The DRG Class E 79 (originally ordered as Bavarian Class ''EG 4'') was one of the
goods train electric locomotive classes procured by the
Bavarian Group Administration The Bavarian Group Administration or ''Gruppenverwaltung Bayern'' was a largely autonomous railway administration within the Deutsche Reichsbahn (German Imperial Railways) between the two world wars. It was formed on 1 April 1920 from the former Ba ...
of the
Deutsche Reichsbahn for the line from
Freilassing to Berchtesgaden. The two engines, delivered in 1927, were scrapped however as early as the start of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
History
After the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
the volume transported on the line from Freilassing to Berchtesgaden rose sharply. As a result, the Bavarian Group Administration ordered two more locomotives in 1923. The two engines were built by the firm of
J. A. Maffei in Munich, whilst the electrical components came from
Pöge Elektrizitäts AG in Chemnitz. Originally the engines were to have entered service as nos. ''EG 4 22 101'' and ''22 102'', but due to problems with the delivery of the electrical components the locomotives were not ready until 1927. As a result, they were given the numbers ''E 79 01'' and ''02'' by the
Deutsche Reichsbahn based on their
renumbering plan.
The two locomotives were station in
Bw Freilassing. They did not perform particularly well in service; no. E 79 01 being especially prone to damage. Another problem was the procurement of spares for the small number of units in this class. As a result, both locomotives were quickly retired, in 1939 and 1940 respectively.
Literature
* And the 5th edition (1984), Berlin: Transpress Verlag.
External links
Postcard photograph of an E 79
{{German electric locomotives
E 079
15 kV AC locomotives
Standard gauge locomotives of Germany
Railway locomotives introduced in 1923
Freight locomotives