052 740 (-8)

Whilst traveling from Chur - Köln a few days ago, i passed 052 740 just outside of a station and my notes would suggest it was between Freiburg & Karlsruhe ( However could easily be wrong on the latter, I wasn't paying that much attention). But upon my returning I consulted the associated stock book for Private & Preserved stuff and came to a bit of a dead end.

I was just curious of the apparently odd number system I'm fairly certain it didn't have the check digit as we passed it, but a google search for 052 740 suggest it carries that check digit. But out of interest why is it numbered in that way.

Sorry if this is an stupid question for the experts, but I'm more interested in modern railways so not that knowledgeable on steam 8-[


Many thanks

Nathan

 

Without going into a great deal of history, “052 740-8” ended-up in East Germany after WW2, and retained its original Deutsche Reichsbahn Gesellschaft number; 50 2740. The East German Deutsche Reichsbahn (DR) and the West German Deutsche Bundesbahn (DB) retained the original pre-war class numbers, with diesels being prefixed V (Verbrennungsmotor – internal combustion) and electrics E. In1968 and 1970 respectively the DB and DR introduced renumbering schemes, with the DR retaining original steam classes, where possible, and replacing the V prefix with “1”, and the E with “2” - steam classes such as 19 and 23 were renumbered 04 and 35 respectively, to avoid confusion. The DB prefixed all steam classes with 0, and replaced V with “2” and E with “1”. On reunification, in 1989, the DR was absorbed into the DB, and all of its locos were renumbered, again, in accordance with the DB scheme. DR Class 132 (“Ludmillas”) became 232, but others were substantially renumbered such as DR 110, which became DB 202. Confusingly, DR 120 took the 220 series which had just become vacant with the withdrawal of the DB 220's, the famous V200's, on which our Warships were based. At reunification the DR still operated some steam, and much of that has now been preserved (a sort of working Barry!). Most of this was narrow-gauge 99 classes, which became 099. Many locos had been privately preserved in the West, as in the case of DR 50 2740, which was, I believe, the last working class 50 (of 3000 built). In order to run under DB auspices, today, the loco has been given a “0” prefix and a computer check digit, creating a fictitious number, with which it never ran in normal service. This number would have been applied had the loco ended-up in West Germany after the war – this having been a source of confusion amongst many British gricers, who thought that DB class 052 was the “Kriegslok” class 52, but the latter had all been withdrawn by the DB before the renumbering scheme was introduced. (Under this scheme, the class 50 was devided into classes 050, 051, 052 and 053 in order to maintain a 3-digit loco number, by shifting the first digit of the 4-digit loco number into the class – hope this makes sense!) Incidentally, many of the later production Class 50's were built in a very simplified form, paving the way for the Class 52, and were known as Class 50ÜK (Übergangskriegslok - transitional war loco), and were virtually indistinguishable from Class 52. Since the war there was a gradual reversion to standard fittings at overhaul, although some locos retained some ÜK features until the very end.
Wake up at the back!

Here are a couple of fots of 50 2740 – at Berbersdorf, East Germany in Feb 86, working a stone train to Karl-Marx-Stadt (renamed back to Chemnitz since 1989) and at the Pfälzer Plandampf in 2005, when preserved.

 

Ahh thanks for clearing that confusion up, very much appreciated.

Nice shots by the way.

Thanks

Nathan

 

Gosh..

I'm sticking with Polish.. it begins with T, P or O.

but then the Polish alphabet more than makes up for it !