The DB Class 66 (German: ''Baureihe'' 66) was a class of two

Deutsche Bundesbahn Deutsche Bundesbahn (, ) or DB () was formed as the state railway of the newly established West Germany (FRG) on 7 September 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft (DRG). The DB remained the state railway of West Germany u ...

(DB) locomotives designed for fast

goods train A freight train, also called a goods train or cargo train, is a railway train that is used to carry cargo, as opposed to passengers. Freight trains are made up of one or more locomotives which provide propulsion, along with one or more railroad ...

and

passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line, as opposed to a freight train that carries goods. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) push-pull train, ...

services on the main and branch lines of

(DB), the national railway of the former

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

History

The Class 66 were one of several newly designed locomotive classes, the so-called '' Neubauloks'', built for the DB after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The 66s had a top speed of 100 km/h and an

axle load The axle load of a wheeled vehicle is the total weight bearing on the roadway for all wheels connected to a given axle. Axle load is an important design consideration in the engineering of roadways and railways, as both are designed to tolerate a m ...

of only 15 tonnes which made them ideally suited to such duties. They were intended to replace the former state railway ('' Länderbahn'') locomotives of DRG classes 38.10 (ex-

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. ...

), 78 (ex-

Prussian T 18 The Prussian T 18 was the last class of tank locomotives developed for the Prussian state railways. They were originally intended for services on the island of Rügen as replacements for Class T 12 and T 10 engines. They emerged when a clas ...

) and 93 (ex- Prussian T 14). However increasing competition from

diesel locomotive A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover (locomotive), power source is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is con ...

s meant that no more engines were built after the two prototypes, even though they fully met all expectations and were a very successful design. The Class 66 was the penultimate locomotive class to be built as part of the DB's ''Neubaulok'' construction programme.

Design

The engines were equipped with a welded, high-performance

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, centra ...

with a

combustion chamber A combustion chamber is part of an internal combustion engine in which the air–fuel ratio, fuel/air mix is burned. For steam engines, the term has also been used for an extension of the Firebox (steam engine), firebox which is used to allow a mo ...

, roller bearings, a mixer preheater and a welded plate frame. Because great emphasis was placed on the working conditions for the

engine driver A train driver is a person who operates a train, railcar, or other rail transport vehicle. The driver is in charge of and is responsible for the mechanical operation of the train, train speed, and all of the train handling (also known as bra ...

and stoker, the Class 66 had a fully enclosed driver's cab, skylights, floor heating and upholstered seats with back rests. From autumn 1967 both engines were fitted equipment for working push-pull services. Locomotive number 66 001 was retired in 1967 due to damage to its drive, and stored at

Gießen Giessen, spelled in German (), is a town in the German state () of Hesse, capital of both the district of Giessen and the administrative region of Giessen. The population is approximately 90,000, with roughly 37,000 university students. Th ...

; the second engine was retired in 1968.

Preservation

Locomotive 66 002 was bought after its retirement by the

German Railway History Company The German Railway History Company (''Deutsche Gesellschaft für Eisenbahngeschichte'') or DGEG is a society concerned with the history of the railways. The objectives of the society are: * to generate and maintain interest and understanding for t ...

(''Deutsche Gesellschaft für Eisenbahngeschichte'' or ''DGEG'') and is currently (2007) homed in Bochum-Dahlhausen Railway Museum.

References

* * * Modelleisenbahner: ''Prestige Projekt - 66.002''. Mai 2007, Seite 26 - 29 {{DEFAULTSORT:DB Class 066 66 066 2-6-4T locomotives Henschel locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1955 Passenger locomotives Freight locomotives Standard-gauge locomotives of Germany 1′C2′ h2t locomotives

History

Design

Preservation

See also

References