Deutsche Reichsbahn 2-6-2 Locomotives in Germany

Class BR 23.01 (Locobase 4315)

Data from US Military Railway Service Equipment Data Book -- German Locomotives supplied from the extensive collection of Allen Stanley (March 2004). Schichau works numbers were 3443-3444 in 1941.

Seeking to replace the Prussian P8s that were a mainstay of passenger locomotives, BMAG designed a 2-6-2 that used the boiler of the BR 50 2-10-0 locomotive. The prototypes underwent trials just before locomotive development was cut off by the surprising (to the Third Reich) durability of their enemies. Thus, of the planned stud of 800, only two went into service.

When the wheel arrangement was revived after the defeat, it was scaled down by both the Deutches BundesBahn (Locobase 2459) and the East German Deutsche Reichsbahn (Locobase 1701).

Class BR 23.10-DR (Locobase 1701)

Data from Albert Gieseler, "Lokomotiven der Baureihe 23.10" on his Dampfmaschinen und Lokomotiven website at [], last accessed 5 October 2022.; and "DR-BR 23" in Wikipedia at [], last accessed 5 October 2022. Works numbers were 123001-123002 in 1955, 123003-123052 in 1958, and 123053-123113 in 1959.

East German "Neubaulok" (new standard design for post-war reconstruction whose production began six years later than those of the West German locomotives shown in Locobase 2459. Based on the early 40s BR 23 design (Locobase 4315), they actually retained very little of the original details. Like the West German version, LKM updated the riveted boiler of the original design with a welded vessel on a welded bar frame, and feed water heaters.

A principal difference between the two railways' designs lay in the size and number of tubes and flues in the boiler. DR-23.10 boilers held more small tubes and fewer flues, each of which measured 200 mm (7.87" longer. Their diameters were consistent with traditional Schmidt Type A superheaters.

Both DR and DB railways found the original multi-valve regulator that used superheated steam problematic and used Schmidt-Wagner saturated-steam regulators instead. Running gear arrangement included a relatively common Krauss-Helmholtz front that combined the pilot axle and the lead driving axle. The truck traversed 115 mm (4.4") to each side while the lead drivers had 10 mm play.

They performed well, hauling 365 ton trains on level track at 110 kph (68 mph) and climbing a 1% grade at 40 kph (25 mph) pulling 565 tons or 60 kph (32 mph) pulling 335 tons.

Like the West German engines, these handy steam locomotives served less than two decades in most cases as the DR converted to diesel and electric locomotion. After a general withdrawal ended in 1978-1979, the last of the class--35-1113 --returned in 1981 to offset oil-price demands and operated in passenger service until 1985. Six were preserved.

NB: German specifications show the internal (fire side) diameter for the tubes but the tube diameters themselves measured from the external (water side) diameter. Internal dimension yielded 141.68 sq m (1,525 sq ft) and a total including firebox of 159.6 sq m. Locobase uses the external diameter to allow more consistent comparisons with Anglo-North American builders' preference.

Class BR 64 (Locobase 4314)

Data from [] (June 2002). See also Alfred Gieseler, "Baureihe 64" at [], last accessed 6 June 2017 and Tomasz Galka, "OK12", Standard Gauge Locomotives in Poland, at [], last accessed 6 June 2017.

One of the series of Einheitsloks (standard designs) built between the World Wars. This is essentially a tank engine variant of the BauReihei 24 Moguls and was fitted with Krauss-Helmholz axles.

[] (23 July 2004) comments that economic exigencies led to production being shared among many builders over the twelve-year span: "Thus, class 64 was built by AEG (6), Borsig (13), Esslingen (45), Hagans (14), Hanomag (21), Henschel (31), Humboldt (21), Jung (99), Krauss-Maffei (66), Krupp (65), Linke-Hofmann (13), Orenstein & Koppel (51), Union-Giesserei (40), Schichau (12) and Vulcan (23). Tomasz Galka noted: "Orders for further forty machines from Jung and fifty from Orenstein & Koppel were cancelled."

After World War II, 38 operated on Polish railways as the Ok12 class. "Just like in pre-war Germany," says the English description on the Polish site, "they turned out to be quite versatile, serving mainly with suburban and local passenger trains."