T30.

Due to the war stagnated the decrease in fast freight locomotives increasingly until the contracts already awarded were completely canceled in January 1941. On June 2, 1941 by MF Esslingen 41 352, the last locomotive of this series delivered to the DR. Thus 366 units of this locomotive series were produced over a period of almost four years.

A modern special feature is a speed increase when reversing ( Tender advance) some of operable museum locomotives using adequate technical upgrade and a resulting extended operating license by the Federal Railway Authority dar. This was necessary because suitable turning facilities ( hubs or track triangles) in modern web by decommissioning the facilities are lacking. Equipped with special approval and technical upgrade, these locomotives can carry now with up to 80 km / h in reverse passenger trains.

Whereabouts

After the Second World War remained 216 units at the German Federal Railways and 122 at Deutsche Reichsbahn. Proven also are 22 locomotives from the holdings of the former Reichsbahn Breslau remained in Poland and been led to Ot 1-19 later in the Polish State Railways (PKP ) as Ot 1-1. 41 153 was listed in 1945 at the Czechoslovak State Railways ( ČSD ). In the Soviet State Railways ( SZD ) remained 41 034 and other locomotives ( 41 076, 41 082 and 41 312) from Lokkolonnen ( reparations ), which were later given to the PKP. The fate of other locomotives is not known.

The use of the two model locomotives in depot Schneidemühl Pbf (now Pila ) in front of fast-moving cattle trains to Berlin brought these machines to quite inappropriate nicknames Ochsenlok.

Conversion of DB

Since the tanks of the vehicles suffered increasing fatigue, began in the 1950s to repair this. Between 1957 and 1961, 107 vehicles were equipped with fully welded combustion chamber boilers, as they were also incorporated in the class 03.10. The new boiler produced at rated load 13.32 tons of steam per hour, the origin boiler, however, only 11.58 t. Moreover, the front portion of the frame and the current were changed. 40 copies were also converted to oil firing (fuel heavy oil). As it appeared in measuring trips that harmful steam temperatures up to 480 ° C were achieved with the oil burning in view of the heat resistance of the hot steam oils used for lubrication of steam cylinders of around 420 ° C, the vapor collection box was equipped with a spray of hot water. This to-use device drivers from allowing it to cut through sprayed into the hot steam water steam temperatures to a tolerable level.

The series 41 oil-fired told you to Bahnbetriebswerke Osnabrück Hbf and Kirchweyhe. They sat in freight, express, passenger and express train services mainly on the axis Hamburg- Ruhr area. 1968 all came to the depot Rheine and were led from now on as class 042. The remaining locomotives with coal were designated in 1968 as the BR 041, but resigned to 1971 out of the plant ingredients.

They pulled the heavy freight and ore trains the Emsland line up to their electrification. Thus, they were among the last schedule used steam locomotives of the DB. The last steam locomotive class 042, the 042 113, was retired in the fall of 1977 in the depot Rheine.

The former DB locomotives 41 105 and 41 241 are remained as representatives of their series with the Stoom Stichting Nederland received in the Netherlands. In Augsburg Railway Park the operable steam locomotive 41 018 -Gesellschaft München is stationed. 41 096 is held by the same steam community in small warning voice in the state of the time of delivery with new boiler operational. In the Technik Museum Sinsheim 41 113 is issued. The Osnabrück Dampflokfreunde receive 41 052, which was for a long time as a technical monument in Osnabrück- Schinkel. The 042 271 belonged to the Rendsburg railway enthusiasts. The 41 360 is operated by the steam locomotive tradition Oberhausen.

Series 41 of the Deutsche Reichsbahn and Rekolok DR

The German Reichsbahn had difficulties with the boilers from St 47 K. The reduction of the boiler pressure from 20 to 16 bar had to slow down the damage susceptibility indeed, but can not stop. Of the 1955 fleet of the DR recorded 112 locomotives were only 12 machines already with a St 34 replacement boiler "Type 1943" equipped and therefore 'safe'. The problems with the St 47 K- boilers but took too massive. Repair welds did not lead to the desired success, but embrittled the material even more, and the risk of cracking and boiler explosion was greater than ever.

In addition to the Series 41 and the Series 03, 3:10 and 50 partially with boilers of non -aging St 47 K were defective prone. Because of increasing difficulty had the DR 1956 to take 300 locomotives, which suddenly led to an enormous shortage of locomotives. The sudden need for action in now finally led to the development and subsequent appointment of a new boiler (later known as " 39E" ), which was used with slight modifications for the series 03, 3:10 and 39.

Because the delivery of the ordered new boiler delayed again until January 1959 or 21 Class 41 locomotives were equipped with replica boilers that were manufactured according to the old drawing sets. Also the Raw Meiningen provided a full replica of the boiler for 41 075 ago. More harmful prone boiler were completely repaired and replaced in large parts.

Despite this, the engineers worked the DR on a "reconstruction program for the recovery of the steam locomotive fleet ." This called for the revitalization of 102 Class 41 locomotives. Due to jurisdictional disputes, disagreements over questions of detail of the reconstruction program and still missing Rekokessel the start of work was delayed again and again. Only the to bursting of St 47 K- boiler of 03 1046 (1958 ) in Wunsdorf now led to pressure the then Transport Minister Erwin Kramer ( 1902-1979 ) to the actual start of the Rekoprogramms.

Now, should get the new Rekokessel the type 39E 1959 80 Class 41 locomotives in the railroad repair shops ( Raw) Zwickau and Karl- Marx-Stadt. During the reconstruction also Mischvorwärmeranlagen the type IfS / DR, pressure compensating spool Trofimoff and new Aschkästen the type Stühren were installed. The wider rear boiler required new cab front walls, the front windows were fitted with transparent devices. For larger and heavier composite mixing pump VMP 15-20 a new bellhousing had to be designed and built. This and the new conditional Mischvorwärmeranlage a modified arrangement of the main air tank. The originally designed for 20 bar boiler pressure cylinder with only 520 mm in diameter were retained. As part of the work, the brake system of the front wheel set fell away.

The Rekokessel Type 39E is used as the DB - new boiler, a combustion chamber boiler, but has a result of major rust and heating surface with a favorable ratio of radiant tube heating to 15 t / h over a considerably higher steam capacity. Equipped with this boiler exceeded the machines despite the small cylinder even the performance parameters, which they had originally with 20 -bar boilers.

The converted machine shall be deemed Reko locomotives. Unlike other series, the BR 41 received in the reconstruction without sub- series designation to distinguish reconstructed from unreconstructed machines. The DR ordered all the locomotives of the BR 41 a 1 in the thousands place in the computerization numbers covering the grate, so that eg was out of the 41 122 41 1122-5.

Reko locomotives series 41 could be observed until 1988 in the scheduled train service. The oil crisis in 1979 /80 and its impact on the economy of the GDR also brought a number of machines of the series 41 a brief return to the operation service. Even some intended for cutting locomotives were refurbished and given a new main study. Overall, the Raw Meiningen worked between 1980 and 1983 23 locomotives of this series at once. But at the end of September 1984 ended the Bw Oebisfelde the 41er - use and gave its locomotives Bw Güsten from. During the next work site Göschwitz of rail operations work Saalfeld the 41 series sent to the siding in November 1986, only difference in early May 1988 41 1231-4 point of use Staßfurt ( Bw Güsten ) the last 41 of the Schedule service of DR

The BR 41 was the most versatile steam locomotive in the motive power of the Deutsche Reichsbahn and promoted alongside freight and passenger trains, but also high-quality high-speed and passenger trains.

Tradition locomotive of the Deutsche Reichsbahn was the 41 1185-2 (now DB Museum ).

Specimens received

Currently, with

• 41 1144-9 (IGE " Werrabahn Eisenach " eV ( Eisenach ) )
• 41 1150-6 (Bavarian Railway Museum ( Nördlingen ) )

Two copies of the freight train steam locomotive operational. A further eight Reko locomotives are available in different states (Collection)