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Saxon XII H2

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The Saxon XII H2 were 4-6-0 steam locomotives that worked in Saxony, Germany. They were built by the Sächsischen Maschinenfabrik between 1910 and 1927 in Chemnitz. And they were bought by the Royal Saxon State Railways (Königlich Sächsische Staatseisenbahnen) specifically for the mountainous areas of Saxony.

History[]

Germany[]

K.Sächs.Sts.EB XII H2 class[]

During the early 1900s, the Saxon State Railway needed a passenger train locomotive to work in the mountainous line of Saxony. It had been decided to extrapolate the Saxon X, Saxon XII H1, Saxon XII H V classes. The conctruction of this new class had been handed over by the Sächsischen Maschinenfabrik (SMF), former Hartamann works. A total of 159 engine would be built between 1910 and 1927.

The engines formed the class XII H2, and were numbered 651 to 697, and were renumbered in 1918, 3651 to 3809. The class show good performances, by pulling passenger trains in the mountains of Saxony at the speed of 90 Km/h (56 mph). In 1910, one of this engines, represented its class at the World exhibition of Bruxelles of 1910.

From 1916, during World War 1, with the difficulties to delivered of some materials, and with the need of easy maintenance for the class, the new batches were built with the foot plate being raised, and their copper fireplace was replaced an iron one. This modification would change the appearance of the engines, making them look like the previous saxon 4-6-0 classes, and prevent the stall of the driving cab. During the conflict, 10 engines were lost. In 1919, a total of 25 engines have been taken and redistributed to France, as war reparations.

DR Class 38-201 to 334 and 351 to 354[]

In 1920, with the creation of the Deutsche Reichsbahn Gesellschaft, the XII H2s were renumbered between 38-201 and 324. They would later received the new DRG livery, black with the chassis and wheels in red. In 1927, ten more engines were built at SMF, they were numbered 38-325 to 334, and allocated at Dresden. In 1938, with the annexation, of the Sudetenland, some ex-XII H2s were allocated in this new region on the depots of Böhmisch Leipa, Bodenbach, Aussig, Brüx and Komotau. Later they were grouped to the depots of Bodenbach and Komotau. The Saxon engines were mainly used to pull passeger and express trains, on the Bodenbach–Lobositz (Děčín–Lovosice), Aussig–Komotau (Ústí nad Labem–Chomutov), and Komotau–Eger (Chomutov–Cheb) lines.

During the Second World War, between 1941 and 1942, 15 ex-XII H2s that had been given to France returned to Germany and were stationed again in the Reichsbahn divisions of Dresden, Halle. They were allocated to the depots of Chemenitz, Chemnitz Hilb, Dresden-Friedrichshaft, and Glauchau. After the German defeat of 1945, the class was spread in different country of Western Europe. 61 engines, working in the Sudetenland remainded, and became Czechoslovak after the restitution of the Sudetenland to Czechoslovakia. On eengine, no. 38-271 found itself in Hungary. And five engines were localized in Poland.

Deutsche Reichsbahn, which was operated in East Germany, had kept half of the class' effectives, with nearly 71 engines. 61 engines were in service while 10 of them were used as spare parts. Dunring the 1950s, the DR incorporated five of the fifteen ex-XII H2s took back from France, they were allocated in the depots of Friedberg, Karl-Marxshadt (Chemnitz), Zwickau and Brandenburg, operating with the numbers 38 204 and 38 351 to 38 354.

The disposal of the class begun in the 1950s, with the withdrawn of no. 38-271, that came back from Hungary, in 1955. 1967, began the withdrawn of the ex-XII H2s from France, last ones had been parked in 1971, and withdrawn in 1973.

France[]

État 230-960 to 984[]

In 1919, the Treaty of Versailles' clauses required Germany to deliver an important amount of steam engines and wagons to countries from the Entente. This would lead to the transfer of 25 XII H2s towards France. The 25 ex-XII H2s were handed to the État Railway, where they took the numbers 230-960 to 984. There tenders would gain the numbers 21-124 to 334 for the one with a cappacity of 21 m3, and 20-701 for one with a cappacity of 22 m3. The engines no. 230-960 to 964 have a low foot plate and a copper firepalce, while the engines no. 230-965 to 984, built during and after 1916, and have a high foot plate and an iron fireplace.

During their career on the État, the ex-XII H2s were put in the rotation of the ex-P 8 engines, they were allocated to different depots: Saintes; Le Mans; Dreux; but for the majority of the class at Rennes. They were used to ensure mixt traffic services, pulling goods trains, local trains, and express goods running on the lines of Normandy and Brittany. They would also be allocated periodicaly to the depots of Dieppe, Paris-Vaugirard, Dol, Sotteville, Laval, Caen, Saint-Brieuc, Argentan and Le Havre.

The État would bring some mofdifications to the 230-960s, like the replacment of the air pomp Knnor type by a Five-Lille type, or the replacement for some of them of their smoke box door by a domed État type one.

SNCF 3-230 E 960 to 984[]

In 1938, the 230-960s were incorporated into the SNCF's roster, and received the number 3-230 E 960 to 984. If they done the same services that in the État, the 10 engines were withdrawn from services on April 1st 1940, these engines were 3-230 E 961 to 963, 968 to 970, 972, 974, 979 and 983.

During the German occupation, between 1941 and 1942, the fifteen remaining ex-XII H2s were settled by the Deutsche Reichsbahn, and came back in Germany. The SNCF provided the return of the Saxon engines, and their transfer to the eastern region were they would got the numbers 1-230 E between 360 and 384. However, none of the fifteen ex-XII H2s and given back to France. The engines 3-230 E 960, 964, 971, 976 and 977 became DR no. 38-204 and 351 to 354, while the fate of the other ten engines remains anknown. Finaly, the SNCF removed from its roster the rest of the class on April 1st 1953.

Poland[]

PKP Ok2-1 to 5[]

In 1945, right after the war, 5 ex-XII H2s found themselves in Poland. The Polish National Railway, the PKP, incorpoated them into its roster. Becoming the class Ok2-1 to 5. The same year, the engine number Ok2-1 was sent to Czechoslovakia, the others served on Polish railways up to the 50s. As the last engine of this class Ok2-3 was withdrawn on September 24, 1953, after 8 years of service. At that time, the locomotive was serving in the Legnica locomotive depot.

Czechoslovakia[]

ČSD 365.501 to 510[]

After the rebirth of Czechoslovakia in 1945, the ČSD discovered in its fleet of engines, some ex-XII H2s. Ten of them, were included in the railway's roster, with in the batch the engine no. Ok2-1, from the PKP. The Saxon engines formed the class 365, and the engines were renumbered 365.501 to 510.

They were still used in the passenger train service between Ústí nad Labem and Chomutov. In exceptional cases, they were also used before the express trains to Cheb. They were well appriciated by the personnel, and had the reputation of an undemanding, easy to maintain and yet powerful locomotive. For maintenance reasons they were decommissioned after 1955, the last two machines were decommissioned in 1959.

Preservation[]

One engine had survive and is preserved, number 38 205, which is currently not working. This engine is owned by the DB Museum at Nuremberg and has been loaned to the Saxon Railway Museum in Chemnitz.

Trivia[]

  • The GeoTrax character, Sheffield is based on the Saxon XII H2.

References[]

Books and magazines:

  • BUCHMANN, Jean, DUPUY, Jean-Marc, L'épopée des locomotives "Armistices 1918", Les Editions du Cabri, Menton, 2010.
  • LAVIE, Jehan-Hubert, (2002), 3-230 E : L'aller-retour à l'Ouest des Saxonnes, Loco-Revue, no. 665, 62-62.

Sites:

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