Prussian P 8
Encyclopedia
The Prussian Class P 8 steam locomotive
of the Prussian state railways
(DRG Class 38.10-40 of the Deutsche Reichsbahn
) was built from 1906 onwards by the Berliner Maschinenbau
(previously Schwartzkopff) and the Linke-Hofmann
factory in Breslau by Robert Garbe
. It was intended as a successor to the Prussian P6, which was regarded as unsatisfactory.
, two-cylinder driving gear was envisaged. The P 8 benefited especially from superheated steam technology, which had just been developed by Wilhelm Schmidt
(nicknamed 'hot steam Schmidt'), that led to outstanding performance for those times. The P 8 was a very economical locomotive that did not make great demands on the ability of the engine driver. At the outset Garbe even designed the P 8 as an express train
locomotive, with the expectation of attaining a top speed of 110 km/h (68.4 mph). As a result the first units were fitted with low wind-resistance, tapered driver's cabs.
The enthusiasm of crews for the new locomotive was at first muted. The boiler
was very effective at evaporation (there was already evidence of a combustion chamber
at the front end of the firebox), however against that there were numerous teething troubles, e.g. the driving rod bearings were too small, which continually led to overheating, and the loosely coupled Prussian box tender, which led to disturbing riding qualities when running tender-first. Its riding performance was never fully satisfactory. As a result of poor weight compensation the top speed estimated by Garbe was never achieved and it was eventually assessed at 110 km/h.
One characteristic feature of the P 8 is the large distance between the centre and rear coupled axles. At the outset the P 8 only had a steam dome
behind the sandbox
; later a forward feed dome was added. Further constructional changes affected, inter alia, the driver's cab roofs, the smoke deflectors
and various external assemblies.
There would appear to be been a number of boiler variations. The following combinations can be seen in photographs:
1/. boiler feeds on sides on boiler, steam dome in front of sandbox
2/. boiler feeds on sides of boiler, steam dome behind sandbox
3/. boiler feeds on top of boiler without feed dome, steam dome behind sandbox
4/. boiler feeds on top of boiler with feed dome, steam dome behind sandbox
At least some of very early engines (those with the "V" cabs) carried type (1) boilers and this type appears to have been the standard in the early years. Types (3) and (4) do not seem to have appeared until after WWI but ultimately became prevalent. See "100 Jahre Preussische P8" (Eisenbahn Kurier).
In order to be able to turn the locomotive even on small turntables, the Prussian state railways fitted the P 8 with tenders that originally held 21.5 m³ of water and 7 t of coal. Later the Deutsche Bundesbahn coupled the Class 38 with the tenders of withdrawn wartime locomotives the so-called 'Kriegslokomotive
n', especially the bathtub tenders (Wannentender), which could carry more fuel. In addition the top speed when running tender-first was increased from 50 km/h (31.1 mph) to 85 km/h (52.8 mph).
On the other hand, the Deutsche Reichsbahn also used tenders of DRG Class 17 steam locomotives that had been taken out of service. These were the so-called long-distance tenders.
) in January 1908. With up to 14 express coaches attached, the trial runs went brilliantly. The first engine of this, soon internationally famous, class was placed into service in the Lower Rhine
with the designation "Coeln 2401".
The P 8 could be used for a variety of duties and was found in heavy express train and goods train services heading almost every train. Even the railway authorities were very pleased with these engines, because the last P 8 locomotives were not mustered out by the Deutsche Reichsbahn until 1972, and by Deutsche Bundesbahn
until 1974. More than 500 P 8 engines were in service for 50 years.
The majority of the P 8 class engines were built by Schwartzkopff (later Berliner Maschinenbau
) who produced 1027 units, followed by Henschel in Kassel
with 740 units. Besides the Prussian state railways
, the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg State Railways
(Grossherzoglich Oldenburgische Staatseisenbahnen) also bought five and the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg Friedrich-Franz Railway
(Grossherzoglich Mecklenburgische Friedrich-Franz-Eisenbahn) 13 machines. All German locomotive manufacturers later built Class P 8 locomotives including Hartmann
and Esslingen
.
as a result of ceasefire reparations
and the large number of damaged locomotives, the Karlsruhe
railway division reproduced 40 Prussian P 8 engines at the Maschinenbau-Gesellschaft Karlsruhe
. They were stationed in Villingen, Mannheim
and Karlsruhe, and were given running numbers 1153 to 1192. Under the Deutsche Reichsbahn
they were renumbered as 38 3793 to 38 3832 in 1925.
received 190 (reclassified as the Ok1
), Belgium
168 and France
162 locomotives. Up to 1923, the newly-founded Deutsche Reichsbahn
replenished the fleet of P 8 locos with new machines. The last engine was built in 1926 by AEG
at its locomotive works in Hennigsdorf, Berlin. A total of 3948 P 8 locomotives were built (including the inter-war copies in Romania
), which makes it the most numerous passenger train locomotive ever to be built in the world.
After the Second World War
, numbers 38 1069, 1391, 1434, 1677, 1809, 1818, 2052, 2692, 3264, 3495 und 3525 remained in Austria. Number 38 2052 was returned to the Deutsche Bundesbahn
in 1952. Locomotives 38 1391, 1434, 1818, 3495 and 3525 went to the Soviet Union
. The remaining machines formed the Austrian ÖBB Class 638. In 2004, the Austrian Society for Railway History (ÖGEG) acquired two machines of this type from Romania (the P 8 'copies'), one of which carries out steam 'specials' under the fictitious number of ÖBB 638.1301.
Three of the class were impounded by British forces after World War II in Norway. They were sent to Copenhagen for repair and eventually were purchased by the Danish State Railways where they became DSB class T
numbered 297, 298 & 299. The last survivor was scrapped in 1973.
, of which only 2 examples had been built, however, by 1941. In 1950 the Deutsche Bundesbahn began to used the more advanced DB Class 23
as a replacement for the P8. The factories produced 105 examples by 1951. The change of motive power meant that the last Class 23 was withdrawn by the DB only one year after the last P8 had been retired.
D1 613 401(2) 28. Encyclopedic Leaflet system.
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...
of the Prussian state railways
Prussian state railways
The term Prussian state railways encompasses those railway organisations that were owned or managed by the State of Prussia...
(DRG Class 38.10-40 of the Deutsche Reichsbahn
Deutsche Reichsbahn
Deutsche Reichsbahn was the name of the following two companies:* Deutsche Reichsbahn, the German Imperial Railways during the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich and the immediate aftermath...
) was built from 1906 onwards by the Berliner Maschinenbau
Berliner Maschinenbau
Berliner Maschinenbau AG was a German manufacturer of locomotives.The factory was founded by Louis Victor Robert Schwartzkopff on 3 October 1852 as Eisengießerei und Maschinen-Fabrik von L. Schwartzkopff in Berlin ....
(previously Schwartzkopff) and the Linke-Hofmann
Linke-Hofmann
Linke-Hofmann was a German manufacturing company established in Breslau to produce locomotives and rolling stock. Its origins lay in the wheelwright business of Gottfried Linke, begun in 1834...
factory in Breslau by Robert Garbe
Robert Garbe
Robert Hermann Garbe was a German railway engineer and chief engineer of the Berlin division in the Prussian state railways from 1895 to 1917...
. It was intended as a successor to the Prussian P6, which was regarded as unsatisfactory.
Construction
Because Garbe was an advocate of the simplest possible designs, a straightforward, superheated steamSuperheated steam
Superheated steam is steam at a temperature higher than water's boiling point. If saturated steam is heated at constant pressure, its temperature will also remain constant as the steam quality increases towards 100% Dry Saturated Steam. Continued heat input will then generate superheated steam...
, two-cylinder driving gear was envisaged. The P 8 benefited especially from superheated steam technology, which had just been developed by Wilhelm Schmidt
Wilhelm Schmidt (engineer)
Wilhelm Schmidt, known as Hot Steam Schmidt was a German engineer and inventor who achieved the breakthrough in the development of superheated steam technology for steam engines....
(nicknamed 'hot steam Schmidt'), that led to outstanding performance for those times. The P 8 was a very economical locomotive that did not make great demands on the ability of the engine driver. At the outset Garbe even designed the P 8 as an express train
Express train
Express trains are a form of rail service. Express trains make only a small number of stops, instead of stopping at every single station...
locomotive, with the expectation of attaining a top speed of 110 km/h (68.4 mph). As a result the first units were fitted with low wind-resistance, tapered driver's cabs.
The enthusiasm of crews for the new locomotive was at first muted. The 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:...
was very effective at evaporation (there was already evidence of a combustion chamber
Combustion chamber
A combustion chamber is the part of an engine in which fuel is burned.-Internal combustion engine:The hot gases produced by the combustion occupy a far greater volume than the original fuel, thus creating an increase in pressure within the limited volume of the chamber...
at the front end of the firebox), however against that there were numerous teething troubles, e.g. the driving rod bearings were too small, which continually led to overheating, and the loosely coupled Prussian box tender, which led to disturbing riding qualities when running tender-first. Its riding performance was never fully satisfactory. As a result of poor weight compensation the top speed estimated by Garbe was never achieved and it was eventually assessed at 110 km/h.
One characteristic feature of the P 8 is the large distance between the centre and rear coupled axles. At the outset the P 8 only had a steam dome
Steam dome
A Steam dome is a vessel fitted to the top of the boiler of a steam locomotive. It contains the opening to the main steam pipe and its purpose is to allow this opening to be kept well above the water level in the boiler...
behind the sandbox
Sandbox (railways)
A sandbox is a container on most locomotives and self propelled multiple units, or trams, that run on tramways and adhesion railways...
; later a forward feed dome was added. Further constructional changes affected, inter alia, the driver's cab roofs, the smoke deflectors
Smoke deflectors
Smoke deflectors are vertical plates attached to the front of a steam locomotive on each side of the smokebox. They are designed to lift smoke away from the locomotive at speed so that the driver has better visibility unimpaired by drifting smoke....
and various external assemblies.
There would appear to be been a number of boiler variations. The following combinations can be seen in photographs:
1/. boiler feeds on sides on boiler, steam dome in front of sandbox
2/. boiler feeds on sides of boiler, steam dome behind sandbox
3/. boiler feeds on top of boiler without feed dome, steam dome behind sandbox
4/. boiler feeds on top of boiler with feed dome, steam dome behind sandbox
At least some of very early engines (those with the "V" cabs) carried type (1) boilers and this type appears to have been the standard in the early years. Types (3) and (4) do not seem to have appeared until after WWI but ultimately became prevalent. See "100 Jahre Preussische P8" (Eisenbahn Kurier).
In order to be able to turn the locomotive even on small turntables, the Prussian state railways fitted the P 8 with tenders that originally held 21.5 m³ of water and 7 t of coal. Later the Deutsche Bundesbahn coupled the Class 38 with the tenders of withdrawn wartime locomotives the so-called 'Kriegslokomotive
Kriegslokomotive
Kriegslokomotiven were German 'war locomotives', produced in large numbers during the Second World War, whose construction was tailored to the economic circumstances of wartime Germany, such as shortages of materials, goods transportation , ease of maintenance under difficult conditions, resistance...
n', especially the bathtub tenders (Wannentender), which could carry more fuel. In addition the top speed when running tender-first was increased from 50 km/h (31.1 mph) to 85 km/h (52.8 mph).
On the other hand, the Deutsche Reichsbahn also used tenders of DRG Class 17 steam locomotives that had been taken out of service. These were the so-called long-distance tenders.
Employment
The P 8 could haul 300 t at 100 km/h (62.1 mph) and 400 t at 90 km/h (55.9 mph) on the flat and, after the world wars, could be found in almost the whole of Europe. The order to build the first 10 machines was issued to the firm of Schwartzkopff (later the Berliner MaschinenbauBerliner Maschinenbau
Berliner Maschinenbau AG was a German manufacturer of locomotives.The factory was founded by Louis Victor Robert Schwartzkopff on 3 October 1852 as Eisengießerei und Maschinen-Fabrik von L. Schwartzkopff in Berlin ....
) in January 1908. With up to 14 express coaches attached, the trial runs went brilliantly. The first engine of this, soon internationally famous, class was placed into service in the Lower Rhine
Lower Rhine
The Lower Rhine flows from Bonn, Germany, to the North Sea at Hoek van Holland, Netherlands.Almost immediately after entering the Netherlands, the Rhine splits into many branches. The main branch is called the Waal which flows from Nijmegen to meet the river Meuse; after which it is called Merwede...
with the designation "Coeln 2401".
The P 8 could be used for a variety of duties and was found in heavy express train and goods train services heading almost every train. Even the railway authorities were very pleased with these engines, because the last P 8 locomotives were not mustered out by the Deutsche Reichsbahn until 1972, and by Deutsche Bundesbahn
Deutsche Bundesbahn
The Deutsche Bundesbahn or DB was formed as the state railway of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany on September 7, 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft '...
until 1974. More than 500 P 8 engines were in service for 50 years.
The majority of the P 8 class engines were built by Schwartzkopff (later Berliner Maschinenbau
Berliner Maschinenbau
Berliner Maschinenbau AG was a German manufacturer of locomotives.The factory was founded by Louis Victor Robert Schwartzkopff on 3 October 1852 as Eisengießerei und Maschinen-Fabrik von L. Schwartzkopff in Berlin ....
) who produced 1027 units, followed by Henschel in Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
with 740 units. Besides the Prussian state railways
Prussian state railways
The term Prussian state railways encompasses those railway organisations that were owned or managed by the State of Prussia...
, the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg State Railways
Grand Duchy of Oldenburg State Railways
The Grand Duchy of Oldenburg Railway was the railway company that was run as a state railway for the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg , part of the German Empire....
(Grossherzoglich Oldenburgische Staatseisenbahnen) also bought five and the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg Friedrich-Franz Railway
Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg Friedrich-Franz Railway
The Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg Friedrich-Franz Railway was the state railway company in Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz...
(Grossherzoglich Mecklenburgische Friedrich-Franz-Eisenbahn) 13 machines. All German locomotive manufacturers later built Class P 8 locomotives including Hartmann
Sächsische Maschinenfabrik
The Sächsische Maschinenfabrik in Chemnitz was one of the most important engineering companies in Saxony in the second half of the 19th century and the first two decades of the 20th century. Including its various predecessor businesses, the firm existed from 1837 until its liquidation in 1930, and...
and Esslingen
Maschinenfabrik Esslingen
Maschinenfabrik Esslingen , was a German engineering firm that manufactured locomotives, tramways, railway wagons, roll-blocks, technical equipment for the railways, , bridges, steel structures, pumps and boilers.-Founding:...
.
P 8 Locomotives in the Baden State Railways
In order to compensate for the shortage of locomotives after the First World WarWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
as a result of ceasefire reparations
World War I reparations
World War I reparations refers to the payments and transfers of property and equipment that Germany was forced to make under the Treaty of Versailles following its defeat during World War I...
and the large number of damaged locomotives, the Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
railway division reproduced 40 Prussian P 8 engines at the Maschinenbau-Gesellschaft Karlsruhe
Maschinenbau-Gesellschaft Karlsruhe
The Maschinenbau-Gesellschaft Karlsruhe was a locomotive and railway wagon manufacturer in the early days of the German railways. It was based at Karlsruhe in what is now the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwestern Germany....
. They were stationed in Villingen, Mannheim
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
and Karlsruhe, and were given running numbers 1153 to 1192. Under the Deutsche Reichsbahn
Deutsche Reichsbahn
Deutsche Reichsbahn was the name of the following two companies:* Deutsche Reichsbahn, the German Imperial Railways during the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich and the immediate aftermath...
they were renumbered as 38 3793 to 38 3832 in 1925.
P 8 Locomotives in other countries
Before the First World War about 2350 P8 engines were made. Of these, 628 had to be transferred to the victorious powers as reparations after the end of the First World War. PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
received 190 (reclassified as the Ok1
PKP class Ok1
Ok1 is the Polish designation of a Prussian steam locomotive, the Prussian P 8, used on Polish State Railways. After the end of World War I, 190 Class P 8 engines were handed over as a reparation to Poland, where they were re-designated as Class OK1 locomotives...
), Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
168 and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
162 locomotives. Up to 1923, the newly-founded Deutsche Reichsbahn
Deutsche Reichsbahn
Deutsche Reichsbahn was the name of the following two companies:* Deutsche Reichsbahn, the German Imperial Railways during the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich and the immediate aftermath...
replenished the fleet of P 8 locos with new machines. The last engine was built in 1926 by AEG
AEG
Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft was a German producer of electrical equipment founded in 1883 by Emil Rathenau....
at its locomotive works in Hennigsdorf, Berlin. A total of 3948 P 8 locomotives were built (including the inter-war copies in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
), which makes it the most numerous passenger train locomotive ever to be built in the world.
After the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, numbers 38 1069, 1391, 1434, 1677, 1809, 1818, 2052, 2692, 3264, 3495 und 3525 remained in Austria. Number 38 2052 was returned to the Deutsche Bundesbahn
Deutsche Bundesbahn
The Deutsche Bundesbahn or DB was formed as the state railway of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany on September 7, 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft '...
in 1952. Locomotives 38 1391, 1434, 1818, 3495 and 3525 went to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. The remaining machines formed the Austrian ÖBB Class 638. In 2004, the Austrian Society for Railway History (ÖGEG) acquired two machines of this type from Romania (the P 8 'copies'), one of which carries out steam 'specials' under the fictitious number of ÖBB 638.1301.
Three of the class were impounded by British forces after World War II in Norway. They were sent to Copenhagen for repair and eventually were purchased by the Danish State Railways where they became DSB class T
DSB class T
Danish State Railways T class comprised three locomotives that had formerly been Prussian P 8 and later DR 38 class 4-6-0 tender locomotives. The three locomotives were held by British forces at the end of World War II...
numbered 297, 298 & 299. The last survivor was scrapped in 1973.
Preserved P 8 Locomotives
- One of the remaining P 8 locos is the 38 1182, that belongs to the DB Museum at NurembergNurembergNuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
(Verkehrsmuseum Nürnberg). It was built in 1910 by Schwartzkopff in Berlin and has been in operation for 61 years. As of 2008, it is stabled at the GeraGeraGera, the third-largest city in the German state of Thuringia , lies in east Thuringia on the river Weiße Elster, approximately 60 kilometres to the south of the city of Leipzig and 80 kilometres to the east of Erfurt...
engine shed (BahnbetriebswerkBahnbetriebswerkA Bahnbetriebswerk is the equivalent of a locomotive depot on the German and Austrian railways. It is an installation that carries out the maintenance, minor repairs, refuelling and cleaning of locomotives and other motive power. In addition it organises the deployment of locomotives and crews...
Gera). - The Bochum-Dahlhausen Railway Museum (Eisenbahnmuseum Bochum-Dahlhausen) owns a working P 8, the 38 2267 (built 1918), that heads trains on nostalgic trips through the RuhrRuhrThe Ruhr is a medium-size river in western Germany , a right tributary of the Rhine.-Description:The source of the Ruhr is near the town of Winterberg in the mountainous Sauerland region, at an elevation of approximately 2,200 feet...
area. - Number 38 3199 of the South German Railway MuseumSouth German Railway MuseumThe South German Railway Museum is a railway museum at Heilbronn in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwestern Germany. It was founded in 1998.-Aims:...
(Süddeutsches Eisenbahnmuseum) in Heilbronn has an unusual history. It was built in 1921 by the Linke-HofmannLinke-HofmannLinke-Hofmann was a German manufacturing company established in Breslau to produce locomotives and rolling stock. Its origins lay in the wheelwright business of Gottfried Linke, begun in 1834...
locomotive factory in Breslau. It was initially designated as 2580 Elberfeld by the Deutsche ReichsbahnDeutsche ReichsbahnDeutsche Reichsbahn was the name of the following two companies:* Deutsche Reichsbahn, the German Imperial Railways during the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich and the immediate aftermath...
and later renumbered to 38 3199. It was last stationed at Breslau locomotive depot. As early as 1926 it was purchased by the Rumanian railways (CFRCaile Ferate RomâneCăile Ferate Române is the official designation of the state railway carrier of Romania. Romania has a railway network of of which are electrified and the total track length is . The network is significantly interconnected with other European railway networks, providing pan-European passenger...
) and allocated number 230.106. In 1974 it was mothballed. Railway fans discovered it in the scrap yard and had it restored to full operation in Klausenburg in 1999 in the livery of the former Reichsbahn. Since 2002 the locomotive has been deployed again on museum services. - Since 1977, number 38 2383 has been at the German Steam Locomotive MuseumGerman Steam Locomotive MuseumThe German Steam Locomotive Museum or DDM is located at the foot of the famous Schiefe Ebene ramp on the Ludwig South-North Railway in Neuenmarkt, Upper Franconia. This region is in northern Bavaria, Germany...
(Deutsches Dampflokomotiv-Museum or DDM) in NeuenmarktNeuenmarktNeuenmarkt is a municipality in the district of Kulmbach in Bavaria in Germany.-City arrangement:Neuenmarkt is arranged in the following boroughs:...
. It was built by Henschel in 1919 and was the penultimate P 8 in the Deutsche BundesbahnDeutsche BundesbahnThe Deutsche Bundesbahn or DB was formed as the state railway of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany on September 7, 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft '...
. - In the Siegen locomotive shed is the last P8 in Deutsche BundesbahnDeutsche BundesbahnThe Deutsche Bundesbahn or DB was formed as the state railway of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany on September 7, 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft '...
service. Officially paid off on December 5, 1974, number 38 1772 (since 1968 given the computerised number 038 772-0) was still in service until February 13, 1975, for farewell journeys. Built at SchichauSchichau-WerkeThe Schichau-Werke was a German engineering works and shipyard based in Elbing, formerly part of the German Empire, and which is today the town of Elbląg in northern Poland. It also had a subsidiary shipyard in Danzig .-Early years:...
in 1915, it had covered 3719271 kilometres (2,311,053.6 mi) before its withdrawal. In the 1980s it was reactivated for steam specials by railway fans. Since it had to be taken out of service in 1993, number 38 1772 is preserved as a mobile memorial. - In The Polish Railways PKPPolskie Koleje Panstwoweis the dominant railway operator in Poland.The company was founded when the former state-owned operator was divided into several units based on the requirements laid down by the European Union...
depot at WolsztynWolsztynWolsztyn is a town in western Poland, on the western edge of Greater Poland Voivodeship...
the Ok1-359, formerly 38 2155, remains operational.
- State railway trips / Manuel Jussen is the owner of the P 8 engine '2455 Posen', which is stabled at the Dieringhausen Railway MuseumDieringhausen Railway MuseumThe Dieringhausen Railway Museum is a railway history museum in Dieringhausen in the district of Oberbergischer Kreis in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany....
(Eisenbahnmuseum Dieringhausen). Number 2455 Posen was built in 1919 by the Linke-HofmannLinke-HofmannLinke-Hofmann was a German manufacturing company established in Breslau to produce locomotives and rolling stock. Its origins lay in the wheelwright business of Gottfried Linke, begun in 1834...
factory in Breslau under the running number 1804. Sold by the DRG to Romania in August 1926, it was operated there under the number 230 094 until about 1974. After its sale to the present owner in spring 1998 is was restored in Romania in 2001. It represents the period of the early 1920s. The locomotive was used in 2008 as motive power for the "train of remembrance" (Zug der Erinnerung). - The Austrian Railway History Company (ÖGEG) owns an operational P 8 copy of Romanian origin.
- The P 8 transferred in March 2007 from Romania to the Verein Patrimoine Ferroviare Touristique in Belgium with the Belgian number 64 169 was the Romanian 230 084 which had been manufactured by Henschel with the factory number 18939.
- In Böblingen-Hulb, near Stuttgart, number 38 3650 stands in the car park of a shopping centre. It was supplied in 1922 as Elberfeld 3097 to the (Hamburg-)Harburg shed, was on duty there until 1945 and was withdrawn from service in 1972 in TübingenTübingenTübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
. Standing in the open there, the loco has meanwhile become very run down.
Remarks
As early as the end of the 1930s the Deutsche Reichsbahn planned to replace the now ageing P8 by a new locomotive. This led to the development of the DRG Class 23DRG Class 23
The German Class 23 engines of the Deutsche Reichsbahn were standard steam engines that were conceived as a replacement for the Prussian P 8 by the Schichau Works...
, of which only 2 examples had been built, however, by 1941. In 1950 the Deutsche Bundesbahn began to used the more advanced DB Class 23
DB Class 23
The steam locomotives of Class 23 were German passenger train locomotives developed in the 1950s for the Deutsche Bundesbahn. They had a 2-6-2 wheel arrangement and were equipped with Class 2'2' T 31 tenders...
as a replacement for the P8. The factories produced 105 examples by 1951. The change of motive power meant that the last Class 23 was withdrawn by the DB only one year after the last P8 had been retired.
See also
- Prussian state railwaysPrussian state railwaysThe term Prussian state railways encompasses those railway organisations that were owned or managed by the State of Prussia...
- List of Prussian locomotives and railcars
- List of preserved steam locomotives in Germany
Sources
- Wenzel/Gress 100 Jahre Preußische P8 Eisenbahn-Kurier Special 80 EK Verlag Freiburg
- Jochen Kretschmann berichtet in vielen seiner Erzählungen sehr eindringlich über den zeitweise sehr harten Alltag bei der DR(DDR) auf der P 8 (minderwertige Kohle (Braunkohle), Unterernährung, totale Erschöpfung des Personals).
- Karl Julius Harder, Die P8, Entstehung und Geschichte einer europäischen Dampflokomotive, Francksche Verlagsbuchhandlung Stuttgart 1974 ISBN 3-440-04116-6
- Typenblätter Band No. 1, Eisenbahn Journal Archiv 1/2002, Horst Obermayer. ISBN 3-89610-093-9.
- MCMXCVII Literary international, inc. Atlas Editions UK LTD. 1998 (printed in EU)
D1 613 401(2) 28. Encyclopedic Leaflet system.
External links
- There is a relevant English-language forum at Railways of Germany