Th11

No. 205 ‘Pisek’ of the Eisenbahn Rakonitz-Protivin (WLF 206/1875), later KkStB 32.17, then ČSD 311.004, withdrawn in January 1933. Location and date unknown (before 1885). Source: www.commons.wikimedia.org.

Another engine from this railway: No. 201 ‘Beraun’ (StEG 1421/1875), later 32.13. Withdrawn from ČSD in February 1925, before new service number could be assigned, it served for some more time as a stationary boiler. Source: as above.

Class Th11 is one of those ephemeral Austro-Hungarian classes, withdrawn from the PKP service before new designation system came into use in 1926. This designation was thus never actually assigned. At least two Polish sources known to me (monographs of the Tarnów-Leluchów and Kocmyrzów railways – see References) states that Th11 designation was reserved for six KkStB class 32 engines taken over in 1918; other authors are more cautious. Basically this issue still remains open.

The Tarnów-Leluchów railway (k.k. Tarnow-Leluchower Staatsbahn, or TLS) was a state enterprise that commenced operation in August 1876. The line joined Tarnów with Hungarian border; later its section between Nowy Sącz (Neu Sandec) and Stróże was incorporated into the k.k. Galizische Transversalbahn (GT), a line of strategic importance between Cieszyn and Russian border at Husiatyn (now Ukraine). Among first locomotives purchased for TLS were twelve class BN I engines based on StEG (k.k. priv. Österreichisch-ungarischen Staatseisenbahngesellschaft) class 33. The latter was in production between 1866 and 1873 in several variants, differing mainly in boilers: basically there were three distinct boiler types, with one or two domes and different firebox layouts, all facilitating low-grade coal combustion. All were fitted with single-expansion steam engines and Stephenson valve gears. Boiler pressure in later examples was increased from 9 to 10 bar. In all, 102 locomotives of this type were built, of which 28 later went to MÁV (classed 358). Apart from those for TLS, further twelve were built in 1875 and 1876 for the Eisenbahn Rakonitz-Protivin as class BP I, which gives the grand total of 126 examples; almost all were built by StEG, WLF contributing only two and Wiener Neustadt seven.

When TLS was taken over by KkStB in 1885, these locomotives were numbered 3201 through 3212 and in 1905 re-numbered 32.01 through 12. Similarly, those from the Rakonitz-Protivin railway became 32.13 through 24. As it was a frequent practice in those times, all had their individual names, displayed on bronze plates on boiler sides. When StEG was nationalized in October 1909, 61 engines of this type were entered into KkStB rosters as 32.31 through 91, the remaining thirteen being withdrawn earlier. A few were written off during WWI. After 1918 most went to Czechoslovakia – 54, of which 49 were classed by ČSD 311.0 (those originally built for the Rakonitz-Protivin railway) and 311.1 (those built for KkStB). Some remained with MÁV and a number were handed over to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croatians and Slovenians (SHS – later Yugoslavia). BBÖ were left with just three examples and one saw brief service with Italian FS as class 198. Furthermore three ex-MÁV 358s went to Romania, to be written off until 1923. As already mentioned, PKP took six 32s – five from TLS and one from the Rakonitz-Protivin railway. All were written off before 1926 and very little is known on their service; no photos are known to exist. In fact, last engines of this type, in service with ČSD, were withdrawn in 1939 at the age of 73 years and not a single example has survived until today.

Main technical data

No.	Parameter	Unit	Value
1.	Years of manufacture	-	1866 – 1876
2.	Total built / used in Poland	-	126^1) / 6
3.	Tender class	-	?
4.	Axle arrangement	-	0-3-0
5.	Design maximum speed	km/h	50
6.	Cylinder bore	mm	2 X 422
7.	Piston stroke	mm	632
8.	Engine rating	kW/hp	275 / 375
9.	Tractive effort	kG	5 120
10.	Boiler pressure	MPa	1.02
11.	Grate dimensions	m X m	1.68 / 1.66^2) m^2
12.	Firebox heating surface	m^2	7.6
13.	Distance between tube plates	mm	4135 / 4165^2)
14.	Number of flue tubes	-	165 / 172^2)
15.	Heating surface of flue tubes	m^2	109.3 / 114.8^2)
16.	Number of smoke tubes	-	-
17.	Heating surface of smoke tubes	m^2	-
18.	Evaporating surface, total	m^2	122.4
19.	Superheater heating surface	m^2	-
20.	Diameter of drivers	mm	1166
21.	Diameter of idlers front/rear	mm	- / -
22.	Total weight, empty	kg	31 500 / 31 400^2)
23.	Total weight, working order	kg	35 000
24.	Weight on drivers, working order	kg	35 000
25.	Weight with tender, empty	kg	43 000 / 42 900^2)
26.	Weight with tender, working order	kg	60 000
27.	Maximum axle load	T
28.	Axle base (with tender)	mm	10 300
29.	Overall length (with tender)	mm	14 484^3)
30.	Brake type	-	Hand / Hardy

Note: technical data for TLS engines (later KkStB 32.01 through 32.12)

1) All variants.

2) Rebuilt in 1894.

3) With earlier tender variant.

References and acknowledgments

- www.pospichal.net/lokstatistik (website by Josef Pospichal);

- Dzieje kolei Tarnów-Leluchów (The History of the Tarnów-Leluchów Railway) by Leszek Zakrzewski and Ryszard Stankiewicz (Apland, 2010);

- Dzieje kolei kocmyrzowskiej 1899-2010 (The History of the Kocmyrzów Railway 1899-2010) by Roman Garbacik (Eurosprinter, 2015);

- TK vol.2, LP, EZ vol. 1, ITFR.