Oi2
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Oi2-29 + 16C1-11, PKP,
Zajączkowo Tczewskie loco depot, Poland, March 16,
2002.
Another picture of this machine, taken on the same
occasion…
… and yet another, date unknown; photo by Henryk Magoń (postcard from my
collection).
In August 2015 Oi2-29 was transferred to Kościerzyna; photo taken on August 12, 2020.
DR class 24 side drawing by K.-E. Hertam (TB
vol.1).
Oi2-26, photographed in
DRG 24 018 (Schichau
3133/1928), photo from my collection. This engine after WWII went to DB and was withdrawn in December 1961.
Oi2-9, former 24 040 (Schichau
3148/1928), photographed in Miłobądz on March 20,
1975. Photo by Roman Witkowski (postcard from my
collection). Oi2-9 was withdrawn a few months later, in November.
DR 24 004, Magdeburg, August 28,
1985. This engine (Schichau 3119/1927), withdrawn in 1971 and preserved, is currently
owned by Sächsisches Eisenbahnmuseum, Chemnitz-Hilbersdorf. Photo by Martin Stertz
(from my collection).
Another photo of the
24 004 from my collection: Dresden, August 1971. Photo by Werner Nagel.
Oi2-20 (ex 24 082),
Schichau 3322/1938,
photographed in Tczew on August 9, 1973. This
locomotive was withdrawn in December 1973. Photo by Tadeusz Suchorolski (from my collection).
DRG 24 033 (Linke-Hofmann
3075/1928), location and date unknown. After the war this engine was taken
over by PKP and re-numbered Oi2-3; it remained in use until
June 1969. Source: Die Lokomotive
April 1928.
DRG 24 069 (Borsig 14434/1932),
probably a factory photo. This engine was one of two examples fitted with
high-pressure boilers (initial service designation M02 1006, where ‘M’ stood for
Mitteldruck, or medium pressure. Withdrawn from DB
in December 1961. Source: Die Lokomotive January 1936.
DRG 24 009 (Schichau 3124/1928), photographed in Bochum-Dahlhausen
on October 8, 1985. Photo by Manfred Kopka (www.commons.wikimedia.org). This
engine has been preserved.
Earlier photo of the
24 009, rebuilt and re-numbered 37 1009; Magdeburg, April 8, 1972. Photo
by Rudolf Gruning (from my collection).
37 1009 once again;
location and date unknown. Photo from my collection. |
In 1920 all railway
services in German lands merged to form new Deutsche Reichsbahn Gesellschaft
(DRG). As it might be expected,
equipment unification immediately became a major problem, as all previously
independent national companies had ordered locomotives and rolling stock in
accordance with their own specific demands, so DRG roster represented a collection of various types, often
obsolete. Many of these engines were promptly withdrawn and scrapped (1515
locomotives in 1924 alone) and obviously new ones had to follow. A special
commission for locomotive design unification was formed and its activity was
to have a profound influence on German locomotives between two world wars and
appearance of new, standardized types. Among
others, a light steam locomotive for local traffic was necessary. It was
intended for service on secondary lines, so axle load was limited to 15 tonnes, quite low by German standards. Such machine,
designated class 24, with 1-3-0 axle arrangement, was ordered in 1924 and
built at F.Schichau in Elbing
(now Elbląg, Poland) in 1927. Many elements
(including boilers, wheels and cylinders) were the same as used in class 64
light tank locomotives (axle arrangement 1-3-1). New machine proved
successful and was soon ordered in quantity. Production was continued until
1940 and, despite such long period, only 95 examples were built, most of them
by Schichau (67) – the rest came from Borsig (2), Hanomag
(8), Henschel (5), Krupp (6) and Linke-Hofmann (7). Orders for further
twenty engines (24 096 through 24 115) were cancelled in 1940. This
diversification was the result of deliberate policy to keep German locomotive
industry running even during crisis years. Later examples had several
modifications, including larger smoke lifters (from 24 064 onwards) and idle
axle brakes. Most machines had 3T16 tenders, but last 25 examples had larger
3T17s. Several improvements were also tested. 24 069 and 24 070 had
high-pressure (25 bar) boilers, which proved generally successful (in
service, however, boiler pressure was reduced to 20 bar – mainly for safety
reasons). 24 064 was later fitted with Krauss-Helmholtz lead truck (instead
of Bissel-type idle axle). Running qualities improved and maximum speed was
increased to 100 km/h, but this feature was not introduced in further
examples, as production of this type was terminated. Class
24 proved most useful on long, flat routes with small gradients, so most of
these machines were used in the northern and north-eastern parts of Germany,
mainly Pomerania and Eastern Prussia. In 1945 a number of these locomotives
were taken over by Poland; PKP
rosters from October 1946 list 31 examples, later designated Oi2. Not all of
them were serviceable (for example, in October 1948 only 24). A few damaged
locomotives were also taken over, but only three were given PKP service numbers. 24 081 (Schichau 3321/1938) was not re-numbered and
was written off in February 1946. 54 examples remained in Germany, but eight
were written off shortly after the war. Most of them served with DB (42 examples, withdrawn until
1966); DR had only four engines
that survived in service for two years more. The final fate of one locomotive
remains unknown. Eight were taken over by Soviet railways, probably in the Königsberg area. According to some sources they were
found in Poland and handed over to the USSR shortly after the war. If that was
the case, there is no trace of these ‘additional’ machines ever being given PKP service numbers. First
three Oi2s were withdrawn in September 1951; most probably, however, these
were unserviceable machines which had service numbers allocated but in fact
had never been put into use. The rest remained in operation for much longer,
being based in northern Poland and thus remaining more or less where they had
previously served with DRG.
Modifications in the PKP service
were few and included removing feedwater heaters
and steam bells and fitting new, flat smoke-box doors. Oi2s gave useful, if
inconspicuous service with light passenger and suburban trains; later some
were used as switchers. Withdrawals began in 1968 and last two examples
(Oi2-29 and Oi2-31) remained in use until 1976. The former of these (ex-DRG 24 092, Schichau
3419/1939) has been preserved; externally refurbished, it was transferred to
the Zajączkowo Tczewskie
depot and plinthed there in September 1986. In
August 2015 this locomotive was transferred again, this time to the railway
museum in Kościerzyna, where it can now be seen on
static display. Oi2-22 (ex-DRG
24 083, Schichau
3323/1938, withdrawn in 1974) was sold to the German Eisenbahn-Kurier
in 1975. This engine was operated, with its original designation restored, by
Dampfzugbetriebgemeinschaft
Hildesheim, until 2008. Its current
condition is unknown. Two more examples (24 004, Schichau 3119/1927, and
24 009, Schichau
3124/1928) have been preserved in Germany, in Chemnitz-Hilbersdorf
(Sächsisches Eisenbahnmuseum)
and Zeven, respectively. The latter is still in
working order. Thus, four examples of 95 have survived through WWII and demise
of steam traction on European tracks: not a bad result... Main technical data
1) One example without PKP service number. List of vehicles can be found here. References
and acknowledgments
-
Monographic article by Roman Witkowski
(SK vol. 2/2000); -
Ingo Hütter’s locomotive database
(available at www.beitraege.lokomotive.de); -
SK, various issues. |
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