Ti3
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KPEV
Kattowitz 1004, later Kattowitz 4005 (Borsig
5406/1904). This engine later became Ti3-9 and was used with armored trains
until 1939, eventually falling into Soviet hands. Factory photo; source: Lokomotiv-Archiv Preußen Band 2 (see
References).
Side drawing of the G53, source –
as above.
An unarmored Ti3 used by Polish army;
location and date unknown. Source: www.derela.republika.pl.
Ti3-12 (ex KPEV Münster 4021, Hohenzollern 1771/1905),
location and date unknown. Individual examples differed in armor details. In
1939 this locomotive became Soviet war booty, but later fell into German
hands and served with Ostbahn.
Source – as above.
Side drawing of armored Ti3; source – as
above.
No. 52 ‘Piłsudczyk’ armored train captured by
Germans, probably September 1939. The locomotive (ex KPEV Frankfurt 4022, Hohenzollern
1773/1905) became 54 654, was returned after the war, re-numbered Ti3-1
and withdrawn in 1952. Photo from my collection.
KPEV
Magdeburg 844 (BMAG
3232/1903); I have no information on the ultimate fate of this engine.
Source: Die Lokomotive
August 1904 via www.de.wikipedia.org.
KPEV Frankfurt 1047 (Hohenzollern
1774/1904), probably a factory photo. This engine was later re-numbered Frankfurt
4023. In 1922 it was sold to August Thyssen Hütte; numbered 71,
it was withdrawn before 1935. Source: Die
Lokomotive January 1922. |
First
Prussian freight Moguls, later classed G51 (single-expansion
engine) and G52 (compound engine) were built in considerable
numbers, but their performance was not entirely satisfactory. In particular, running
qualities still left something to be desired, especially at higher speed and
on tight curves. It was therefore decided to shorten locomotive axle base and
replace Adams lead axle with Krauss-Helmholtz pony truck. Just like with
their predecessors, two versions were developed: G53 with
single-expansion steam engine and compound G54. The latter enjoyed
much longer production run, with over 750 examples built. G53,
designed by Henschel, did not
differ much from late production G51s; boiler remained virtually
unchanged, albeit with higher pitch, and cylinders were increased in diameter
by 10 mm. Heusinger valve gear replaced older Allan unit. This type was
standardized as Musterblatt III 3l
and total output was a modest 206 examples from six manufacturers: BMAG (24), Borsig (37), Hanomag
(42), Henschel (44), Hohenzollern (seven) and Humboldt (52). They were typically
coupled with three-axle 3T12 tenders. Apart from running qualities, G53
was only a marginal improvement compared to G51; with increasing
weight of freight trains and appearance of more powerful types, these
locomotives were soon relegated to secondary lines, where some were also used
with light passenger trains. After
the war DRG initially intended to
keep 108 engines of this type in service, but within the framework of the
ultimate re-numbering plan of 1925 only 71 examples were classed 546.
The last of them, 54 654 (Humboldt
227/1904, originally delivered as Hannover 1311), was withdrawn in 1931. A
few were taken over by Lithuanian railways, which had two examples (classed P53)
in 1926. Polish railways took over seventeen G53s, but only
sixteen were finally classed Ti3; most probably one, Essen 4502 (Humboldt 228/1904) was withdrawn
before 1925 or not restored in service at all. As early as in 1918 two
locomotives of this type were armored and used in combat against the
Bolsheviks. Further followed and in 1926 it was decided to standardize Ti3 as
the locomotive for armored trains, of which ten (two squadrons) were intended
to remain in use after 1929. The army thus took over twelve examples, of
which ten were armored between 1927 and 1932. Two were used without armor,
but it is not clear if armor kits were manufactured for them. The remaining
four Ti3s remained in civil use, but were considered as a military reserve;
photos of civil Ti3s are extremely rare. Armored locomotives retained their PKP plates and service numbers. In
September 1939 two engines used by PKP
(Ti3-7 and Ti3-11) were taken over by DRG;
the fate of the remaining two (Ti3-1 and Ti3-15) is not known. Four armored
Ti3s were taken over by NKPS;
according to www.derela.republika.pl,
three were later used with NKVD
trains. Two of them were later captured by Germans. It seems probable that
the remaining eight fell into German hands, but details on five of them are
not known; three were re-numbered 54 651, 54 652 and 54 654. DRG number 54 653 was assigned to
ex-PKP Ti3-11 and TKi3-10, which
fell into Soviet and later German hands, became 54 657 (54 655 and
54 656 were ex-JDŽ G54s;
TKi3-7 was not re-numbered and withdrawn in 1941). After the war only Ti3-13
(Hohenzollern 1773/1905, DRG 54 654) was returned and
re-numbered Ti3-1, but saw little service and was written off in 1952. Ti3-16
(Humboldt 232/1904), returned by DR in mid-1950s, was not restored in
service. No G53 has been preserved. Main technical data
1)
Only sixteen classed Ti3. List of
vehicles can be found here. References
and acknowledgments
-
www.lokomotive.de/lokomotivgeschichte/datenbank
(Ingo Hütter’s database); -
LP, TB vol. 1; -
Lokomotiv-Archiv
Preußen Band 2 by Andreas Wagner (Bechtermünz Verlag, 1996); -
www.derela.republika.pl
(website by Michał Derela
– detailed information on armored trains); -
Steam
Locomotives of Lithuanian Railways by Toms
Altbergs (Zidex, 2012). |
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