Data from [] (accessed 26 May 2005). See also "Villebahn 20 und 21" in Wikipedia at [], last accessed 18 January 2026.
The Villebahn railway supported the Roddergrube mine by running on the 8 km (5 miles) railway between Kalscheuren und Chemiepark. Wikipedia's account (in German, translated by Google) notes the production date and commented: "Apparently, the demands on the transport capacity of the Villebahn were considered so high that such a locomotive could be built in the middle of the war, during the time of the war locomotives."
What the Villebahn received was a large, solid, big-boiler flanked by long tanks and a large grate to burn low-calorie lignite. They rolled on five axles of which the middle three were fixed and the outer axles traversed (+-50 mm leading, and +-30 mm trailing) to negotiate 140 metre curves.
So the pair came to the winding railway, climbed and descended 2.5% grades and traversing 15 level crossings. Coal moved along the line in more than 40 trains a day. A bomb disabled the 21 in 1944, but Henschel repaired it and it operated into late 1950s. At first limited to 15 kph (9.3 mph) at a maximum, later upgrades allowed increases to the design limits of 45 kph (28 mph).
Ultimately the pair had to give way to electric traction and left the roster in 1959.
| Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media | |
|---|---|
| Class | 20 |
| Locobase ID | 6545 |
| Railroad | Anschlussbahn Vereinigte Ville |
| Country | Germany |
| Whyte | 0-10-0T |
| Number in Class | 2 |
| Road Numbers | 20-21/ |
| Gauge | Std |
| Number Built | 2 |
| Builder | Henschel & Sohn |
| Year | 1943 |
| Valve Gear | Heusinger |
| Locomotive Length and Weight | |
| Driver Wheelbase (ft / m) | 20.34 / 6.20 |
| Engine Wheelbase (ft / m) | 20.34 / 6.20 |
| Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase | 1 |
| Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m) | 20.34 / 6.20 |
| Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg) | 45,636 / 20,700 |
| Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg) | 228,178 / 103,500 |
| Engine Weight (lbs / kg) | 228,178 / 103,500 |
| Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg) | |
| Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg) | |
| Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML) | 2640 / 10 |
| Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT) | 5 / 5 |
| Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m) | 76 / 38 |
| Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort | |
| Driver Diameter (in / mm) | 51.20 / 1300 |
| Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa) | 203.10 / 1400 |
| High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm) | 27.56" x 25.98" / 700x660 |
| Tractive Effort (lbs / kg) | 66,536 / 30180.26 |
| Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) | 3.43 |
| Heating Ability | |
| Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm) | |
| Flues (number - dia) (in / mm) | |
| Flue/Tube length (ft / m) | |
| Firebox Area (sq ft / m2) | |
| Grate Area (sq ft / m2) | 40.03 / 3.72 |
| Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 1790 / 166.33 |
| Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2) | |
| Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 1790 / 166.33 |
| Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume | 99.79 |
| Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information) | |
| Robert LeMassena's Power Computation | 8130 |
| Same as above plus superheater percentage | 8130 |
| Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area | |
| Power L1 | |
| Power MT | |