The German Class 23 (''Baureihe 23'' or ''BR 23'') engines of 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 ...

(''DRG'') were standard ('' Einheitslokomotiven'') steam engines that were conceived as a replacement for the

Prussian P 8 The Prussian Class P 8 of the Prussian state railways (DRG Class 38.10-40 of the Deutsche Reichsbahn) was a 4-6-0 steam locomotive built from 1906 to 1923 by the Berliner Maschinenbau (previously Schwartzkopff) and twelve other German factories. Th ...

by the Schichau Works. They were given the same

boiler A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, central ...

as the Class 50s which were developed in parallel and, like them, the newly developed 2'2' T 26 tender with its front wall that protected train crews during reverse running. Bundesarchiv Bild 183-47588-0002, Dampflok 23 1001 (BR 23)

Bundesarchiv Bild 183-47588-0002, Dampflok 23 1001 (BR 23)

In 1941 the two prototypes were built and delivered. The procurement of 800 locomotives had been planned, however the constraints 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 opposi ...

meant that they never entered full production. After the war the two locomotives, with operating numbers 23 001 and 23 002, went to the DR in

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In t ...

and were variously stabled in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

Brandenburg an der Havel Brandenburg an der Havel () is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, which served as the capital of the Margraviate of Brandenburg until it was replaced by Berlin in 1417. With a population of 72,040 (as of 2020), it is located on the banks of the ...

Jüterbog Jüterbog () is a historic town in north-eastern Germany, in the Teltow-Fläming district of Brandenburg. It is on the Nuthe river at the northern slope of the Fläming hill range, about southwest of Berlin. History The Slavic settlement of ' ...

and

Halle Halle may refer to: Places Germany * Halle (Saale), also called Halle an der Saale, a city in Saxony-Anhalt ** Halle (region), a former administrative region in Saxony-Anhalt ** Bezirk Halle, a former administrative division of East Germany ** Hal ...

. In 1961, number 23 001 was given a '' Reko''

with

combustion chamber A combustion chamber is part of an internal combustion engine in which the fuel/air mix is burned. For steam engines, the term has also been used for an extension of the firebox which is used to allow a more complete combustion process. Intern ...

, developed for the Class 50. In 1970 the locomotive was given EDP number 35 2001–2. Number 23 002 was to be reconstructed, but was retired however in 1967 due to damage to the frame and scrapped. Number 23 001 was scrapped in 1975 in Cottbus, as it could no longer serve any useful purpose. After the war, the design of these Class 23 locomotives formed the basis for the new

DB Class 23 The steam locomotives of Class 23 were German passenger train locomotives developed in the 1950s for the Deutsche Bundesbahn. They had a 2-6-2 wheel arrangement and were equipped with Class 2'2' T 31 tenders. They were designed to replace the on ...

and DR Class 23.10 locomotives which received the same class designation.

References

* {{Authority control 23 2-6-2 locomotives 23 Railway locomotives introduced in 1941 Passenger locomotives Standard gauge locomotives of Germany 1′C1′ h2 locomotives Schichau-Werke locomotives

See also

References