Product Features and Details
- Boiler, driver's cab and tender made of high-quality, impact-resistant plastic
- Perforated underframe and spoked wheels in die-cast zinc
- Smoke generator and sound decoder, either built in or as a retrofit option
- Illuminated driver's cab
- True-to epoch lighting, multipart lamp housing
- Standard shaft rear with link guide
- Close coupling between locomotive and tender
- Perfectly replicated back boilerplate
- Finest paintwork and printing
- Lines and extra mounted parts in minimum material thickness
- Extra mounted steps
- Drive in the tender
- Single axle bearing
- True-to-scale details
- Epoch-typical toe bearing
- Many extra mounted parts
- 1000 mm leading wheels
- Cast discharge boxes on the cylinders
- Valve gear holder in welded design
- Tender 2'2' T34
Navigable minimum radius: The models of BR 01 are technically suitable for R 360. For best driving characteristics we recommend the use on R 420.
The Kassel-based Henschel Company delivered the 01 173 locomotive to the Göttingen P railway depot under the works serial number 22721 in 1936. In addition to the North-South route, the Göttinger 01 also operated
on routes to the west and east and turned around in Berlin and Osnabrück. The 01 173 was not in operation at the end of the war and its association to a railway depot is unknown. It was only restored in 1948
and then moved to Cologne operating railway station via Hagen Eckesey. Except for a brief loan to Osnabrück, it remained here for almost twenty years, although it was located at the Deutzerfeld railway depot from
1964. The "Cologne 01" vehicles travelled along the Rhine from Ludwigshafen and Mannheim to Arnhem and Hamm as well as to Kassel and Osnabrück. In 1967, the locomotive relocated to Hof, the last 01 stronghold.
It was here that the "Ulmer Eisenbahn Freunde e.V. (UEF)" [Ulm Railway Friends Association] noticed the locomotive in 1973. The association tried all Hofer 01 vehicles as part of their search for a larger club
steam locomotive. The locomotive's good general condition saved it from the cutting torch. The UEF used it for numerous special train journey up until 1975 when it was replaced by a 01 1066 as a result of laborious
boiler work. Today, the 01 173 is owned by the "Freunde und Förderer des Deutschen Technikmuseums Berlin e.V." [Friends and Sponsors of the German Museum of Technology, Berlin] and is currently being restored to
an operative condition under museum-based aspect in cooperation with the UEF Historischer Dampfschnellzug e.V. [UEF Historical Steam Express Train Association].
• Road no.: 01 173
• DC Digital Extra Version
• Digital Sound
• Doehler & Haass Decoder
• Smoke Generator Installed
Model & Prototype Information
In 1925 the Deutsche Reichsbahn (DRG) unified all the (Länderbahn) German state-owned railroads. After the founding of the DRG, the DRG made an inventory of the old Länderbahn locomotives. Apparently, there was a large need for new and (standardized locomotives. Standardized locomotives had many similar interchangeable parts in common, which made production and maintenance cost much more economical. In May 1921, the commission for standardized locomotives decided to build a new steam engine for express trains. As a result, the 12 new standardized steam engines were heavily influenced by the designs of Prussian steam engines. The first locomotive contained a wheel configuration of 2’C’1 also known as 4-6-2 Pacific with an axle load of 20 tons. The specifications for the locomotive required pulling a train with a weight of 800 t and to maintain a speed of 100 km/h. Furthermore, the locomotive had to pull a train with a weight of 500 tons at a speed of 50 km/h at a 10% grade. The top speed of this locomotive had to be 120 km/h. Manufacturers including Borsig, Henschel, and Maffei were assigned the challenge to create these abstract locomotives with the best designs. The proposals from Borsig, Henschel and Maffei included two cylinder and four-cylinder steam engines with one and two axles being powered. In 1925, the DRG purchased ten steam engines of both designs. The BR 01’s underwent extensive performance tests to analysis what locomotive designs met the DRG requirements. The two-cylinder locomotives were built by Borsig and received the numbers: 01, 001, to 008. The numbers from AEG included: 01, 009 and 010. Henschel built the four-cylinder locomotives 02, 001, up to 008 while Maffei built locomotives 02, 009 and 010. After the locomotives were built and the test program was completed, the DRG choose the two cylinder versions. The steam engines of Class BR 01 were the first built steam engines in the standardized program. These steam engines were built to haul heavy express trains. The essence of Class BR 01 was a simple steam engine, but the BR 01 was equipped with many devices and instruments. A total of five series or batches were delivered, each with minor variations: 01 001–010 (1926), 01 112–076 (1927–28), 01 077–101 (1930–31), 01 102–190 (1934–1936), 01 191–232 (1937–1938). 01 102 and onward had leading wheels with a diameter of 1000 mm and included a top speed of 120-130 km/h. The air pump was originally placed behind the large smoke deflectors but was later moved to the middle of the steam engine. In 1927, the mass-production of the BR 01 began. The second series was not delivered until 1928. The steam engines from this series had larger ‘Wagner” smoke deflectors as well as a boiler with a length of 5’8 meters. The third series delivered steam engines with numbers 01 077 up to 01 101. The boiler of these steam engines was lengthened to 6’80 meters and had a closed front skirt under the door of the smoke box. The diameter of the cylinder was reduced from 65 centimeters to 60 centimeters. From 1934 to 1936, the fourth series was delivered with steam engines 01 102 up to 01 190. These locomotives were built by the Berliner Maschinenbau AG, Henschel, and Krupp. The diameter of the wheels was extended from 85 centimeters to 1 meter with improved brakes. The top speed of these engines reached 130 km/h. The fifth and last series was delivered in 1937/38 with steam engines 01 191 up to 01 232. These steam engines included a few modifications. The BR 01 locomotives remained in service with the Deutsche Bundesbahn until 1973. In the DR, they were still working up to the early 1980s, largely in their original state with large smoke deflectors. They were legendary in their last years for hauling the D-Zug services on the Berlin-Dresden route up to autumn 1977. Only when the large GDR Class 132 diesel locomotives arrived, the Class 01 express train locomotives were finally forced out of scheduled services in the GDR after almost 50 years of service.
Altogether, 231 steam engines type BR 01 were produced between the years 1925-1938.The BR 01 is one of the most iconic German steam locomotives adored by steam enthusiasts from all over the globe. Today there are still a few in operation owned by museums and private clubs.
