For the cost-effective use of passenger trains on routes with low passenger volumes, the Royal Bavarian State Railways developed a locomotive that reached sufficient speed in both directions and could be operated by one man. The solution was a tank locomotive with a 2-4-2T wheel arrangement, which had a tipping device for loading the firebox with coal.

Second variant (No. 5011 to 5012)

Die Lokomotive, October 1908

Thanks to superheated steam, it achieved adequate power and the coupling wheel diameter of 1,546 mm ensured a good compromise between tractive power and speed. There was a gangway from the driver's cab to the train and the front platform could also be reached via running boards with railings. The water tanks were designed to be narrower than the locomotive so as not to block the way.

Schematical drawing of the first version

Die Lokomotive, September 1906

A special feature of the chassis was that the first coupled axle was in a Krauss-Helmholtz bogie together with the leading axle, although there were only two coupled axles. This resulted in a fixed wheelbase of zero with very good curve guidance at the same time. The top speed was initially set at 75 km/h and later increased to 80 km/h. According to reports, however, they regularly ran in both directions at up to 90 km/h.

Twelve pieces were made, some of which differed from one another in several aspects. The Reichsbahn took over all of these and classified them as class 71². Some examples survived the Second World War and were used until 1948.

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 redeveloped 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, which 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-man operation. In return, it received a stoker for automatic grate loading, which made the heater superfluous. 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 planned into operation on a large scale. So they were retired in 1956 and none are left today.

The numbers 1 to 3 of the Lübeck-Büchen Railway were tank locomotives that were specially developed for the double-deck streamlined push-pull train. These trains were purchased to increase the comfort and capacity of light express trains and were the first trains in Germany to be either pulled or pushed without relocating the locomotive at the end of the route.

The locomotives were small and light compared to others used for express trains and, in contrast to the machines with a tender, had the symmetrical wheel arrangement 2-4-2T in order to be able to run at 120 km/h in both directions without restrictions. Smooth running was improved by the fact that both running axles were suspended in Bissel frames with a centering device.

The special thing about the trains was the push-pull control, with which the locomotive could be controlled from the control car. Due to the complex operation of a steam locomotive, however, it was only possible to move the regulator remotely using a servo motor, while the fireman had to operate the valve gear and other things.

Sectional drawing

Die Lokomotive, June 1938

Modern achievements were also used for the rest of the train, for example two car bodies rested in the middle on a common Jakobs bogie. The interior consisted only of second and third class, but unlike the other trains of the period, all the seats were upholstered.

In 1936 two locomotives and their carriages were completed, but because these new trains attracted visitors from all over the world when the line opened, another set was ordered the following year. This was followed by successful operation between Hamburg and Lübeck, which was converted to conventional trains in 1938 after the line was taken over by the Reichsbahn. The locomotives were now numbered class 60 and used in other roles.

In contrast to the wagons, the two locomotives that remained after the war came to the eastern part of Germany. They were used at different locations and were retired in 1954 and 1958 respectively.

Under the designation T 5, the Prussian State Railways combined tank locomotives for passenger transport, some of which differed significantly from one another, and which had been procured between 1880 and 1905. The wheel arrangements 2-4-2 with fixed and movable carrying axles, 4-4-0, 0-6-0 and 2-6-0 were used. The most numerous sub-variants were the T 5¹ and T 5², the former of which was built from 1895 for the suburban railways of Berlin.

In order to achieve an increase in performance compared to the older machines used there, another carrying axle was added. To improve the driving characteristics in the sometimes narrow curves, the wheelbase of the two coupled axles was made relatively short and the two running axles were designed as Adams axles, which could be moved sideways and radially.

By 1905, Henschel had manufactured 309 engines for Prussia, and between 1907 and 1921, 20 more almost identical but slightly lighter Hanomag units came to Oldenburg. After the advent of more powerful engines, the T 5¹ were withdrawn from the Berlin suburban railways and distributed to branch lines in various parts of Prussian territory. Despite the good running qualities in curves, the running smoothness at higher speeds was not sufficient for efficient use on main lines.

The Oldenburg T 5¹ number 280 “Nadorst” became 71 420 in the Reichsbahn

collection Oliver Westerhoff / www.laenderbahn.info

As with other locomotives from this period, the already reduced number of T 5¹ fell sharply between the conception of the Reichsbahn's renumbering plan and the actual renumbering. In 1923, for example, 115 engines were assigned a number in the 71^0-1 range, but in 1925 only 26 units were renumbered. Five years later the last ones were gone.

Between 1884 and 1886, Worsdell had 40 tank locomotives built for the Great Eastern Railway for passenger service, which were called class M15. This first batch got Joy valve gear and due to their high consumption, they got the nickname “Gobblers”. Holden made 120 more between 1903 and 1909, which received Stephenson valve gear for lower fuel consumption. Many were fitted with a condensing gear for London traffic.

Locomotive Magazine, February 1913

Between 1911 and 1920, 32 of the original batch were rebuilt to class M15R by adding a new boiler with a higher pressure and by installing Stephenson valve gear. At the LNER, the unrebuilt locomotives became the class F4 and the rebuilt ones became the F5. The first locomotives had already been withdrawn from 1913, but some F4s remained in service until 1956. In 1949, seven F5 were equipped with push-pull apparatus. The F5 was only withdrawn between 1955 and 1958.

The type IV T designates tank locomotives with a 2-4-2T wheel arrangement for fast local transport, which were built by the Saxon machine factory Hartmann based on the Prussian T 5¹. Despite some serious problems with the running characteristics, 91 engines were built. Production began in 1897, when the locomotives were still designated as class VIII bb T according to the old scheme and bore the names of small Saxon towns. It was not until 1900 that they received the designation IV T and the numbers 1701 to 1791.

What was special about the chassis was that the two coupled wheel sets with an wheelbase of only 2,000 mm were very close together and the carrying wheels were 2,400 mm apart in front of and behind. Since the latter were designed as Adams axles and could therefore move independently, they ran unsteadily at high speeds and sometimes even derailed. Otherwise, the locomotives were conventionally designed with a two-cylinder saturated steam engine and drive on the second coupled axle. The plate frame also served as a water tank and was later expanded with additional tanks next to the boiler. The plate thickness of the frame was initially 12mm, but was later increased to 20mm while recesses for weight compensation were refilled.

In addition to the counterbalanced brake, the Westinghouse air brake was also used for braking from the first series. From a later series, the supplies were increased and the same conversions were made to the other locomotives. The water supply increased from 5.6 to 7.5 m³, and the coal supply was increased from 1.6 to 2 tonnes of coal.

From 1925, 85 units were in service with the Reichsbahn, which were designated as class 71³ and thus given the numbers from 71 301 to 71 385. In the period that followed, the numbers shrank quickly, so that the East German Reichsbahn only received ten locomotives that were used until 1955. Two were used in Czechoslovakia, which had come there during the war.

Instead of purchasing another series of the now obsolete "Metro Tanks", William Dean had a 2-4-2T tank locomotive built in 1900 with the number 11. With a driving wheel diameter of 5 ft 2 in (1,575 mm), it was ideal for fast suburban traffic. There were also water scoops in both directions to replenish water supplies.

In 1902 and 1903, 20 and ten more of the now known as class 3600 locomotives were built. About half each were deployed in the London area and the Birmingham area. Although they could be used in a variety of tasks and performed these tasks well, it was recognized that there were already suitable locomotives for all of their tasks. Their withdrawals took place between 1930 and 1934.