Steam locomotive class 044 with coal tender of the Deutsche Bundesbahn (DB). Epoch IV.

New construction 2019 !

DB Witte smoke deflectors in lower position. DB lamps. Cut back running boards without front skirt. Pumps in the back area. DB driver‘s cab. Middle drive axles with smaller wheel flanges. Unobstructed view between boiler and chassis. Close coupling between loco and tender. Chassis with train control system INDUSI Magnet.

Technical highlights:
Digital interface Next 18. Current input at loco and tender. Drive on 4 wheels with 4 traction tyres in the tender. Two spring-supported tender axles. Close-coupling on the front of the loco.

Prototype:
After the merger of the German Länderbahnen to the German Reichsbahn Gesellschaft in the 1920s, a programme for standard locomotives was developed. It also had a new five-coupled goods train locomotive listed. Ten model locomotives of the series 43 and ten model locomotives of the series 44 were procured and later tested. In the end, the three-cylinder series 44 was the winner. However, no more locomotives were procured because the high axle load was suitable only for a few routes.
Only starting in 1937, when the demands on train traction became even tougher, this locomotive went into series production and was procured in large numbers and in different designs. The tenders used were mainly of the types 2‘2 ‚T 32 and 2‘2‘ T 34. Due to the war situation, simple modifications to the construction and design were made. The side window of the driver’s cab was closed and the smoke-shields were removed. After the war, the locomotives were back to normal and were used as standard versions. After 1945 some of the locomotives continued to operate for the various European railway administrations.
The locomotives were able to carry trains with a total load of 1200 t, - on steep ramps with 600 t. The steam locomotives, also known as the „Jumbo“ for their strong traction power, were used with great success in almost all of Germany and in many other European countries. The locomotives reached a top speed of 80 km / h in forward gear and 50 km/h in reverse gear. Some of these already very powerful locomotives recorded yet another performance increase to 2100 hp (1546 kW) with the Deutsche Bundesbahn, when they were converted in 1955 to oil firing. The Deutsche Reichsbahn also converted locomotives to oil and coal dust firing.
The last locomotives of the DB were scrapped in 1977, when the era of the longest procured locomotive came to an end in 1981 inside DR. Several locomotives have been preserved in museums.