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Our Class 50 began life on 15 July 1942 in the
Borsig-Lokomotivwerken in Berlin and went into
service on the Reichsbahn. It was numbered 50
2220 ÜK, the ÜK signifying Übergangskriegslok, a
simplified design due to the conditions imposed
by the war. She remained in the ‘Soviet Zone’
after 1945. As the boiler was not made of St47K
steel (a more durable type, able to better
withstand the stresses of a locomotive boiler),
and as the DDR could not do without its steam
locomotives, the loco was chosen for the
extensive rebuilding programme in 1961. She
emerged in March / April of that year as ‘new’
Rekolok 50 3655; to improve efficiency the
boiler now incorporated a combustion chamber and
a feed-water heater (Mischvorwärmeranlage)
extracted waste heat from exhaust steam which
altered her appearance. In this form she served
until 1986 at the railway works in Karl Marx
Stadt and until the early 1990s she earned her
keep as a ‘rolling boi-ler’.Eisenbahn-Tradition
e.V. was looking for a Class 50 in 1992, and
discovered her in the locomotive graveyard at
Chemnitz-Hilbersdorf among numerous other Class
50.35 and Class 52.80 locos.
With no connecting- or coupling-rods, with much
missing pipework, pumps and valves, and covered
in rust, she was in a sorry state. Nevertheless
her boiler appeared good and the running gear
was complete.Although the ‘wreck’ was bought for
DM 10,000 (~5,000
€), it cost a further DM 150,000 (~75,000
€) and over 3000 hours’ work to put her back
into service. Along with many railway fans, we
have to thank the Sparkasse Ibbenbüren for
donating much of the money. Our own members –
all volunteers - undertook the restoration work.
To keep her in service swallows up in the region
of 50,000€ per year. This is to cover not only
running costs but also to make provision for
major inspections and renewals. In the winter of
2001 the running gear was inspected and
overhauled – at a cost of DM 250,000 (~125,000
€). Early in 2004 we began the extensive work
to prepare the loco for its boiler inspection,
and she came back into service in 2005.
Type:
...........................................
G56.15
Manufacturer:
............................ Borsig, Berlin
Production No:
........................ 15214
Year:
......................................... 1942
Reconstruction ....................... 1961
Lenght over
buffers: .............. 22.940 mm
Total weight:
............................ 140,0 t
Boiler pressure: ..................... 16 kp/cm²
Driving-wheel-diameter: ...... 1.400 mm
Power (at
cylinder):
............... 1.760 PSi
Maximum speed:
.................. 80 km/h
Coal supply:
........................... 8,0 t
Water supply:
......................... 26 m³
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