Tp106

Romanian 274.005 (Henschel 14117/1916), briefly owned by Hungarian MÁV and handed over to CFR in September 1919. Location and date unknown. Source: www.beitraege.lokomotive.de.

Due to insufficient capacities of indigenous locomotive manufacturers, Austro-Hungarian military railways (kaiserlich und königliche Heeresbahn – kukHB) ordered a number of locomotives from German manufacturers. In 1916 Henschel delivered 35 freight engines, with factory numbers 14113 through 14147, classed 274. They corresponded to Prussian class G7¹ (later PKP class Tp1) and differed only in details. Class 274 was a relatively simple locomotive running on saturated steam, with single-expansion steam engine, Allan valve gear and steam brakes. Although already obsolescent, it was very useful, due to low axle load and ease of maintenance.

All locomotives of this type survived until the Armistice. Initially it was intended to divide them between Poland (seventeen), Austria (six), Hungary (six), Kingdom of Serbs, Croatians and Slovenians (SHS, later Yugoslavia, four), with single examples going to Italy and Czechoslovakia. After final rearrangements Austrians had to handle all their 274s to Poland; Hungarians took over the single Czechoslovakian engine, only to divide their share between Poland (three) and Romania (four). Thus, PKP were finally left with 26 locomotives of this type, classed Tp106 in 1926. Although almost identical to class Tp1, they were treated as being ‘of foreign origin other than Prussian or Austrian’, hence their new designation. To complicate things further, their tenders were treated as of Austrian origin and classed 12C15!

All Yugoslavian 274s, later classed 23, were impressed into Italian state railways FS during the war; at least two were later returned. By contrast, the sole Italian engine of this type, re-numbered 425.001, saw no service and was withdrawn in 1923. All four Romanians locomotives retained their original service numbers and were written off before 1934. As for Polish Tp106s, all remained in use until 1939. After the September campaign DRG and NKPS took over thirteen examples each. German engines were re-numbered 55 5951 through 5963. Those taken over by the Soviets retained their Polish service numbers. Later eight of them became German war booty and were impressed into DRG as 55 5964 through 5971. After 1945 ten locomotives were returned and given new service numbers, Tp106-1 through 11; service number Tp106-2 was erroneously assigned to an ex-KPEV G7¹ and this error was never corrected. Three more, returned later, were not restored in service and scrapped. Post-war life of these engines was short. All were withdrawn from PKP between 1951 and 1953; three went to collieries and one to a power station. Not a single example has been preserved.

Main technical data

No.	Parameter	Unit	Value
1.	Years of manufacture	-	1916
2.	Total built / used in Poland	-	35 / 26
3.	Tender class	-	12C15
4.	Axle arrangement	-	0-4-0
5.	Design maximum speed	km/h	45
6.	Cylinder bore	mm	2 x 520
7.	Piston stroke	mm	630
8.	Engine rating	kW/hp	485 / 660
9.	Tractive effort	kG	11 200
10.	Boiler pressure	MPa	1.22
11.	Grate dimensions	m x m	2.28 x 1.0
12.	Firebox heating surface	m^2	10.75
13.	Distance between tube plates	mm
14.	Number of flue tubes	-
15.	Heating surface of flue tubes	m^2	134.5
16.	Number of smoke tubes	-	-
17.	Heating surface of smoke tubes	m^2	-
18.	Evaporating surface, total	m^2	145.25
19.	Superheater heating surface	m^2	-
20.	Diameter of drivers	mm	1250
21.	Diameter of idlers front/rear	mm	- / -
22.	Total weight, empty	kg
23.	Total weight, working order	kg	52 700
24.	Weight on drivers, working order	kg	52 700
25.	Weight with tender, empty	kg
26.	Weight with tender, working order	kg	86 500
27.	Maximum axle load	T
28.	Axle base (with tender)	mm	11 745
29.	Overall length (with tender)	mm	16 790
30.	Brake type	-	steam

List of vehicles can be found here.

References and acknowledgments

- LP, ITFR, ISRSL;

- www.pospichal.net/lokstatistik (website by Josef Pospichal);

- www.beitraege.lokomotive.de.