4-2-0 Steam Locomotives in Germany

Class Adler // IX / IIa (Locobase 5781)

Data from Christian Lindecke [] (visited 12 December 2003) and from Alfred Rosling Bennett, "Crampton Locomotives on the Continent", The Railway Magazine (1907), pp.305-310.

The Adler (Eagle) and Falcon were the first two Cramptons in German service. Like all such engines, the big drivers were positioned behind the firebox and the carrying axles distributed under the boiler, which was pear-shaped.

The Falke's 2 sets of carrying wheels measured 48" in diameter, while the Adler had 48" leading wheels and 54" intermediate carrying wheels.

Although originally planned as broad-gauge engines with the stack and smokebox in the middle of the boiler, they were delivered as standard-gauge locomotives with the stack and smokebox at front as usual.

Their success led to 8 more machines see Locobase 6871.

Class Badenia (Locobase 4922)

Illustrated in Nock (RWC I, pl 131), these were rather curious to look at. The valve gear eccentrics were outside the frame as were the springs for all axles. The steam dome sat just ahead of the shallow wind-breaking cab. In front of the dome was the somewhat shorter, cylindrical sand bin, and farther forward was the safety valve stand. At the very front was a tall stack. All of this was green with gold trim on a brick red outside frame.

See home.t-online.de/home/kopka.manfred/dampf.htm for further details. He notes that when the Bad.St.B converted to standard gauge, three of the existing locomotives were rebuilt, to the point of being new engines. They hauled trains between Karlsruhe to and Karlsruhe-Mannheim until they left service (ausgemustert) between 1877 and 1883.

Class IX / IIa (Locobase 3050)

Data from Christian Lindecke [] (visited 12 December 2003). See also Alfred Rosling Bennett, "Crampton Locomotives on the Continent", The Railway Magazine (1907), pp.305-310.

As Tufnell (1986) says about these last Cramptons to be built for a German road: "With ...their huge driving wheels on both sides of the footplate, they must have been most impressive machines to drive." Lindecke notes that these replaced the 1 b singles and took their numbers and names. As of 1868, they were reclassified II A (alt). Most were retired by 1885. Bennett commented that the last of this class was withdrawn in 1899.

Class IX / IIa (Locobase 5782)

Data from Christian Lindecke [] (visited 12 December 2003). It's not clear why the next group of Cramptons would have smaller boilers and grates, although the modest increase in boiler pressure led to a greater tractive effort.

Like the other Big Wheels, these locomotives were out of service by the end of the 1880s.

Class Komet (Locobase 6877)

Data from Titre Rapports du jury mixte internationale publies sous la dir. de S.A.I le Prince Napoleon, presidente de la commission Imperial (Paris, Impremerie Imperiale, 1856) Collation [4]-LXXVI-1574-p. -[2]; Cote CNAM 8th Xae 53 - Mots mateiere Exposition internationale (1885; Paris); Industrie - 19e siecle; Produits industriels - 19e siecle, p. 233, hosted on cnum.cnam.fr/CGI/fpage.cgi?8XAE53/320/100/1664/0/0, accessed 1 September 2005. See also Alfred Rosling Bennett, "Crampton Locomotives on the Continent", The Railway Magazine (1907), pp.305-310.

This is the production version of the Crampton locomotives described in Locobase 5781. Some of the features in the Jury report include a description of the front bogie (avant-train), which had a pivot located 165 mm (6.5") ahead of the center of the bogie. They retained the pear-shaped boilers, although these were an unsuccessful attempt to reduce the center of gravity.

The design was rated at 65 km/h (40 mph), which is quite low for the very tall drivers. Negotiable curve radii ranged between 350 to 260 meters (1,150 to 853 ft). Possibly, the lower speed is related to the failure of the bogie to track well. In any case, Bennett points out, later Baden Cramptons lacked the bogie truck.

In any case, these Cramptons proved stable and capable of pulling a 67-ton train at 65 km/h. As train loads increased, however, the Crampton layout limited the amount of "stretch" that could be undertaken in reply. Therefore, these locomotives -- redesignated II A (alt) in 1868 -- were retired between 1875 and 1886.