Organization: mbp Software&Systems GmbH at ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany
Date: Thursday, 12 Nov 1992 08:42:14 CET
From: Dr. Lutz Massonne <LMASSONN@ESOC.BITNET>
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Condensing locomotives, Book by R.Roosen

I promised to give a short summary of a book which deals with the construction
of condensing locomotives.

It is called "Ein Leben fuer die Lokomotive" by Richard Roosen, the former
leader of the construction department of the Henschel locomotive building
firm.
It is in German and was published in 1976 by Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung in
Stuttgart, ISBN 3-440-04309-6 .

Roosen gives a narrative of his professional life. I will just list
the chapters:

Youth and study of Engineering
The Henschel factory in the 1920's
Test runs with the Deutz-Henschel diesel locomotive (1924)
High pressure and turbine locomotives, work at the Henschel-power tender
locomotive T 38 3255 (1927)
The powdered coal fired locomotives (1929)

Henschel-Doble Steam Vehicles
The development of steam powered cars, buses and trucks
Henschel-steam railcar for the Luebeck-Buechen Railway, the Reichsbahn and
Italy
A steam motor small shunter
Further developments in steam vehicle construction
The steam motor tug

The Henschel Condensing Locomotive
Building the first condensing locomotive for Argentitia
Reconstructing an Iraqi locomotive for condensing operation
The condensing locomotives for the Soviet Union.
Further development in the Soviet Union
The War Condensing Locomotive, the Class 52 of the Reichsbanh

Henschel Condensing Locomotives for South Africa
Start with rebuilding the Class 20 of the SAR
The construction of the Class 25 of the SAR
Trial runs and initial problems in South Africa

The Locomotive 19 1001 of the Reichsbahn with single axis drive

Developments in the 1950's


According to Roosen's book the first Henschel condensing locomotive was
built in 1930 for the Argentinian State Railways. It was a Mikado type
(1'D 1') and the test runs were a full success (95% water saving)
Argentinia got 6 more condensing locos of Mountain type (2'D 1') together
with 15 non-condensing similar locomotives in 1937.

1938 an Iraqi locomotive (built by Stephenson in 1905) was
rebuilt to condensing operation. The engine ran successfully
from 1939 to 1942 between Baghdad and Samawa.

Already in 1934 a Soviet five-coupled good engine built in the 1920's
was fitted with a condensing tender at Henschel.
The engine (number Eg 5224-K) was tested at Moscow,
and the Soviet Unition built 4200 condensing locomotives of the
class SOk during the third five year's plan period.
(Yes, 4200 !)

The advancing German troops in the USSR captured numerous of
these condensing locomotives and found out that they were
well suited for lines with bad of sparse water supply (e.g. in Turkestan)
Therefore 240 of the class 52 war locomotives were built as condensing
engines (1942).

In later stages of the war the locos were also used in the West,
as the condensing engines had no steam exhaust and were such less
easily detected by Allied planes.
After the war one of the locomotives (no. 52 2006) was shipped
to the US and displayed there.
Since 1953 the class was not longer used by the German railways.

Regards, Lutz