DRG Class T 38 No. T 38 3255

The T38-3255 was essentially a conventional piston-driven steam locomotive, exhausting into a LP turbine booster in the tender. The turbine exhausted in turn into a condenser at the rear of the tender, offering the potential for efficient turbine operation. It was designed by Dr Zoelly of the DRB in association with manufacturer Henschel.
== Background ==
Most of the innovation was in the tender. This was built by Henschel at Kassel in 1927. The locomotive was almost standard apart from the addition of fan draught. Tests were run in late 1927, and the results were not encouraging.
== Reports ==
There are reports that excessive power was lost in windage in the reverse turbine; this presumably means that the condenser vacuum was poor. The reverse turbine was therefore removed, as the piston-driven loco was perfectly capable of moving a train in reverse. There also appear to have been problems with excess steam consumption by the auxiliary machinery; presumably this means the various fan drives.
== Withdrawal & Disposition ==
In 1937, the steam turbine locomotive was converted back to normal operation and given a conventional tender and it was put back into service. It was eventually retired from active service and sent off to the scrapyard and cut up in March 1961.
Category:Steam locomotives
Category:Steam Turbine Locomotives
Category:Scrapped locomotives
Category:Germany
Category:German locomotives
Category:Locomotives
Category:Built in 1927
Category:Standard gauge locomotives
Category:4 foot 8 1⁄2 inch gauge
Category:Tender locomotives
Category:Henschel locomotives
Category:Restored locomotives