Pf11

KkStB 108.04 (BMMF 86/1902) on a turntable, location and date unknown. This locomotive later became ČSD 275.004 and remained in service until July 1935. Source: www.pl.wikipedia.org. This heavily retouched photo is most probably a collage of at least three different pictures. But it looks great…

Südbahn 108.215 (StEG 3086/1903), photographed at the Wien Südbahnhof shortly after delivery. Source: www.commons.wikimedia.org.

Side drawing of class 108; source: Triebfahrzeuge österreichischer Eisenbahnen: Dampflokomotiven BBÖ und ÖBB (see References).

Pf11 that never was: kkStB 10815, later 108.15 (StEG 3068/1903), location and date unknown. Passed over to ČSD and re-numbered 275.014, it remained in use until September 1940. Source: Die Lokomotive July 1904.

Another engine that ended up with ČSD: 108.21 (BMMF 161/1906), which became 275.021, was withdrawn in March 1946. Source: Die Lokomotive December 1909.

Südbahn 108.211 (WrN 4531/1903) with an express train from Wien to Naples, photographed near Atzgersdorf bei Wien on May 1, 1913 by Josef Stögermayer. This engine later became BBÖ 108.01 and was withdrawn in 1929. Source: www.commons.wikimedia.org.

Between 1901 and 1910 Austro-Hungarian state railways Kaiserlich-königliche österreichische Staatsbahnen (kkStB) took delivery of 25 express locomotives classed 108. They were built by BMMF (eleven), Wiener Neustadt (eight) and StEG (six). Class 108 ran on saturated steam, featured four-cylinder compound steam engine and, for the first time in the KkStB fleet, 2-2-1 axle arrangement. Last nine engines, built from 1905 onwards, were fitted with modified boilers, with 314 flues instead of 329, and their empty weight was marginally lower. These powerful and fast for their time locomotives (140 km/h has been reported) hauled express trains from Vienna to Praha and Kraków. Eleven similar locomotives, differing in minor details, were built between 1903 and 1908 for Südbahn by Wiener Neustadt (three) and StEG (eight). They were assigned service numbers 211 through 221.

After WWI Czechoslovakian state railways ČSD took over 20 engines from kkStB. Three more (108.03, 108.06 and 108.07) went initially to Austrian state railways BBÖ, but soon were also passed over to ČSD. 108.14 was taken over by Romanian state railways CFR and retained its original service number; it was withdrawn before 1934. All former Südbahn engines remained in Austria and were given BBÖ service numbers 108.01 through 11. Last three were withdrawn in 1935.

Polish state railways received just one engine of this type, 108.15 (StEG 3068/1903). Its service in Poland was, however, destined to be short, as in 1924 it was passed over to ČSD. Class designation Pf11 was earmarked for this type, but never actually assigned. No details concerning service with PKP are available. According to EZ, Polish locomotive was in fact 108.14, although all other sources confirm that this particular example went to CFR. Czechoslovakian engines, eventually classed 275.0 (ex-PKP engine became 275.14), remained in service until late 1940s; the last one, 275.010 (formerly 108.10, WrN 4516/1903) was written off in 1950. Seven served for a few more years as stationary boilers. No locomotive of this type has survived until today.

Main technical data

No.	Parameter	Unit	Value
1.	Years of manufacture	-	1901 – 1910
2.	Total built / used in Poland	-	36^1) / 1
3.	Tender class	-
4.	Axle arrangement	-	2-2-1
5.	Design maximum speed	km/h	100
6.	Cylinder bore	mm	2 ´ 350 / 2 ´ 600
7.	Piston stroke	mm	680
8.	Engine rating	kW/hp	910 / 1240
9.	Tractive effort	kG
10.	Boiler pressure	MPa	1.54
11.	Grate dimensions	m x m	3.53 m^2
12.	Firebox heating surface	m^2	16.60 /16.46^2)
13.	Distance between tube plates	mm	4000
14.	Number of flue tubes	-	329 / 314^2)
15.	Heating surface of flue tubes	m^2	210.90 / 201.28^2)
16.	Number of smoke tubes	-	-
17.	Heating surface of smoke tubes	m^2	-
18.	Evaporating surface, total	m^2	227.50 / 217.74^2)
19.	Superheater heating surface	m^2	-
20.	Diameter of drivers	mm	2100
21.	Diameter of idlers front/rear	mm	995 / 1258
22.	Total weight, empty	kg	61 000 / 60 650^2)
23.	Total weight, working order	kg	67 800 / 68 300^2)
24.	Weight on drivers, working order	kg	29 000
25.	Weight with tender, empty	kg
26.	Weight with tender, working order	kg
27.	Maximum axle load	T	14.5
28.	Axle base (with tender)	mm
29.	Overall length (with tender)	mm	11 787
30.	Brake type	-	Hardy

1) Including those for Südbahn.

2) Last nine examples.

References and acknowledgments

1. LP, KT, EZ vol. 1, ITFR;

2. www.pl.wikipedia.org;

3. Triebfahrzeuge österreichischer Eisenbahnen: Dampflokomotiven BBÖ und ÖBB by Heribert Schröpfer (Alba, 2002).