PKP class Pm36 is a class of two express passenger (P)

4-6-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and two trailing wheels on one axle. The locomotiv ...

(m)

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

s ordered in 1936 for the

Polskie Koleje Państwowe (''PKP S.A.''; en, Polish State Railways, Inc.) is the dominant railway operator in Poland. The company was founded when the former state-owned enterprise was divided into several units based on the need for separation between infrastructure ...

(Polish State Railways).

History

Design

The design was ready in 1936 and the following year the first two prototypes were built. One of them (Pm36-1) had aerodynamic fairing. The construction as well as the shape of it was designed by inz. Kazimierz Zembrzuski, head of the design office in the First Polish Factory of Locomotives and at the same time professor of the

Warsaw University of Technology The Warsaw University of Technology ( pl, Politechnika Warszawska, lit=Varsovian Polytechnic) is one of the leading institutes of technology in Poland and one of the largest in Central Europe. It employs 2,453 teaching faculty, with 357 professor ...

. The other (Pm36-2) had a standard look. The idea was to test both engines in parallel to compare top speed, acceleration, coal and water consumption etc. The Pm36-1 won a gold medal at the 1937 International Exposition of Art and Technology in Paris.

Service

After the German occupation of Poland during

World War II 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 ...

, the two locomotives were renumbered into the

Deutsche Reichsbahn The ''Deutsche Reichsbahn'', also known as the German National Railway, the German State Railway, German Reich Railway, and the German Imperial Railway, was the German national railway system created after the end of World War I from the regiona ...

(DRB) fleet as 18 601 and 18 602 (class 18⁶). The 18 601 had its streamlining removed, but was later damaged and subsequently scrapped (probably in 1942). The 18 602 survived the war, and was returned to Poland where it regained its PKP class and number. It continued to work for PKP until 1965, when it was given to the ''

Warsaw Railway Museum The Stacja Muzeum is located at the former Warsaw Główna PKP railway terminus and is very close to the Warszawa Ochota railway station. The museum's exhibits are divided into permanent and temporary collections — the latter being displaye ...

''.

Present day

In 1995 the machine went through a major overhaul and is now working in

Wolsztyn Wolsztyn (german: Wollstein) is a town in western Poland, on the western edge of Greater Poland Voivodeship. It is the seat of Wolsztyn County, and of the smaller administrative district of Gmina Wolsztyn. Geography The town is situated within ...

as a tourist attraction, called ''Beautiful Helen'' (pl. ''Piękna Helena''). It is occasionally used in regular service, pulling trains to

Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John ...

Leszno Leszno (german: Lissa, 1800–1918 ''Lissa in Posen'') is a historic city in western Poland, within the Greater Poland Voivodeship. It is the seventh-largest city in the province with an estimated population of 62,200, as of 2021. Previously, it ...

. Currently Beautiful Helen waits for repair in

Gallery

File:Parowóz z otuliną aerodynamiczną serii Pm36.jpg, Pm36 with aerodynamic fairing, World Expo 1937 File:Model parowozu z otuliną aerodynamiczną serii Pm36.jpg, Pm36 model with aerodynamic fairing, World Expo 1939

Notes

References

* *

External links

Pm36 article at Steam locomotives site
URL accessed on 5 August 2006
Photo of Pm36-1 (left). The engine on the right (Pm36-2) is currently in service at the Wolsztyn depot (Poland). Public domain.Scan of a Polish postage stamp depicting Pm36-1. Public domain.Public domain. Pm36-1 photo.Public domain. Pm36-1 photo.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pkp class Pm36 Railway locomotives introduced in 1937 Pm36 4-6-2 locomotives Streamlined steam locomotives Science and technology in Poland Fablok locomotives Standard gauge locomotives of Poland 2′C1′ h2 locomotives Passenger locomotives