Kleinlokomotive
As a small locomotives locomotives of small size and low drive power for light shunting duties are referred to in stations and industrial railways. The drive is usually a diesel engine, but also partly steam engine, gasoline engine or electric motor.
The Deutsche Reichsbahn procured by testing various experimental locomotives starting in 1933 over 1000 small locomotives of different power unifier design.
In Switzerland, small locomotives are called tractors.
History
Background of the development of small locomotives were the low average speeds in rail freight and the emerging during the first third of the twentieth century competition to the railroad by trucks on the road. To date, the motive power of the Nahgüterzuges ranked the freight cars on the intermediate stations and the respective sidings. This residence times of Nahgüterzüge on the intermediate stations were considerably extended and greatly affects the average speed. The stationing separate switcher ( steam engine), on these stations came not from Rentabiltätsgründen into consideration. The development of small locomotive with internal combustion or electric motor here created new opportunities: the small locomotives were smaller, lower cost of maintenance as well as easier to use by only one man. By eliminating the shunting of the train locomotive, the average speed of the Nahgüterzuges could be increased. In addition, the low cab allowed the train driver, fast and labor-saving exit when needed to carry out the coupling processes - without an additional switchyard.
Corresponding experiments with small engine locomotives from 1923 performed at the French Eastern Railway, from 1925 at the Danish State Railway, from 1926 on the Dutch Railways and finally in 1927 at the Deutsche Reichsbahn and were promising.
Therefore, the German Reichsbahn awarded in 1930 first orders for a total of 18 experimental locomotives, four of them with an electric motor, the other with an internal combustion engine, to multiple manufacturers. As a model 1927 supplied by the Berliner Maschinenbau AG to the Dutch State Railways shunting should serve. The vehicles tested differently. For the deliveries of 1931 and 1932, the DRG presented its initial dimensions fixed and different locomotives in two ability groups - locomotives with a motor power up to 40 hp (29 kW) were classified in the performance group I, more locomotives in the performance of group II Experience with these vehicles have led to a standardization of the design, from 1933 vehicles were from the second power group only procured in Einhetsbauform.
Responsible for the design of small locomotives was in the railway Central Office Richard Paul Wagner as head of the department for the design of steam and motor locomotives. Wagner, the predetermined by the Reichsbahn headquarters size of small locomotives did not like it and therefore designated as " crabs ," the development work on largely left its scientific laborers Leopold Niederstrasser.
Typical of the small locomotive, the railroad construction was the deep-seated cab at one end of the locomotive, the bottom was only 560 mm above rail level and is reached by only one stage was with his open, only by a canvas against the weather to be closed sidewalls. The low profile made it possible to load the locomotive on a conventional flat car, thus creating, for example, without hindering the other traffic due to the low speed to the repair shop.
Designation
Designation system of the Deutsche Reichsbahn -Gesellschaft
The name of the first 1930 made small locomotives initially consisted of a V for internal combustion engine or an A for Akkumulatorlokomotive and a consecutive number, starting from 6000.
In order to better take into account the structural differences of small locomotives in the designation, led the German Reichsbahn 1931, a new designation system, with which the term small locomotive was also only set binding. Towing vehicles that were only used in web or repair works were not counted among the small locomotives.
For the marking of small locomotives of ordinary letter K was introduced as a design type designation. This was followed by a book rod for the drive: b stand for petrol engine (benzene ), d for the steam engine and ö for diesel engine (oil) and s for a akkumulatorgespeisten electric motor ( memory). For electrical power transmission an e followed for hydraulic transmission ( transmission fluid ) a f, small locomotives with mechanical transmission are not explicitly indicated. Small locomotives, whose batteries could be charged with a diesel or petrol engine, were called Köe and Kbe.
This letter was followed by a four-digit number, the award of which varied according to the service group. Locomotives of the performance group I received numbers to 3999, locomotive performance group II numbers from 4000. The numbers were consecutive within the service groups.
In 1944, the code letter g was introduced for locomotives with producer gas operation.
Like the other series designation schemes of DR was also retained for the small locomotives on the German Federal Railroad (DB) and Deutsche Reichsbahn ( DR).
In the German Federal Railways, the boundary between the performance groups I and II in 1955 has been increased from 40 hp to 50 hp. 1956 a new performance group III was introduced for small locomotives with an engine power over 150 hp, the car numbers from 10000 to 20000 were given. 1960 Code letter s was changed at the German Federal Railroad in a.
Numbering plan of the German Federal Railroad from 1968
The small locomotives were given in the numbering plan of the German Railways from 1 January 1968, the ratio 3 The second digit identifies the service class ( according to the state of 1955). The third digit differs according to speed and type of brake or actuator type ( chain or shaft drive ). Small locomotives of the genus Ka the new series designation received 381 ( prewar designs ) and 382 (newer types ). The existing narrow gauge small locomotives of Wangerooger Island Railway were on the series 329
In 1987, the diesel locomotives of the DB series 260/261 were ( until 1968 Series V 60 ) were allocated to small locomotives to occupy with shunting staff can, which is not formed for the line service. The series name was accordingly changed to 360/361.
Numbering plan of the Deutsche Reichsbahn in the GDR from 1970
The applicable from July 1, 1970 numbering plan of the Deutsche Reichsbahn summarized the existing small locomotives of the series 100, ie in the normal number space of the combustion locomotives, together. The locomotives of the performance group I were classified in the sub- series 100.0, the locomotives of performance group II in the lower ranges 100.1-100.9. The narrow gauge locomotives were small until 1972, also assigned to the sub- series 100.9, then in the series 199
Newly designed small locomotives of the Deutsche Reichsbahn in the GDR before 1970 were however not the root letters "K", but were designated for example as class V 15 (later 101) and V 30 C ( 103.9 or 199.3 later ). The common numbering plan of 1992 by DR and DB locomotives of series 100 were classified as Class 310, Schmalspurloks if still in the stock of DB as the class 399