Th104
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VSB No. 154
(Hartmann 1817/1892), later SBB No. 2484, was sold to German military railways in
1917; I have no information on its subsequent fate. Source: Der
Dampfbetrieb der schweizerischen Eisenbahnen 1847 – 1966 (see References).
Second IIIq built, No. 3142 (MÁVAG 460/1892), later 325,002. In 1919 this locomotive
was taken over by Romanian state railways CFR
and remained in use, with its original number, until 1930s. Source: Ungarische Lokomotiven und Triebwagen (see
References).
An unknown IIIq in pristine condition, which
suggests a factory photo. Source: MÁV Motive Power
Album (see References).
Side drawing of ČSD
class 334.3; source: EZ
vol. 2.
Factory photo of the MÁV
3296 (later 325,156, MÁVAG
1601/1902). This engine went to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croatians and
Slovenians and later became JDŽ
126-029; withdrawal date is unknown. Source: www.commons.wikimedia.org. |
Most probably PKP class
designation Th104 applied to two different types which had little in common,
apart from axle arrangement. It is doubtful, however, if any of these ever
carried such plates! In 1892 Sächsische
Maschinenfabrik of Chemnitz, known as Hartmann, built four 0-3-0
mixed traffic locomotives for Vereinigten Schweizerbahnen (VSB).
They ran on saturated steam and were fitted with single-expansion steam
engines. Operational experience with these locomotives, numbered 151 through
154, must have been encouraging, as in 1897 three more were ordered, this
time from Schweizerische Lokomotiv- und Maschinenfabrik of Winterthur.
These engines, numbered 155 through 157, differed in minor details and were
slightly heavier in working order. In July 1902 VSB was merged with
four other railway companies to form state-owned SBB-CFF-FFS (Schweizerische
Bundesbahnen-Chemins de fer fédéraux suisses-Ferrovie Federali Svizzere, hereinafter
referred to simply as SBB). Following this merging, these locomotives
were included into class C 3/3 and re-numbered 2481 through 2487. During WWI, several SBB
locomotives, mostly of older types, were sold to German and Austro-Hungarian
military railways. According to Der Dampfbetrieb der schweizerischen
Eisenbahnen 1847 – 1966 (see References), four engines of this type were
also included, No. 2486 in 1915 and Nos. 2482 through 2484; LP gives
five examples, numbered 3101 through 3105. They were assigned to Militäreisenbahn-Generaldirektion
in Brussels (MGD Brüssel) and classed G3, in accordance with
German practice to assign designation of a Prussian class with similar
parameters to foreign locomotives impressed into the military railways. One
engine, namely No. 3101 (Hartmann 1815/1892), was taken over in 1918
by Polish authorities; details are lacking. In 1926 it was numbered Th104-1,
but was written off the next year, so re-numeration might be only formal. Two more ‘would-be’
Th104s were of Hungarian origin. They belonged to Magyar Államvasutak
(MÁV) class 325 (until 1911, class IIIq) for mixed traffic, successor
of earlier class IIIe, from which it differed mainly in inner frame. Between
1892 and 1907, 247 examples were built by Magyar Királyi Államvasutak
Gépgyára (MÁVAG) of Budapest. Furthermore, between 1899 and 1909, MÁVAG
built 35 locomotives of this type for k. k. priv. Kaschau-Oderberger Bahn
(KsOd, after 1918 known as Košicko-Bohuminská Dráha). As
many as fourteen individual sub-types, differing mainly in minor details, can
be distinguished. The only major modification was redesigned valve gear. Five
were initially fitted with Brotan-type boilers, but later re-boilered during
overhauls. Class 325 ran on saturated steam, was fitted with compound steam
engine and was used mainly with freight trains on secondary lines. Due to
short locomotive axle base of only 3 500 mm, with heavy overhanging cylinders
and firebox, running qualities at higher speed left much to be desired.
Although superior to class IIIe, later 326, it never replaced its older
kinsman and for some time both types were in fact built in parallel. After
the war, it shared the fate of other MÁV locomotives, which were
divided between several countries. The largest number, 102, went to Romania
(designation unchanged), with 65 to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croatians and
Slovenians (Yugoslavia, later class 126) and 44 to Czechoslovakia (class
334.3 – including all from KsOd). Two examples, 325,108 (MÁVAG
1386/1899) and 325,114 (MÁVAG 1392/1899), captured by Russians in 1914
and 1915, finally ended up in Poland. Most probably service numbers Th104-2
and Th104-3 were envisaged for them, but both engines – obsolete and probably
in a poor condition – were withdrawn from use before these could be actually
assigned. ČSD 334.343 (ex 325,169, MÁVAG 1614/1902) was taken
over by PKP following the annexation of Zaolzie in October 1938. Most
probably it was not re-numbered; in March 1940 it was returned to MÁV. According to MÁV stock lists (see References), as many as sixteen locomotives of this type were taken over by PKP after WWII. They were ex-MÁV engines, impressed into DRG in late 1944 and later abandoned in Poland. No information is available on their service with Polish railways. Given their age and condition, as well as compound steam engines which were never favored by Polish railwaymen, they most probably saw no use. Despite obsolescence of the basic design, class 325 turned out to be surprisingly long-lived and a few survived until late 1960s. No locomotive of this quite numerous type has been preserved, although a few older 326s are known to exist. Main technical data – Th104-1*
*) Data
for locomotives built by Winterthur;
those from Hartmann differed
slightly in weights. Main technical data – Th104-2 and Th104-3
1) Before
1939. 2) After
1945, probably no service. References
and acknowledgments
-
Der
Dampfbetrieb der schweizerischen Eisenbahnen 1847 – 1966
by Alfred Moser (Birkhäuser, 1967); -
LP,
EZ vol. 2; -
MÁV
Motive Power Album by István Mezei (Közdok); -
Ungarische
Lokomotiven und Triebwagen by Mihály Kubinszky (Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1975); -
http://erojr.home.cern.ch/erojr/Content/models/325/325_his.htm (website by János Erö); -
Attila Kirchner and Piotr
Staszewski (private communication); -
stock lists compiled by Attila
Kirchner, Károly Novotny, Sándor Tóth, and György Villányi (thanks a lot!). |
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