DR Class 99.77-79
Encyclopedia
The steam locomotives of DR Class 99.77–79 were ordered by the Deutsche Reichsbahn in East Germany after the Second World War. They were narrow gauge
locomotives with a 750 mm rail gauge
and were built for the narrow gauge lines in Saxony
. The locomotives were largely identical to the DRG Class 99.73–76
standard locomotives (Einheitslokomotive
n) built in the 1930s. To differentiate them from their predecessors they were described as Neubaulokomotive
n or newly-designed engines.
occupying powers as war reparations
and transported off to the east. That led to a permanent shortage of locomotives on the Saxon narrow gauge lines, not least because the transportation requirement had grown considerably due to the mining of uranium in the Ore Mountains by the firm of Wismut AG. As a result the VEB Lokomotivbau Karl Marx were tasked with the development of a new locomotive in 1950. This was based heavily on the Einheitslokomotive
of DRG Class 99.73–76
designed in the 1930s. From 1952 to 1957 a total of 24 locomotives were delivered. They were given running numbers 99 771 to 99 794. The engines were homed in the locomotive depots (Bahnbetriebswerken or Bw) of Thum
and Wilsdruff
.
In the late 1980s the first locomotives had to be withdrawn due to serious damage to the locomotive frame
and boiler
. Initially it was intended to replace all locomotives by new diesel locomotives from 1995 onwards. However, on the reunification of Germany
, all such plans in the GDR were cancelled. As a result, the repair shops (Reichsbahnausbesserungswerk or RAW) responsible, RAW Meiningen and RAW Görlitz-Schlauroth, built new frames and boilers for 14 locomotives in 1991/1992 in order to keep the engines in working order.
Today the engines continue to work all the traffic on their original routes. Additional locomotives may also be found today on the island of Rügen
in the Baltic Sea working the Rügen railway (Rügenschen Kleinbahnen). One locomotive, no. 99 788, was sold to the museum railway from Warthausen
to Ochsenhausen
in Baden-Württemberg
, the so-called Öchsle, and operates there.
In contrast to their predecessors the machines were given a plate frame. Like them, however, the third axle is driven and the carrying axles are housed in a Bissel bogie
. Two vacuum injectors form the feed water system. In order to enable brown coal firing, the grate area was increased compared with that of the Einheitslok.
The vehicles could carry up to 5.8 m³ of water and 3.6 tonnes of coal.
–Thum–Meinersdorf and Wilischthal–Thum lines, the Cranzahl– Oberwiesenthal
spa town route (Fichtelberg Railway) and the Freital
-Hainsberg–Kipsdorf spa town line (Weisseritz Valley Railway). Several locomotives were also stationed in Thuringia
on the Truse Railway.
After the closure of the Thum network in the early 1970s the locomotives were transferred to the Lößnitzgrund Railway (Radebeul Ost–Radeburg). Not until the 1980s did some locomotives end up on the Rügenschen Schmalspurbahn and Zittau network, in order to alleviate the shortage of engines there.
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
locomotives with a 750 mm rail gauge
Rail gauge
Track gauge or rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the heads of the two load bearing rails that make up a single railway line. Sixty percent of the world's railways use a standard gauge of . Wider gauges are called broad gauge; smaller gauges, narrow gauge. Break-of-gauge refers...
and were built for the narrow gauge lines in Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
. The locomotives were largely identical to the DRG Class 99.73–76
DRG Class 99.73–76
The German Class 99.73-76 engines were standard locomotives in service with the Deutsche Reichsbahn for Saxony's narrow gauge railways...
standard locomotives (Einheitslokomotive
Einheitslokomotive
Einheitslokomotive was the name given to standard classes of German steam locomotives built from 1925 under the direction of the Deutsche Reichsbahn to certain common designs, and also to standard German electric locomotives produced after 1952 for the Deutsche Bundesbahn...
n) built in the 1930s. To differentiate them from their predecessors they were described as Neubaulokomotive
Neubaulokomotive
The German term Neubaulokomotive specifically refers to those steam locomotives which were newly designed and built, either for the Deutsche Bundesbahn in West Germany or the Deutsche Reichsbahn in East Germany, after the Second World War.-Concept:...
n or newly-designed engines.
History
After the Second World War quite a number of the most modern and most powerful narrow gauge locomotives were confiscated by the SovietSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
occupying powers as war reparations
War reparations
War reparations are payments intended to cover damage or injury during a war. Generally, the term war reparations refers to money or goods changing hands, rather than such property transfers as the annexation of land.- History :...
and transported off to the east. That led to a permanent shortage of locomotives on the Saxon narrow gauge lines, not least because the transportation requirement had grown considerably due to the mining of uranium in the Ore Mountains by the firm of Wismut AG. As a result the VEB Lokomotivbau Karl Marx were tasked with the development of a new locomotive in 1950. This was based heavily on the Einheitslokomotive
Einheitslokomotive
Einheitslokomotive was the name given to standard classes of German steam locomotives built from 1925 under the direction of the Deutsche Reichsbahn to certain common designs, and also to standard German electric locomotives produced after 1952 for the Deutsche Bundesbahn...
of DRG Class 99.73–76
DRG Class 99.73–76
The German Class 99.73-76 engines were standard locomotives in service with the Deutsche Reichsbahn for Saxony's narrow gauge railways...
designed in the 1930s. From 1952 to 1957 a total of 24 locomotives were delivered. They were given running numbers 99 771 to 99 794. The engines were homed in the locomotive depots (Bahnbetriebswerken or Bw) of Thum
Thum
Thum is a small town in the district of Erzgebirgskreis, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. Thum has a population of about 5800.-Geography:...
and Wilsdruff
Wilsdruff
Wilsdruff is a town in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, with 13,743 inhabitants. It is situated 14 km west of Dresden . Near Wilsdruff there is a facility for high power broadcasting, the transmitter Wilsdruff....
.
In the late 1980s the first locomotives had to be withdrawn due to serious damage to the locomotive frame
Locomotive frame
A locomotive frame is the structure that forms the backbone of the railway locomotive, giving it strength and supporting the superstructure elements such as a cab, boiler or bodywork. The vast majority of locomotives have had a frame structure of some kind...
and boiler
Boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Materials:...
. Initially it was intended to replace all locomotives by new diesel locomotives from 1995 onwards. However, on the reunification of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, all such plans in the GDR were cancelled. As a result, the repair shops (Reichsbahnausbesserungswerk or RAW) responsible, RAW Meiningen and RAW Görlitz-Schlauroth, built new frames and boilers for 14 locomotives in 1991/1992 in order to keep the engines in working order.
Today the engines continue to work all the traffic on their original routes. Additional locomotives may also be found today on the island of Rügen
Rügen
Rügen is Germany's largest island. Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of the Vorpommern-Rügen district of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.- Geography :Rügen is located off the north-eastern coast of Germany in the Baltic Sea...
in the Baltic Sea working the Rügen railway (Rügenschen Kleinbahnen). One locomotive, no. 99 788, was sold to the museum railway from Warthausen
Warthausen
Warthausen is a town in the district of Biberach in Baden-Württemberg in Germany and birthplace of Baron F. M. Koenig Warthausen....
to Ochsenhausen
Ochsenhausen
Ochsenhausen is a city in the district of Biberach, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located between the city of Biberach and Memmingen. it has a population of 8,916...
in Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
, the so-called Öchsle, and operates there.
Technical features
In accordance with modern construction principles of the time, the locomotives are of a fully welded design.In contrast to their predecessors the machines were given a plate frame. Like them, however, the third axle is driven and the carrying axles are housed in a Bissel bogie
Bissel bogie
A Bissel truck is a very simple and commonly used way of designing a carrying axle on a steam locomotive to enable it to negotiate curves more easily. The design uses a single-axled bogie, usually known as a pony truck, whose pivot is towards the centre of the locomotive...
. Two vacuum injectors form the feed water system. In order to enable brown coal firing, the grate area was increased compared with that of the Einheitslok.
The vehicles could carry up to 5.8 m³ of water and 3.6 tonnes of coal.
Duties
The first area of operations were the Thumer Netz network with the Schönfeld-WiesaThermalbad Wiesenbad
Thermalbad Wiesenbad is a municipality in the district of Erzgebirgskreis, in Saxony, Germany....
–Thum–Meinersdorf and Wilischthal–Thum lines, the Cranzahl– Oberwiesenthal
Oberwiesenthal
Oberwiesenthal is a town and a ski resort in the district of Erzgebirgskreis in Saxony in Germany. It is situated in the Erzgebirge mountains, on the border with the Czech Republic, 19 km south of Annaberg-Buchholz, and 23 km northeast of Karlovy Vary. At , it is the highest town in Germany...
spa town route (Fichtelberg Railway) and the Freital
Freital
Freital is the biggest town in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the small river Weißeritz, 8 km southwest of Dresden.- Geography :...
-Hainsberg–Kipsdorf spa town line (Weisseritz Valley Railway). Several locomotives were also stationed in Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
on the Truse Railway.
After the closure of the Thum network in the early 1970s the locomotives were transferred to the Lößnitzgrund Railway (Radebeul Ost–Radeburg). Not until the 1980s did some locomotives end up on the Rügenschen Schmalspurbahn and Zittau network, in order to alleviate the shortage of engines there.
Literature
- Ebel, Jürgen U. and Seiler, Bernd. Die Baureihe 99.73–79 – Einheitslok auf schmaler Spur, EK-Verlag, Freiburg, 1994, ISBN 3-88255-119-4
- Wagner, Wolfram and Scheffler, Reiner. Die sächsische VII K. Die Geschichte der Baureihe 99.73–79, Bufe-Fachbuchverlag, Egglham, 1993, ISBN 3-922138-47-0
- Endisch, Dirk. Bauureihe 99.77–79, Edition 1, transpress Verlag, Stuttgart, 2001, ISBN 3-613-71178-8
See also
External links
- There is a relevant English-language forum at Railways of Germany