Alsace-Lorraine G 8.1 Explained

Alsace-Lorraine G 8.1
DRG Class 55.25–56
SNCF Class 1-040.D
Bgcolor:FF0000
Color:FFFFFF
Builder:Grafenstaden, Henschel
Builddate:1913–1919
Totalproduction:137
Whytetype:0-8-0
Driverdiameter:13502NaN2
Over Bufferbeams:182901NaN1
Axleload:17.6t
Serviceweight:69.9t
Weightondrivers:69.9t
Watercap:16.5m2 or
165000NaN0
Boilerpressure:14bar
Fireboxarea:2.58m²
Evaporativearea:143.28m²
Cylindercount:2
Cylindersize:6003NaN3
Pistonstroke:6603NaN3
Maxspeed:55km/h
Indicatedpower:927kW
Fleetnumbers:EL: 5151–5257
AL: 5001–5372
DRG: 55 2946, 3338-3340, 4275-4279, 4285 and 5665
Retiredate:1966

The Alsace-Lorraine Class G 8.1 was a superheated, goods train, steam locomotive with four driving axles, and was based on the Prussian G 8.1. There were no design differences between the two. The Imperial Railways in Alsace-Lorraine (Reichseisenbahnen in Elsaß-Lothringen) received a total of 137 G 8.1 engines between 1913 and 1919, of which eleven were built by Henschel and the rest by the Grafenstaden. They were numbered 5151 to 5278.

After the First World War ten locomotives were left in Germany and were later given the numbers 55 2946, 3338–3340, 4275-4279 and 4285 by the Deutsche Reichsbahn. One, 5157 was sold to the Saarland Railways in March 1935, only a few months before the Territory of the Saar Basin was transferred from France to Germany. AL 5157 became 55 5665 in the Reichsbahn fleet. After the end of the war, 72 Prussian G 8.1 engines remained in Alsace-Lorraine and went into the fleet of the AL, the successor to the Reichseisenbahnen. They were joined by a further 138 Prussian G 8.1s handed over as reparations. Several locomotives were passed on to the Chemins de fer de l'Est and the Algerian State Railway. The SNCF took over the G 8.1 as Class 040-D. The last G 8.1 in France was number 040-D-260, which was retired in 1966.

The engines were coupled with Prussian class 3 T 16.5 tenders.

See also