The articulated variant of the Bavarian B V was an unusual, 0-6-6, steam locomotive

Steam locomotive

A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...

 in the Royal Bavarian State Railways

Royal Bavarian State Railways

As a nation-state, Germany did not come into being until the creation of the German Empire in 1871 from the various German-speaking states such as Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, Baden and Württemberg. By then each of the major states had formed its own state railway and these continued to remain...

 (Königlich Bayerische Staats-Eisenbahnen).

The articulated B V was a four-coupled locomotive built by Maffei

Joseph Anton von Maffei

Joseph Anton von Maffei was a German industrialist. Together with Joseph von Baader and Baron Theodor Freiherr von Cramer-Klett , Maffei was one of the three most important railway pioneers in Bavaria.-Early life:Joseph Anton Maffei was born in Munich, the son of an Italian tradesman from Verona...

 at their own expense. It was based on the Class B V

Bavarian B V

The Bavarian B V steam engines were early German 2-4-0 locomotives of the Royal Bavarian State Railways ....

 but, instead of having a third coupled axle, the back of the engine was supported by the front of the tender

Tender locomotive

A tender or coal-car is a special rail vehicle hauled by a steam locomotive containing the locomotive's fuel and water. Steam locomotives consume large quantities of water compared to the quantity of fuel, so tenders are necessary to keep the locomotive running over long distances. A locomotive...

, called in German a Stütztender or "supporting tender". This was similar to the earlier Engerth

Engerth locomotive

The Engerth locomotive was a type of early articulated steam locomotive designed by Wilhelm Freiherr von Engerth for use on the Semmering Railway in Austria.- Designer :...

 design which articulated the tender with the main 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...

, allowing some of the weight of the fuel and water to be carried on the driving wheels to improve adhesion. Because the tender was articulated, rather than directly attached to the frame, the locomotive could traverse relatively sharp curves, while still enjoying the advantage of the additional adhesive weight

Adhesive weight

Adhesive weight is the amount of a locomotive's weight that is applied to the driving wheels and so capable of delivering traction. The more weight applied to the driving wheels, the greater the locomotive's ability to haul a load. But if the weight on the driving wheels exceeds the axle load of...

gain. The articulated B V was not a success; it's riding qualities were poor and only one example was produced.

Source

• Bayern-Report, Band Nr. 4, Eisenbahn Journal Archiv, Ludwig v. Welser, ISBN 3-922404-69-2

External links

• There is a relevant English-language forum at Railways of Germany