page_title: Steam turbine locomotive
section_title: Germany
hierarchical_section_title: Steam turbine locomotive / Drive methods / Direct drive / Germany
caption_attribution_description: Combined Reciprocating &amp; Turbine-driven Locomotive, German State Railways Photo: Locomotive Publishing Co. Henschel T38-3255 of 1927[1] ↑ German Steam Turbine Locomotives
context_page_description: A steam turbine locomotive is a steam locomotive which transmits steam power to the wheels via a steam turbine. Numerous attempts at this type of locomotive were made, mostly without success. In the 1930s this type of locomotive was seen as a way both to revitalize steam power and challenge the diesel locomotives then being introduced.
context_section_description: Multiple attempts at this type were made by German locomotive builders. In 1928 Krupp-Zoelly built a geared steam turbine locomotive. The exhaust of the turbine was fed to a condenser which both conserved water and increased the thermal efficiency of the turbine. Draught for the fire was provided by a steam-driven fan in the smokebox. In 1940, this locomotive was hit by a bomb. It was withdrawn from service and not repaired.
  A similar machine was built by Maffei in 1929. Despite having a higher-pressure boiler, it was less efficient than the Krupp-Zoelly locomotive. It was hit by a bomb in 1943 and removed from service.
  Henschel converted a normal DRG Class 38 steam locomotive to use a steam turbine in 1927. The locomotive itself was little modified, the major changes being to the tender which was fitted with coupled driving wheels in a 2-4-4 layout, driven by separate forward and reverse turbines. Both turbines were driven by intermediate pressure exhaust steam from the original cylinders. A condenser in the tender provided a vacuum for the turbine exhaust, increasing thermal efficiency. As the final exhaust was at negligible pressure, the original smokebox blastpipe had to be replaced by an electric draught fan in the smokebox.
  Performance was disappointing, and the turbine tender was removed in 1937.
caption: Henschel T38-2555, with the steam turbine tender
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