Product Features and Details
Information about the model
The German Reichsbahn (DRG) approached the procurement of standard freight locomotives similarly to the comparison between classes 01 and 02. The requirement for the new locomotive was that it be capable of hauling freight trains weighing up to 1,200 tons over low mountain ranges, with an axle load of 20 tons. The maximum speed for the pre-production locomotives was set at 70 km/h. To determine the more economical design, orders were placed in 1926 with various locomotive manufacturers to build 10 locomotives each of classes 43 (two-cylinder engine) and 44 (three-cylinder engine). In addition to assigning the locomotives to different depots, a direct comparison between the 43 and 44 classes was conducted at the Pressig-Rothenkirchen depot. Operating these locomotives on the Franconian Forest Railway allowed for the testing of the advantages and disadvantages of each class. Initially, a comparison of the two locomotive classes favored the more powerful Class 44. The two-cylinder Class 43 locomotive was more economical at the time. However, in the mid-1930s, after the Great Depression had subsided, the demand for more powerful freight locomotives grew louder. The experience gained with the Class 44 ten years earlier was recalled. Drawing on the expertise gained in steam engine construction since 1925, an interim series was built, comprising locomotives 44 013-065. In 1938 (starting with 44 066), full-scale series production finally commenced. By 1949, a total of 1,989 Class 44 locomotives had been manufactured at various locomotive works both domestically and abroad. These locomotives met expectations and became a backbone of freight transport.
Model details
- 150 x 24 as it appeared from 1946 onwards: without wind deflectors; disc leading wheelset; ÜK cab
- Detailed and movable internal engine, with two propeller axes
- Boiler, cab and tender are made of finely detailed plastic components
- Openwork bar frame and spoked wheels made of die-cast zinc
- Standard shaft rear, guided by cam
- Sound decoder installed or prepared for installation
- Smoke generator can be retrofitted
- Close coupling between locomotive and tender
- Faithful reproduction of the rear wall of the standing boiler
- Drive system in the tender for optimal driving characteristics
- Single axle bearing in metal
- Metal connecting and coupling rods
- True-to-scale Wagner wind deflectors
