DRB Class 52

DRB Class 52
52 4867 of the HEF in Frankfurt am Main
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderSee text
Build date1942–c. 1950
Total produced7,794
Specifications
Configuration:
 • Whyte2-10-0
 • UIC1′E h2
 • GermanG 56.15
Gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in)
Leading dia.0,850 mm (33+12 in)
Driver dia.1,400 mm (55+18 in)
Tender wheels
  • 2′2′ T 30: 930 mm (3 ft 58 in)
  • 4 T 30: 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+38 in)
Wheelbase:
 • Axle spacing
(Asymmetrical)
  • 2,600 mm (8 ft 6+38 in) +
  • 1,650 mm (5 ft 5 in) +
  • 1,650 mm (5 ft 5 in) +
  • 1,650 mm (5 ft 5 in) +
  • 1,650 mm (5 ft 5 in) =
 • Engine9,200 mm (30 ft 2+14 in)
 • Tender
  • 2′2′ T 30:
  • 1,800 mm (5 ft 10+78 in) +
  • 2,300 mm (7 ft 6+12 in) +
  • 1,800 mm (5 ft 10+78 in) =
  • 5,900 mm (19 ft 4+14 in)
  • 4 T 30:
  • 1,500 mm (4 ft 11 in) +
  • 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) +
  • 1,500 mm (4 ft 11 in) =
  • 4,600 mm (15 ft 1+18 in)
 • incl. tender
  • 2′2′ T 30: 19,000 mm (62 ft 4 in)
  • 4 T 30: 18,220 mm (59 ft 9+38 in)
Length:
 • Over buffers
  • 2′2′ T 30: 22,975 mm (75 ft 4+12 in)
  • 4 T 30: 22,830 mm (74 ft 10+78 in)
Height4,400 mm (14 ft 5+14 in)
Axle load15.1 t (14.9 long tons; 16.6 short tons)
Adhesive weight75.7 t (74.5 long tons; 83.4 short tons)
Empty weight75.9 t (74.7 long tons; 83.7 short tons)
Service weight84.0 t (82.7 long tons; 92.6 short tons)
Total weight102.7 t (101.1 long tons; 113.2 short tons)
Tender type
  • 2′2′ T 30
  • 4 T 30
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity10 t (9.8 long tons; 11 short tons)
Water cap.30 m3 (6,600 imp gal; 7,900 US gal)
Firebox:
 • Grate area3.9 m2 (42 sq ft)
Boiler:
 • Pitch3,050 mm (10 ft 18 in)
 • Tube plates5,200 mm (17 ft 34 in)
 • Small tubes54 mm (2+18 in), 113 off
 • Large tubes133 mm (5+14 in), 35 off
Boiler pressure16 bar (16.3 kgf/cm2; 232 psi)
Heating surface:
 • Firebox15.9 m2 (171 sq ft)
 • Tubes90.4 m2 (973 sq ft)
 • Flues71.3 m2 (767 sq ft)
 • Total surface177.6 m2 (1,912 sq ft)
Superheater:
 • Heating area63.7 m2 (686 sq ft)
CylindersTwo, outside
Cylinder size600 mm × 660 mm (23+58 in × 26 in)
Valve gearHeusinger Valve Gear (Kuhn Slide)
Valve typePiston Valve
Train heatingSteam
Loco brakeKnorr Air
Train brakesKnorr Air
CouplersScrew Link
Performance figures
Maximum speed80 km/h (50 mph)
Indicated power1,620 PS (1,190 kW; 1,600 hp)
Career
OperatorsDRB
Numbers
  • DRB: 52 001…52 7794 (Germany)
  • JŽ: 33 001 – 33 341, 33 501 – 33 505 (Yugoslavia)
  • BDŽ: 15.01–16.50 (Bulgaria)
RetiredBDŽ: 1969-1975 (Bulgaria)
ČSD: 1976 (Czechoslovakia)
DB: 1962
DR: 1988
ÖBB: 1976
JŽ: 1988-1992
PreservedMany preserved
Weights are for locos with plate frames
DRB Class 52
(condensing tender)
Class 52 at Altenbeken in March 1953 with a 2′2′ T 13.5 Kon tender
Type and origin
Only changes from standard version are shown
Power typeSteam
BuilderHenschel & Sohn
Build date1943–1945
Total produced
  • 3′2′ T 16 Kon: 140
  • 2′2′ T 13.5 Kon: 38
Specifications
Wheelbase:
 • Tender
  • 3′2′ T 16 Kon:
  • 1,500 mm (4 ft 11 in) +
  • 1,500 mm (4 ft 11 in) +
  • 4,385 mm (14 ft 4+58 in) +
  • 2,000 mm (6 ft 6+34 in) =
  • 9,385 mm (30 ft 9+12 in)
  • 4 T 30:
  • 1,800 mm (5 ft 10+78 in) +
  • 3,650 mm (11 ft 11+34 in) +
  • 1,800 mm (5 ft 10+78 in) =
  • 7,250 mm (23 ft 9+38 in)
 • incl. tender
  • 3′2′ T 16 Kon: 23,185 mm (76 ft 34 in)
  • 2′2′ T 13.5 Kon: 21,755 mm (71 ft 4+12 in)
Length:
 • Over buffers
  • 3′2′ T 16 Kon: 27,535 mm (90 ft 4 in)
  • 2′2′ T 13.5 Kon: 26,205 mm (85 ft 11+34 in)
Axle load15.7 t (15.5 long tons; 17.3 short tons)
Adhesive weight78.7 t (77.5 long tons; 86.8 short tons)
Empty weight81.2 t (79.9 long tons; 89.5 short tons)
Service weight89.1 t (87.7 long tons; 98.2 short tons)
Tender type
  • 3′2′ T 16 Kon
  • 2′2′ T 13.5 Kon
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity9 t (8.9 long tons; 9.9 short tons)
Water cap.16 or 13.5 m3 (3,520 or 2,970 imp gal; 4,230 or 3,570 US gal)
Cylinders2
Valve gearHeusinger (Kuhn Slide)
Valve typePiston Valve
Train heatingSteam
Loco brakeKnorr
Train brakesKnorr
CouplersScrew Link
Performance figures
Maximum speed80 Kmh (50 mph)
Power output1,620 PS (1,600 HP)
Career
Numbers
  • 3′2′ T 16 Kon: 52 1850 – 52 1989
  • 2′2′ T 13.5 Kon: 52 1990 – 52 2027

The Deutsche Reichsbahn's Class 52[note 1] is a German steam locomotive built in large numbers during the Second World War. It was the most produced type of the so-called Kriegslokomotiven or Kriegsloks (war locomotives). The Class 52 was a wartime development of the pre-war DRG Class 50, using fewer parts and less expensive materials to speed production. They were designed by Richard Wagner who was Chief Engineer of the Central Design Office at the Locomotive Standards Bureau of the DRG. About a dozen classes of locomotive were referred to as Kriegslokomotiven; however, the three main classes were the Class 52, 50 and 42. They were numbered 52 1-52 7794. A total of 20 are preserved in Germany.

Many locomotives passed into Russian ownership after the Second World War. In the USSR, the class were designated TE (TЭ). Other operators of the type included Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Norway and Turkey, among others.
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