Tr21
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Tr21-53 (pre-war Tr21-84, Haine
St.Pierre 1394/1924), photographed at the Zduńska Wola
Karsznice depot on
Another picture of the sole surviving Tr21,
taken on
... and yet another, taken on the same occasion.
Side view of the early variant from Fablok with three-axle 16C11 tender...
... and of the ‘Belgian’ variant with
four-axle 22D23 tender; both drawings from PNP.
Tr21-50, photographed somewhere in
Most probably this is the first Tr21
assembled by Fablok
(StEG
4668/1922, Fablok
1/1922). Source: Die Lokomotive May 1925.
Assembly of a Tr21 at the Fablok premises in Chrzanów, date unknown. Source: National Digital Archives (used by permission). |
Polish
State Railways PKP, founded shortly
after Poland regained independence in November 1918, took over about 2,900
German and 1,300 Austrian locomotives. Many of them were old and obsolete
engines, often in poor condition. Introduction of new, standardized types,
designed within the framework of a consistent procurement program, was
necessary. It was agreed that these engines should be built in Poland, but
there was no locomotive industry that could undertake their design and
manufacture: factories were built virtually from scratch. One of them was Pierwsza Fabryka Lokomotyw w Polsce S.A.
(First Locomotive Factory in Poland JSC)
of Chrzanów, founded in May 1919 and later commonly known as Fablok. Given
the needs of economy reconstruction, it is hardly surprising that freight
locomotives had been given priority. Most freighters inherited from German
and Austrian railways were comparatively weak machines, running on saturated
steam and suitable only for light traffic. As an interim measure, in December
1919 Polish government ordered 150 Consolidation
engines from Baldwin, later
classed Tr20 (followed by further 25 in 1920). Next standardized type, which
retained the Consolidation axle
arrangement (1-4-0) and hence was classed Tr21, was ordered from Fablok, to be designed in close
co-operation with Austrian Maschinenfabrik der priv.
österreichisch-ungarischen Staatseisenbahnen-Gesellschaft (StEG). Contrary to
later Os24, which was developed from kkStB
class 570, it was an entirely new machine, of course following Austrian
design practice. As
Fablok works were still under
construction, first 36 machines were built by StEG and assembled in Chrzanów. They were delivered in two
batches, each numbering eighteen examples, and had double serial numbers (StEG 4668/1922 through 4685/1922 and
4711/1923 through 4728/1923, Fablok
1 through 36). These locomotives were coupled with Austrian three-axle
tenders (kkStB class 156, PKP class 16C11). First Tr21 built
entirely by Fablok, Tr21-37, was rolled out on
February 18, 1924, as the very first steam locomotive built in independent Poland.
It was followed by further seventeen examples; most of them also had 16C11
tenders, but some were coupled with slightly larger 17C11s. In order to speed
up deliveries, further orders were placed with Belgian factories Les Ateliers Métallurgiques Bruxelles,
Ateliers de Tubize (Tr21-55 through 74, 1939/1924 through 1958/1924) and Usines et Foundries de Haine St. Pierre
(Tr21-75 through 94, 1385/1924 through 1404/1924). Belgian engines differed
in many details from their predecessors. Driver’s cab was similar to that of
heavier Ty23, then entering production, steam throttle drive was modified and
double smoke-box door, typical for Austrian engines, was replaced by more
common, slightly convex round door with central lock. These locomotives were
coupled with larger four-axle 22D23 tenders, also designed for the Ty23.
Engines from Tr21-95 onwards were built by Fablok and basically corresponded to the Belgian variant,
although during the production run some modifications were introduced. This
type remained in production until December 1925, when 148 machines had been
supplied by four manufacturers. Tr21s
were initially assigned to PKP
regional managements in Warsaw and Katowice. During service tests, performed
in February 1924, Tr21 proved capable of hauling a 1500-tonne draft at 40
km/h, which was found satisfactory. With increasing weight of freight trains
and mounting supplies of heavy Ty23s they were relegated to secondary lines
and switching. In-service modifications included gas lighting instead of
kerosene lamps and fitting Metcalfe-Friedmann
exhaust-steam injectors in older examples (from Tr21-55 onwards they were
fitted as standard). In 1939, all 148 Tr21s were in service; the majority of
them (118) fell into German hands and were impressed into DRG as class 5639-40
(service numbers 56 3901 through 56 4018). 28 engines, mostly those sent
eastwards with evacuation trains, were taken over by the Soviets. Further two
ended up in Lithuania; they were impressed into LG service as class
P9.2 and numbered 251 (Tr21-46) and 252 (Tr21-76); most probably they fell
into Soviet hands after annexation of Lithuania in 1940. In the Soviet
service, Tr21s retained their original designations (TP21 in Russian script)
and service numbers. According to PNPP, eighteen were converted to the
1524 mm gauge and sent to Kazakhstan after German assault in June 1941, never
to return. Nine Soviet Tr21s were later captured by Germans and eight were
impressed into service as 56 4019 through 56 4026 (the ninth one, Tr21-76, probably
taken over from LG in 1940, was not
repaired). Five DRG engines were
later captured by the Soviets. After WWII most Tr21s from DRG returned to Poland, but not always
directly. According to EZ, twelve
were initially taken over by Czechoslovakian railways ČSD as class 437.1, but only three were actually re-numbered:
Tr21-66 (DRG 56 3954, Tubize
1950/1924) as 437.1501, Tr21-102 (DRG
56 3979, Fablok
62/1925) as 437.1502 and 437.1500, for which neither Polish nor German number
is known. I have found no mention on the latter locomotive in other sources. Eleven
engines were returned by ČSD between
1947 and 1949 and restored in service. DR
railways in Eastern Germany took over 34 engines. All were later returned to PKP, many as late as in 1955. Contrary
to other locomotives returned by DR
in mid-1950s following prolonged negotiations, which were usually scrapped,
all Tr21s were assigned new service numbers and most saw at least some
service. On the contrary, all seventeen machines that remained with DB were written off in 1951 and
scrapped. Austrian railways ÖBB
took over thirteen Tr21s, all but one being passed over to MPS (Ministierstvo Putyei Soobshcheniya, Soviet ministry of transport) in 1947
and 1948 and handed over to PKP
after a few days. The sole exception was Tr21-110 (Fablok 70/1925, DRG 56 3986), which was returned
directly to PKP in November 1947, not restored in service and scrapped.
Engines taken by MPS directly from DRG were not returned, as were not
those captured in 1939. Of their subsequent fate very little is known;
according to PNPP, they remained in use until 1962, some going to
industry in late 1940s. Finally, two Tr21s ended up in Yugoslavia: Tr21-45 (DRG 56 3938, Fablok 45/1924) as JDŽ
143-001 and Tr21-79 (DRG 56 3965, Haine St.Pierre 1389/1924) as JDŽ 143-002; both were returned in
1949. In
all, 104 locomotives of this type returned to Poland after the war and given
new PKP service numbers, the last
of them being pre-war Tr21-72 (DRG
56 3959, Tubize 1956/1924), taken over from DR in September 1955. Withdrawal of
these engines started in earnest in late 1960s and last of them survived in
service until 1974. Only one has been preserved. Tr21-84 (Haine St.Pierre 1394/1924) was captured in
September 1939 by the Soviets and later fell into German hands; impressed
into DRG as 56 4025, it was taken
over by ÖBB in 1945 and passed over
to MPS in May 1947, to be returned
to PKP almost immediately.
Re-numbered Tr21-53, it can be now seen at the Zduńska
Wola Karsznice depot.
Unfortunately Tr21-37, the very first locomotive built in Poland, was never
returned; also captured by the Soviets and later impressed into DRG as 56 4021, it was kept by DB, written off in December 1951 and
scrapped. Main technical data
1)
36 from StEG
with 16C11 tenders, 40 from Tubize and Haine St.Pierre, 72 from Fablok (some with 16C11 or 17C11
tenders). 2)
Some sources give 18 000 kG. 3)
With 16C11 tenders. List of
vehicles can be found here. References
and acknowledgments
1.
PNP, PNPP, AL, LP; 2.
www.beitraege.lokomotive.de
(website by Ingo Hütter); 3.
Lietuvos Geležinkelių
Garvežiai
1919-1940 m. / Steam Locomotives of Lithuanian Railways 1919-1940 by Toms Altbergs (Zidex, Lithuania, 2012). |
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