Ty51
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Ty51-185, location unknown, August 1961. Photo from my collection.
Ty51-133 (HCP
2425/1956) currently on display at Chabowka rolling stock heritage park,
photographed on
Another picture of the Ty51-133, taken on November
12, 2008.
Two more Ty51s can be seen in Chabówka: Ty51-182 (HCP
2474/1956)…
…and Ty51-137 (HCP
2429/1956); both pictures were taken on the same occasion.
This beautiful Ty51-183 (HCP 2475/1956) has been preserved at Wolsztyn loco depot; photo
taken on
Ty51-223 (HCP
2532/1957), photographed on the same occasion.
Less than two years later, on
Ty51-183 again: things have improved. Photo
taken on
This Ty51-15 (HCP
1994/1954) has been plinthed near Sędziszów railway station; photo taken on
June 19, 2003.
Ty51 side drawing by Wojtek Lis from www.parowozy.com.pl
Slightly derelict Ty51-140 (HCP 2432/1956), photographed at the PCC Rail Polska loco depot in
Szczakowa on
This beautiful picture of Ty51-71, operated
by PMP PW (sand railways), was
taken in October 1989, between Rybnik and Kotlarnia, by Roman Ficek – thanks
for permission! (source: www.transport.amsnet.pl)
Derelict Ty51-177 + 27D51-153 (HCP
2469/ 1956), abandoned in Korsze; photo taken on September 8, 2005. This
machine was scrapped in early 2006.
Ty51-1 + 27D51-108 (HCP 1980/1953) at the Zduńska Wola Karsznice depot; photo taken
on October 27, 2003.
Ty51-228 + 27D51-92 (HCP 2627/1958), Railway Museum, Warsaw, September 5, 2006.
Ty51-228 – coal feeder details.
Ty51-138 (HCP
2430/1956) was used by the Kotlarnia
sand mine and has been plinthed at the company’s premises. Photo taken on
October 4, 2006. |
Coal
export has always been important for Polish economy. This explains intensive
development of heavy freight locomotives after WWI, almost exclusively with
the 1-5-0 axle arrangement (class Tr21 of foreign origin was the sole
exception). Ty23 was the most numerous steam locomotive of indigenous design
ever built (612 machines), and its direct development, Ty37, went into series
production shortly before WWII, to re-appear in a modified form soon
afterwards as Ty45. Thus Decapods dominated heavy freight traffic in
Poland until the end of steam era. Poor
condition of Polish locomotive factories immediately after the termination of
hostilities prevented them from supplying badly needed machines in sufficient
numbers. On the other hand, coal export was vital for the entire national
economy, so 100 heavy freight locomotives were purchased in the USA in 1947.
Designated Ty246, they were considered an interim measure: there was enough
experience to design and build an indigenous machine in this class. It was,
however, evident that Ty246 was a modern and efficient machine, so instead of
further developing the Ty23/ Ty37/Ty45 family, descending from early 1920s,
it was decided to base the new design on the
powerful ‘Truman’. Detailed
design was prepared by Central Design
Bureau of the Railway Stock Industry (CBK-PTK)
during 1951 and 1952. Prototype, designated Ty51 (s/n 1980), was completed by
HCP (Cegielski) of Poznań in 1953 and underwent extensive tests.
Results were considered satisfactory and new machine was viewed superior even
to Ty246. This might have been exaggerated by official propaganda (after all,
Ty246 had been designed by the ‘imperialists’…), but nonetheless Ty51 was
successful. Most shortcomings were in fact due to poor workmanship quality,
inferior technology and low-grade materials; fatigue cracks of side sills
were perhaps the most serious damages suffered during service. Modifications
were progressively introduced during production and later examples, from
Ty51-71 onwards, were sometimes designated Ty51/1, but this was probably not
used in formal documents. In service they earned a good reputation, being not
only powerful and impressive, but also economical and reliable. They were
commonly nicknamed ‘Stokers’, as most of them were fitted with mechanical
coal feeders. It should be said, however, that they were neither largest nor
heaviest steam locomotives built in Poland: both these distinctions go to
pre-war Pu29 express engine. In
1957 it was decided to terminate orders for steam locomotives in Poland, in
view of expected rapid electrification (which, however, proved
over-optimistic). Production of Ty51 at HCP
(sole manufacturer of this type) was stopped in 1958, after 232 machines had
been built. It was intended to develop an improved version, designated Ty55,
differing mainly in boiler details and equipment, but it did not progress
beyond the initial project stage. Many of the later examples (including last
five, built in 1958 with serials from 2627 to 2631 and service numbers
Ty51-228 through 232) went directly to industrial operators, mainly Silesian
sand railways, which used 29 of them. In 1971, three Ty51s from sand railways
were transferred to PKP in exchange for lighter Ty23s. This class was
withdrawn from the PKP service in
1980s and the last examples operated by sand railways survived in active
service until 1993. Several
Ty51s have been preserved, including the prototype, now on display at the
Karsznice locomotive heritage park. Ty51-223 (HCP 2532/1957), withdrawn in 1988, remained operational at the
Wolsztyn depot until late 1990s and sometimes hauled special trains. For some
time it was the largest and heaviest steam engine in Europe remaining in
service – at least until ex-SNCF 241A
class No.65 express loco was brought up to the working order in Switzerland
in September 1997. Unfortunately, after boiler certificate expiration
Ty51-223 remains on static display and will not be restored in service. Some
Ty51s are plinthed at various locations. Competent sources (e.g. lists
available at www.holdys.pl/tomi,
compiled by Tomisław Czarnecki) give fifteen preserved machines, albeit two
as wrecks. Of them, Ty51-9, previously displayed in Bielsko-Biała, was later
transferred to the Kraków Płaszów depot. Anyway, those railway fans that held
this type in high esteem due to its impressive appearance still have several
examples to see, as most of the surviving Ty51s are in comparatively good
condition. One
more locomotive of this type has survived until today: Ty51-83 (HCP 2375/1955), used by sand railways,
was sold to France in 1989 and is now plinthed in Walibi-Schtroumpf,
Lorraine. Main technical data
References and acknowledgments
Most
historical data has been taken from the web page maintained by ‘Doctor’ – www.parowozy.best.net.pl .
Concise descriptions can also be found in AP and PPN. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
