Product Features and Details
Prototype History: The first plans of the DRG for standard design locomotives foresaw only the steam engines BR 01 and BR 02. Both locomotives were meant for fast mainline express service, designed for trains with an axle load of 20 tons. The problem that the DRG ran into were that many of the routes were not suitable for trains that heavy. Rebuilding these routes would have taken too much time and money. After this realization the DRG encouraged the locomotive manufacturers to build express steam engines with an axle load of 17.5 tons. With these specifications the BR 03s were introduced. The BR 03s quickly replaced the old BR 17s (Prussian S10 family) and the BR 18s (Bavarian S3/6 family). The BR 03s, were originally designed as four cylinder steam engines, but the DRG finally chose the favorable two cylinder version. Borsig delivered the first three prototype locomotives on July 8th, 1930. These locomotives had a boiler pressure of 14 bar and a cylinder diameter of 600 mm. When the BR 03s went into mass production they changed the boiler pressure to 16 bar and the cylinder diameter to 570 mm. From 1930 until 1938 two hundred ninty eight steam engines of the series 03 were built and delivered by manufacturers Borsig, Henschel, Krupp and Schwartzkopff. The design and performance were excellent and modifications to this series were minimal. These modifications included; the replacement of the brass firebox with iron, relocating the air pumps and fitting them with 1000mm carrying wheels instead of old 800mm wheels. Apart from these modifications of the BR 03, different experiments were done on other versions of the 03 locomotives. One type of locomotive was the 03 154 which became partly streamlined and got a parabolic smoke box door. Another type was the 03 193 which was streamlined like the BR 05. And lastly the 03 204 which was only streamlined at the driving wheels. The BR 03s were a classic German Locomotive design and were considered by many locomotive enthusiasts as one of the premier German Express Locomotives.
Locomotive History: The BR 03 175 was built by Henschel in 1935, factory No. 22475. In 1935 Henschel delivered one engine of the 03 equipped with a Lentz valve control, this valve system was suppose to be more energy efficient however after many tests it was not. In 1944 she was reconstructed into a regular 03.
Model: Micro Metakit's 03.175 is a handmade brass model and is painted in the DRG black/red livery. It features full cab interior, functional boiler hatch with full boiler details and a Faulhaber type brushless, ironless bell shaped motor. Model is equipped with a large 2'3T32 type tender, Lentz valve cylinder and spring loaded puffers. Model is a masterpiece and it features too many technical and optical details to list. Model is very limited, less then 50 will be produced worldwide. Expected delivery March 2013.
