TKh102

I still have to find a photo of a VVZhD class 26 engine, so for the time being this has to suffice: type XIX No. 76 ‘Fohnsdorf’, KRB, Krauss 193/1872. Location and date (before 1884) unknown. This locomotive later became kkStB 6201, then 62.01, and was withdrawn in 1926. Source: www.commons.wikimedia.org.

Side drawing of VVZhD class 26 in its original form…

… and after reboilering. Both drawings by Bogdan Pokropiński (monograph – see References).

Locomotives for the Warsaw-Vienna Railway (Varshavo-Vyenskaya Zheleznaya Doroga, VVZhD or BBЖД in Russian script), which began operation in 1845, were until the end of the 19^th century ordered from Belgian, British, Austrian and German factories. Among them were four 0-3-0 tank engines, built in 1872 by Krauss & Co. of Munich (factory type XIX, serial numbers 201 through 204), classed C V, later re-classed 26 and numbered 153 through 156. They were the only freight tank locomotives purchased by VVZhD. Comparatively modern for their time, they featured inner frame, steel firebox and Allan-Trick valve gear. Type XIX numbered sixteen examples that differed in details (the most visible one was the shape and size of smokestack). In all, apart from VVZhD, ten were delivered to Austrian private railways: eight to k.k.priv. Kronprinz Rudolf-Bahn (KRB), numbered 76 through 90 (only even numbers) and two to k.k.priv. Dniester Bahn, numbered 1 and 2. All were also given individual names. On January 1, 1884, both these railways were absorbed by state company kkStB and locomotives were impressed into class 62. Their lifespan was surprisingly long: six survived into 1920s and the last one, 62.04 (ex KRB 82 ‘Zollfeld’, Krauss 196/1872) was withdrawn from BBÖ in 1930! The remaining two XIXs went to industry.

All four VVZhD engines of this type were assigned to Częstochowa and Łazy depots and used for switching. In 1901 they underwent major repair and modernization at the company’s main workshops in Warsaw. New, enlarged boilers with steam domes were fitted, supplied by Henschel. Cab, water boxes and coal boxes were modified and drivers were slightly increased in diameter. When Russian forces were withdrawing after German assault in 1915, they took most of the VVZhD locomotives and rolling stock with them. Three tank engines from Krauss were also included. They were re-gauged and assigned to Severnaya Zheleznaya Doroga (Norther Railway, No. 154) and Yuzhnye Zheleznye Dorogi (Southern Railways, Nos. 155 and 156). These locomotives were never returned ant their ultimate fate is unknown. For some reason, perhaps due to poor technical condition, No. 153 (Krauss 201/1872) was left in Warsaw and taken over by German military authorities. In 1918 it was impressed into PKP. According to LP, class designation TKh102 was probably reserved for this single locomotive, but confirmation is lacking. Even if this was the case, new service number was assigned only formally, as this obsolete engine was withdrawn before the new system came into use. No locomotive of this type has been preserved.

Most probably PKP took over also one locomotive of this type previously used by KRB. No. 80 ‘Hüttenberg’ (Krauss 195/1872, later kkStB 6203, then 62.03) was sold to a private enterprise based in Budapest in 1908 and impressed into military railways kukHB in 1916. It was presumably taken over by PKP in 1918, but – according to EZ – withdrawn in 1924. If that was the case, new number assignment could be only formal. What number – this is another story. LP suggests TKh15 or TKh16, but another candidates for these designations are kkStB 98.02 and 464.02. In my opinion, a kukHB locomotive would have been given class designation envisaged for ‘locomotives of foreign origin other than German or Austrian’, i.e. TKh10x, so neither of these. This question still remains open.

Main technical data

No.	Parameter	Unit	Value
1.	Years of manufacture	-	1872 – 1873
2.	Total built / used in Poland	-	16 / 1^1)
3.	Tender class	-	-
4.	Axle arrangement	-	0-3-0
5.	Design maximum speed	km/h	50
6.	Cylinder bore	mm	2 X 408
7.	Piston stroke	mm	632
8.	Engine rating	kW/hp
9.	Tractive effort	kG	5 517
10.	Boiler pressure	MPa	1.02
11.	Grate dimensions	m X m	1.45 m^2
12.	Firebox heating surface	m^2
13.	Distance between tube plates	mm	3 393
14.	Number of flue tubes	-	169
15.	Heating surface of flue tubes	m^2
16.	Number of smoke tubes	-	-
17.	Heating surface of smoke tubes	m^2	-
18.	Evaporating surface, total	m^2	108.2 / 115.44^2)
19.	Superheater heating surface	m^2	-
20.	Diameter of drivers	mm	1 185 / 1 230^2)
21.	Diameter of idlers front/rear	mm	- / -
22.	Total weight, empty	kg	26 300
23.	Total weight, working order	kg	37 800
24.	Weight on drivers, working order	kg	37 800
25.	Weight with tender, empty	kg	-
26.	Weight with tender, working order	kg	-
27.	Maximum axle load	T
28.	Axle base (with tender)	mm	3 160
29.	Overall length (with tender)	mm	9 391
30.	Brake type	-	hand, steam

1) Four operated by WWZhD before WWI; possibly one more locomotive of this type after the war.

2) Before / after modernization.

References and acknowledgments

̶ LP, KT vol. 3;

̶ Krauss factory list (downloadable from www.werkbahn.de – website by Jens Merte);

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

̶ Tabor Drogi Żelaznej Warszawsko-Wiedeńskiej (Vehicles of the Warsaw-Vienna Railway) by Bogdan Pokropiński (Kolpress, 2015).