Steam locomotives - Deutsche Reichsbahn: books - history

The German Pacific Locomotive: Its Design and Development (Locomotive Portfolio)

The German pacific locomotives were, with the Paris-Orleans pacific in France, the first of that wheel layout in Europe and came to be the dominant type for express passenger work throughout Western Europe for the following fifty years, until displaced by diesel and electric traction.
The German railways in the first two decades of the twentieth century were run principally as regional State railways, and two distinct styles of design developed, which were influenced by the natural terrain.

In the south, in the mountainous foothills of the European Alps, four cylinder compound locomotives with comparatively small coupled wheels, most produced by the famous firm of Maffei in Munich, held sway from 1907 until the late 1930s, and in parts of Bavaria that were not yet electrified, even until the early 1960s.

In the flatter lands of the north, Prussian 4-6-0s sufficed until Paul Wagners standard two cylinder simple pacifics came onto the scene in 1925, and were followed by the three cylinder streamlined pacifics at the start of the Second World War.

The book describes the design, construction and operation of the full range of pacifics that ran in both parts of Germany, and the large numbers of these locomotives that have been preserved, and is illustrated with over 180 black and white and 80 colour photos.

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Einheitsdampfloks der Deutschen Reichsbahn

After the First World War, the various railway companies of the German states merged in 1920 to form the "Reichseisenbahnen", which had an impact on the construction of steam locomotives.
While each state railway had previously developed its own steam locomotives, the diversity now had to be standardized in order to be able to maintain and operate the vehicle fleet economically.

Klaus-Jürgen Kühne not only describes all series of standard locomotives, but also explains why the Deutsche Reichsbahn further developed its steam locomotives in this way and which special paths were taken.

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Dampfloks der Deutschen Reichsbahn 1920-1945 (Typenkompass)

When it was founded in 1920, the Deutsche Reichsbahn went its own way when it came to building, purchasing and modernizing steam locomotives and developed the concept of standard locomotives, which attracted worldwide attention. At the same time, the largest transport company at the time continued to purchase well-known steam locomotive types from the state railway era that had proven their performance.

All important information about the steam locomotives of the DR from 1920 to 1945 is collected in this Typenkompass. Each type is presented with a photo, a historical description and technical data.

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Dampfloks in Deutschland - Erinnerungen an eine Ära 1945 - 1990

What is more charming: travelling on a steam locomotive along the winding old Rhine route or travelling at lightning speed on an ICE train travelling parallel to the motorway?

This opulent illustrated book takes you back to a bygone era of the Deutsche Bahn (DB) and the Deutsche Reichsbahn (DR), providing railway enthusiasts with detailed insights into nostalgic memories. The steam locomotives alone represent the defining driving element of this era.

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Deutsche Kriegslokomotiven - 1939 bis 1945

This book is one of the masterpieces of German railway literature. Alfred B. Gottwaldt, the first author to deal in detail with the production of war locomotives in Germany during the Second World War, leaves behind a significant contribution.
The unusual cooperation between the German Reichsbahn, locomotive factories, the Armaments Ministry and the Wehrmacht is examined in detail, especially the challenges when the production rate was increased to 500 machines per month.

This edition of the book is enriched by a comprehensive introduction that pays due tribute to the life and work of Alfred B. Gottwaldt and provides a brief overview of the current state of research on the topic.

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Wagners Einheitslokomotiven - Die Dampflokomotiven der Reichsbahn und ihre Schöpfer

In 1925, the first standard locomotives of the old German Reichsbahn were put into service. With them, a new generation of steam locomotives came onto the scene, gradually replacing the machines taken over from the former state railways.
In close cooperation between industry and the Reichsbahn Central Office, 24 different series were created. The development and testing of the new locomotives in the design offices and in front of the measuring cars are described in this richly illustrated and completely revised work with many human details in order to save the creators of these machines from oblivion.

The focus is on the two Berlin department heads Richard Paul Wagner and Hans Nordmann. The era of standard locomotives is inextricably linked with their names. This fascinating combination of engineering biography and railway history describes how they and their colleagues worked and argued, constructed and rejected, succeeded and made mistakes.

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