Wurttembergische 4-4-0 Locomotives in Germany

Class A / VI class (Locobase 5745)

Christian Lindecke's website [] (visited 28 November 2003) comments (translated by Google) notes that these were the first true express engines procured by the Wurttemburg. They were class Vs with taller drivers and as such soon proved too small for the "gradient-rich" (love that Google phrase) alignment. Beginning in 1868, the class was converted to 2-4-0s of the B and B2 class.

Almost 30 years later, they received smaller drivers and were redesignated Class Aa.

The last was retired early in the 20th century.

Class AD / BR 13.16 (Locobase 5826)

Christian Lindecke's website [] (visited 28 Nov 2003) (translated by Google) for data, supplemented by [], last accessed 13 May 2011

The Class D Ten-wheeler compounds proved very effective in service, so the K.W.St.E built an Eight-wheeler for express traffic of 90-100 km/h (56-61 mph).

Soon after the first locomotives appeared, piston valves replaced slide valves (1903) and the vacuum brake was supplanted by a Westinghouse airbrake system. Perhaps surprisingly, these engines were not superheated, except for two that served as prototypes for the ADh class (Locobase 5828). Even so, the DRG grouped 24 survivors as BR 13 1601-1624.

NB: Evaporative heating surface areas given from the water side, as in Anglo-American railways. Fire side tube diameters were 40 mm, which resulted in an EHS of 129.1 sq m (1,390 sq ft).

Class ADh / BR 13.17 (Locobase 5827)

Data from Christian Lindecke's website [] (visited 28 Nov 2003) (translated by Google), supplemented by [], last accessed 12 May 2011. (Thanks to Wes Barris of steamlocomotive.com for his 5 June 2018 email noting an out-of-whack driver diameter.)

When two ADs proved the value of superheating, the K.W.St.E immediately ordered fifteen more. These seventeen showed a performance of 100 km/h (62 mph) on the level with a 190-ton train and the same train up a 1% grade at 50 kph (31 mph). Compared to other locomotives of the time, these had smaller boilers holding smaller-diameter tubes and flues.

When the DRG organized its heterogeneous inheritance into classes, it assigned the 14 ADh survivors BR 13 1701-1714. Under those numbers, these useful machines carried on for another decade.

NB: Heating surface areas calculated from the water side (as in Anglo-American reckoning). Fire side diameters were 40 mm for the tubes, 119 mm for the flues, which results in an evaporative heating surface area of 104.6 sq m (1,132 sq ft).

Class B (Locobase 5821)

Data from Christian Lindecke's website [], last accessed 28 November 2003. Works numbers were 727-730 in 1865, 869-870 in 1868.

Named for key cities in the region, the class were dubbed Wien, Paris, Strassburg, Koln, Basel, and Zurich. The translation's a little murky, but it appears that although these locomotives were bigger and had tall drivers, they were a flop. Despite two steam domes, one near the firebox and the other all the way forward on the boiler, the steam supply proved insufficient.

Thus, almost as soon as they entered service, they were being superseded by the Class D 2-4-0s. Two of the Bs themselves were converted to a 2-4-0T arrangement beginning in 1882 -- in this guise they lasted until 1904-1905. The class leader (Vienna, #140) followed in 1890 with an adjustable front axle (for weight redistribution, Locobase suspects) system that failed. The other three were to be converted to tank engines, but instead were relegated to secondary-line service and retired by 1896.

Class C / III class (Locobase 5743)

Christian Lindecke's website [] (visited 28 Nov 2003) comments (again roughly translated by Google) that after some American engines proved unsturdy, Kessler was contracted to supply six engines in 1846. Maffei added three in 1847 and Esslingen took up the lion's share, supplying 32 more in batches over the next seven years.

The first set of drivers were flangeless and that the engine put too little weight on the drivers to be satisfactory for long. Their boilers had an oval cross-section.

Later class III in the Royal Wurttemberg State Railway, the class nevertheless endured for decades, the last being retired in 1913.

Class D / VII class (Locobase 5746)

Christian Lindecke's website [] (visited 28 Nov 2003) comments (translated by Google) that this class was acquired in batches for a period of 12 years. The broken series of numbers shows this -- 98-111, 120-124, 144-151.

Virtually identical to the class V except for much smaller drivers, this class had "Crampton" boilers with the cylinders set behind the bogie. The prototype had a single steam dome, but all the rest had two. Lindecke refers to the long wheelbase [but note the short-coupled truck] that gave the design a distinctive look.

Beginning in 1876, many of this class received new boilers and were converted to other wheel arrangements. By the early 20th century, all had been retired.

Class Einkorn Class E (Locobase 632)

[] (12 December 2003) confirmed data.

This series began with the Class A express engine built in 1854, which had 73 1/2-in drivers. The Class Es had much smaller drivers and were used for freight (an unusual service for 4-4-0s). The leading truck had a short wheelbase ahead of the horizontal cylinders, which were located between the truck and the widely spaced drivers. The firebox was fitted between the driving axles and was topped by a large "dustbin" steam dome. Ahead of the steam dome was a cylindrical sandbox, the throttle, and the tall, slender stack. These engines were later modified with separate carrying axles instead of the truck.

Class I - Donau (Locobase 5816)

Christian Lindecke's website [] (visited 28 Nov 2003) comments (again roughly translated by Google) for data.

These were the first locomotives to be delivered to the K.W.St.E (Königlich Wnrttembergische Staats-Eisenbahnen) and were typical Norris locomotives. The round-topped firebox rode between the driving axles. Lindecke says the engines tracked well through curves and were credited with 24 km/h (15 mph) pulling 100 tons up a 1% grade.

Inevitably, the engines were soon outmatched by the traffic demands and the class was out of service by 1861.

Class II - Neckar (Locobase 5817)

Christian Lindecke's website [] (visited 28 Nov 2003) comments (again roughly translated by Google) for data. Works numbers were 223-225

Baldwin's design may have been the company's first export order from Europe. In addition to Neckar, the railroad imported the Enz and the Rems.

It drove on the second axle, which Lindecke says proved to be a problem. Also, the geometry of the leading truck and the first axle caused the locomotive to bind on curves. As a result, the engines were sent off to northeastern Switzerland.

Class V class (Locobase 5744)

Christian Lindecke's website [] (visited 28 November 2003) comments (again roughly translated by Google) says these were essentially enlargements of the Class IIIs (Class C in the older accounting). They had a high-pitched boiler with a small dome topped by the safety valve. Outside cylinders were filled by inside valves.

In the decade between 1869 and 1879, four of the class were converted to 2-4-0s of the B3 class. The other (55) appears to have been converted to an 0-4-0 by 1884.