0-8-0 Steam Locomotives in Germany

Class VIII a (Locobase 5790)

Data from Christian Lindecke [] (visited 12 December 2003).

On the face of it, this design would seem to have answered the needs of the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) line for a powerful freight engine to succeed its 6-coupled engines. But when they first went into service, these loks bound badly on the curves because the wheelbase was 42.4 cm (16.7") longer than desired. The solution was to allow 1/2" (12.5 mm) lateral play in the first and last axles.

Class VIII b (Locobase 5791)

Data from Christian Lindecke [] (visited 12 December 2003); supplemented by "Barry Ry ," The Locomotive Magazine, Volume XXIX [29] , No 366 (15 February 1923), p. 39; and No 368 (14 April 1923), p.108. Works numbers were 3366, 3393, 3395-3399, 3438-3440

When a Swedish-Norwegian railway went bankrupt, Sharp, Stewart found three customers for its 20 locomotives. Six engines went to the Pfalzbahn, four to the Barry Railway in Wales, ten dampflokotiven order joined the Bad.St.B.

Compared to many of the eight-coupleds then in service these were relatively small locomotives and of very English design and appearance. But, wrote Lindecke, the relatively low grate area-to-heating surface area ratio meant that these delivered more power than the Hanomag VII A of the same period.

After World War I, three of the class were given to French railways as reparations and the others retired before the DRG was formed in 1923.