German Reichsbahn class 71⁰

Under the class 71, the Reichsbahn combined a number of tank locomotives of the Länderbahnen with the wheel arrangement 2-4-2T for light and fast passenger trains. To replace these locomotives, the 71⁰ was newly developed as a standard locomotive in the 1930s. Instead of series production, however, there were a total of six pre-production models from Schwarzkopff, Borsig and Krupp.

The most striking feature was the symmetrical chassis, what allowed running at top speed in both directions and had a long wheelbase between the two driven axles. Since it was partly planned to replace railcars with this locomotive, it was designed for one-person operation. In return, it received a stoker for automatic firing, what eliminated the need for a fireman. As with other standard locomotives, a boiler pressure of 20 bars was initially used, but this was later reduced to 16 bars due to fatigue in the steel alloy St 47 K.

All six locomotives survived the war and then came to the Bundesbahn. However, it was a small class by number which, despite the standard design, was difficult to maintain and could not be dispatched on a large scale. So they were retired in 1956 and none are left today.