Magyar Allamvasutak 0-8-0 Locomotives in Hungary

Class IV/441 (Locobase 1578)

Data from "M-V 441 sorozat" in Wikipedia at [], last accessed 5 October 2022; A[nthony] E[dward] Durrant, The Steam Locomotives of Eastern Europe (Newton Abbot, Devonshire: David & Charles, 1966), pp. 28, 40; and P[eter] M[ichael] Kalla-Bishop, Hungarian Railways (New York: Drake Publishers, 1973), p 88.

[] notes that this Class IV had springs suspending only the first and last axles while the inner two were equalized; the rearmost axle could traverse 14 mm (0.55") to either side. Kalla-Bishop wrote that they were built for the 2 1/2% grade, 22-mile gradient eastbound out of Fiume.

Wikipedia comments that the boiler was the same as the class II (MAV 236) and class III (MAV 335), but its firebox's shape allowed it to fit between the plate frames and swell considerably farther up the sides. Steam generation capacity was measured at 5,200 kg/hour. Calculated horsepower depended on whether the engine burned local coal (approximately 400 hp) or "good-quality"--e.g. perhaps Welsh coal (524 hp).

Soon after it entered service, the class exchanged the original short smokebox to the long American style to accommodate a more effective spark-arresting system.

27 of these were left in service in 1918. 14 went to the CFR of Romania, 4 operated the Czech State, and one went to Yugoslavia.. Eight remained with the MAV.

Class IVa/420 (Locobase 1574)

Data from "M-V 420 sorozat" in Wikipedia at [], last accessed 5 October 2022; A[nthony] E[dward] Durrant, The Steam Locomotives of Eastern Europe (Newton Abbot, Devonshire: David & Charles, 1966), pp. 28, 40; and P[eter] M[ichael] Kalla-Bishop, Hungarian Railways (New York: Drake Publishers, 1973), p 88. Sigl (Wiener-Neustadt) works numbers were 2743-2750 in 1882, 2784-2793 in 1883, and 2884-2893 in 1884. Floridsdorf works numbers were 589-598 in 1885. MAVAG works numbers were 343-347 in 1891.

[] (no longer active0 noted that this Class IVa was developed in 1884 as a parallel to the Class IIIe 0-6-0. Kalla-Bishop and Durrant both stated that the 420s were essentially the 335s and 441s with a higher boiler pressure.

All 43 remained in service throughout World War I. With the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, 31 went to the CSD in Czechoslovakia and 7 served Romania's CFR. Four remained with the MAV as shunters.

Class IVc/421 (Locobase 1575)

Data from "M-V 420 sorozat" in Wikipedia at [], last accessed 5 October 2022; A[nthony] E[dward] Durrant, The Steam Locomotives of Eastern Europe (Newton Abbot, Devonshire: David & Charles, 1966), pp. 28, 40; and P[eter] M[ichael] Kalla-Bishop, Hungarian Railways (New York: Drake Publishers, 1973), p 88.

[] (no longer active) discussed this variant of the basic Class IV 0-8-0 design (Locobase 1574) that was derived from the Class IIIe (326) 0-6-0. Compared to those engines, these locomotives pressed somewhat larger boilers 3 atm (42 psi) higher and drivers taller by 35 mm (1.38").

The Class IVc was developed for the Karlovac-Rijeka line which traversed the Karst Mountains on its way to the Adriatic. It was "rather a failure," says the author. "The tight track radii of this line, down to 275 m (900 ft) were [sic] very quickly worn out by this heavy, rigid-frame engine." It was this effect that led MAVAG to put the frame inside and split the four axles into two groups, thus creating the first of a successful line of Mallets.

35 were left in 1918 when all but 3 were distributed to former Imperial subjects. Czech CSD received 14, Romania 13, and Yugoslavia 5.

Class Type 51 (Locobase 15556)

Data from the table presented on pages 427, 429 of the Groupe VI. - GTnie civil. - Moyens de transport. DeuxiFme partie. Classes 32 (Tome I), part of the series of Rapports du Jury Internationale of the Exposition Unverselle Internationale de 1900 Paris Exposition, hosted on the website of Le Conservatoire numTrique des Arts & MTtiers ([], Accessed 21 August 2005). See also Sandor Malatinszky, "The Class 490 Steam Engines of MAV, and the Restoration of Locomotive No. 490-039", Periodica polytechnica, received 27 October 2010 and archived at [], last accessed 1 November 2013.

The Jury report puts this particular engine on the Gyalar-Vajda-Hunyad line.

Malatinszky explained more than a century later that this design didn't go into widespread service because was too heavy for the 760 mm gauge. The Type 70, which had a shorter boiler and slightly less cylinder volume, was developed as an answer. See Locobase 4921.

Class Type 70.3/XXIc/490 (Locobase 20603)

Data from Google translation of "MAVAG-Typ 70", Wikipedia at [], last accessed 20 July 2019. Sandor Malatinszky, "The Class 490 Steam Engines of MAV, the Restoration of Locomotive No. 490-039", Periodica polytechnica, received 27 October 2010 and archived at [], last accessed 1 November; and Malatinszky's "Narrow Gauge Steam Locomotives and Their Builders in Hungary," Transactions of Famena XXXVII-4 (2013), pp. 74-90, downloaded from hrcak.srce.hr/171780, last accessed 2 January 2017.

Designed by MAVAG specifically to serve agricultural and forestry railways, this relatively powerful narrow-gauge tank used hollow Klien-Lindner axles to negotiate quite tight curves. Their relatively low axle loading suited them for the typically light track. The thimble-shaped steam dome sat over the lead axle, the slightly smaller sand dome over the gap between the second and third axles. Outside Stephenson (Williams-Howe) link motion actuated the inside slide valves through rocker arms.

Malatinszky summarized their "good features, the ability to negotiate sharp curves, the large boiler capacity and the ability to take overweight loads made them economically viable on both the local and industrial networks of forest and mining railways, compared to the Austrian and German locomotives built for similar duties and running on the Hungarian narrow gauge lines."

This little tank had Klien-Lindner hollow axles that made for a more supple wheelbase (rigid 1,150 mm/3 ft 9 in) on the very tight curves of the MAV's narrow-gauge lines. Another form of flexibility was expressed in the ability to burn either coal or wood in the firebox. The boiler had a crowded top line with two large cylindrical steam domes closely flanking the steam dome with its rounded top. Over the smokebox, the Klein (not to be confused with Klien) stack had a large spark-arrester composed of two cones meeting at their mouths.

The first two engines--wood-burners--went into service at SzászrTgen on 31 August 1905. The next two were coal-burners that worked the Szatmár+Bikszádi H+V; these carried 800 kg (0.88 short tons) of coal. After their 1906 service entry, the SB ordered four more. A total of 42 490s would be delivered by the end of World War One, of which only five remained for Hungarian use after the 4 July 1920 Trianon agreement. Two went to Czechoslovakia as U45, fifteen shifted to Romanian railways, and 20 went to Yugoslavia as JDZ class 81.

Manufacture of this satisfactory pony spanned almost half a century (1905-1950). Originally delivered with Stephenson valve motion, new engines would appear with Heusinger gear, new cylinders, and a modified boiler in 1942.

During Hungary's alliance with Nazi Germany in World War II, MAVAG reopened the 490 production line and produced 52 more locomotives for service on the narrow-gauge Marosvásárhely (TGrgu Mures) network in Transylvania. These differed from the earlier batches in using outside Heusinger radial valve gear. They also used two steam domes, fitting the sand dome between them along the top of the boiler.

Most remained with Romania after that country was overrun by Soviet forces in 1944. Altogether, MAVAG produced 21 batches of this very useful and popular design.

Romania's locomotive industry produced a modified "replica" of the original design beginning in 1951; see Locobase 20604.

Class Type 70/MAV 490 (Locobase 4921)

Data from [], Sebastian's homepage (accessed 5 Jan 2007, last accessed 1 November 2013) and Sandor Malatinszky, "The Class 490 Steam Engines of MAV, the Restoration of Locomotive No. 490-039", Periodica polytechnica, received 27 October 2010 and archived at [], last accessed 1 November; and Malatinszky's "Narrow Gauge Steam Locomotives and Their Builders in Hungary," Transactions of Famena XXXVII-4 (2013), pp. 74-90, downloaded from hrcak.srce.hr/171780, last accessed 2 January 2017. The Jury report puts this particular engine on the Gyalar-Vajda-Hunyad line.

This little tank had Klien-Lindner hollow axles that made for a more supple wheelbase (rigid 1,150 mm/3 ft 9 in) on the very tight curves of the MAV's narrow-gauge lines. Another form of flexibility was expressed in the ability to burn either coal or wood in the firebox. The boiler had a crowded top line with two large cylindrical steam domes closely flanking the steam dome with its rounded top. Over the smokebox, the Klein (not to be confused with Klien) stack had a large spark-arrester composed of two cones meeting at their mouths.

The first two engines--wood-burners--went into service at SzászrTgen on 31 August 1905. The next two were coal-burners that worked the Szatmár+Bikszádi H+V; these carried 800 kg (0.88 short tons) of coal. After their 1906 service entry, the SB ordered four more. A total of 42 490s would be delivered by the end of World War One, of which only five remained for Hungarian use after the 4 July 1920 Trianon agreement. Two went to Czechoslovakia as U45, fifteen shifted to Romanian railways, and 20 went to Yugoslavia as JDZ class 81.

Manufacture of this satisfactory pony spanned almost half a century (1905-1950). Originally delivered with Stephenson valve motion, new engines would appear with Heusinger gear, new cylinders, and a modified boiler in 1942.

Class Type 85 (Locobase 20125)

Data from Sandor Malatinszky "Narrow Gauge Steam Locomotives and Their Builders in Hungary," Transactions of Famena XXXVII-4 (2013), pp. 74-90, downloaded from hrcak.srce.hr/171780, last accessed 2 January 2017; Table 1, p. 82. Works numbers were 2212 in 1908, 2425-2430 in 1910, 2431 in 1911.

These relatively powerful eight-coupled tank locomotives entered production as part of MAVAG's standarization program. Compared to the other narrow0gauge designs, the Type 85s delivered more power than all but the Type 70 (Locobase 4921). Like most of the freight engines, the Type 85s had a maximum speed rating of 30 kph (18.6 mph).

MAVAG continued to produce Type 85s until after World War II.

Class Type 94/764 (Locobase 20123)

Data from Sandor Malatinszky "Narrow Gauge Steam Locomotives and Their Builders in Hungary," Transactions of Famena XXXVII-4 (2013), pp. 74-90, downloaded from hrcak.srce.hr/171780, last accessed 2 January 2017.

Class XIVa/475 (Locobase 1579)

Data from A[nthony] E[dward] Durrant, The Steam Locomotives of Eastern Europe (Newton Abbot:David & Charles, 1966); MAV XIVa in Wikipedia at [], last accessed 25 December 2021; and P[eter] M[ichael] Kalla-Bishop, Hungarian Locomotives (NY: Drake Publishers, 1973).

Light-rail tanks built to serve branch lines in the mountains, this design featured an outside frame, extended smokebox, and outside constant-lead radial valve gear.

In additioni to the 40 engines delivered directly to the MAV, an additional locomotive came over from the privately owned Kaschau-Oderberger Bahn( KsOd). The class served all over the southeastern part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Built between 1898 and 1903.