Oc16

KkStB 25.03 (StEG 1795/1884), location unknown, before 1900. This locomotive ended up in the USSR and its ultimate fate is not known. Source: www.commons.wikimedia.org.

Galizische Transversalbahn, or Galician Transversal Railway, was one of the most important railways in north-eastern part of Austro-Hungary. Running between Čadca (now in Slovakia) and Husiatyn (now in Ukraine), it incorporated several earlier railways and was opened in 1884. Traffic was operated by state railways kkStB. For hauling passenger trains the company ordered in 1884 twelve 1-2-0 locomotives from StEG. They featured 1495 mm drivers and outer frames. Initially numbered 1101 through 1110, 1145 and 1146, later 2501 through 2512, they were finally in 1905 re-numbered 25.01 through 12. They were coupled with three-axle class 12 or, more often, class 16 tenders – the latter was built almost exclusively for the Galizische Transversalbahn. All were based in Lemberg (Lwów). Further three locomotives of this type were ordered by the Eisenbahn Wien-Aspang (EWA), also from StEG. They were classed III, later re-classed IIb and numbered 15 through 17.

After the war seven already obsolete class 25 locomotives were taken over by PKP and later classed – at least formally – Oc16. They served on local lines in south-eastern Poland. Assignment of service numbers to individual examples is not known and it is possible that actual re-numbering never took place, as all were withdrawn before 1927. The remaining five 25s ended up in the USSR and their ultimate fate remains unknown. EWA No. 15 was written off in 1922, but the lifespan of Nos. 16 and 17 was surprisingly long. In 1937 they were taken over by BBÖ, but used only for auxiliary duties at depots rather than line service and hence retained their EWA service numbers. After Anschluss their became the DRG property. Initially numbered 52 7001 and 52 7002, they were promptly re-numbered 53 7801 and 53 7802 to make room for mass-built BR52 Kriegslokomotiven. Returned after the war, they were not re-numbered by ÖBB and written off in 1955 and 1949, respectively. No engine of this type has been preserved.

Main technical data

No.	Parameter	Unit	Value
1.	Years of manufacture	-	1884 – 1885
2.	Total built / used in Poland	-	15 / 7
3.	Tender class	-
4.	Axle arrangement	-	1-2-0
5.	Design maximum speed	km/h	60
6.	Cylinder bore	mm	2 X 400
7.	Piston stroke	mm	632
8.	Engine rating	kW/hp
9.	Tractive effort	kG
10.	Boiler pressure	MPa	1.02
11.	Grate dimensions	m X m	1.73 m^2
12.	Firebox heating surface	m^2	7.25
13.	Distance between tube plates	mm	4 128
14.	Number of flue tubes	-	180
15.	Heating surface of flue tubes	m^2	121.4
16.	Number of smoke tubes	-	-
17.	Heating surface of smoke tubes	m^2	-
18.	Evaporating surface, total	m^2	128.65
19.	Superheater heating surface	m^2	-
20.	Diameter of drivers	mm	1 495
21.	Diameter of idlers front/rear	mm	1 180 / -
22.	Total weight, empty	kg	31 400
23.	Total weight, working order	kg	36 400
24.	Weight on drivers, working order	kg	25 468
25.	Weight with tender, empty	kg	43 400^1)
26.	Weight with tender, working order	kg	61 900^1)
27.	Maximum axle load	T	13.0
28.	Axle base (with tender)	mm	10 310
29.	Overall length (with tender)	mm	14 459
30.	Brake type	-

1) With class 16 tender.

References and acknowledgments

- LP, KT vol. 1;

- www.de.wikipedia.org;

- http://www.beitraege.lokomotive.de/datenbank (website by Ingo Hütter).