The three engines of DRG Class 99.22 were standard,

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...

locomotives ('' Einheitsloks'') in service with the German

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 re ...

. They had operating numbers 99 221 to 99 223. They were built and deployed for the railway line from

Eisfeld Eisfeld is a town and a municipality in the district of Hildburghausen, in Thuringia, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the n ...

to Schönbrunn. In 1944, during the course of 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 ...

, locomotives 99 221 and 99 223 went to the

Thamshavnbanen The Thamshavn Line () was Norway's first electric railway, running from 1908 to 1974 in what is now Trøndelag county. Today it is operated as a heritage railway and is the world's oldest railway running on its original alternating current elec ...

copper ore line in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. After the end of the war they stayed there and were later scrapped. Locomotive 99 222 remained on duty until 1966 on its original route, but when it became clear that the end was nigh, it transferred to the

Harz The Harz (), also called the Harz Mountains, is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' der ...

and is in service today on the network of the Harz Narrow Gauge Railways ('' Harzer Schmalspurbahnen'' or ''HSB'') between

Nordhausen Nordhausen may refer to: *Nordhausen (district), a district in Thuringia, Germany ** Nordhausen, Thuringia, a city in the district ** Nordhausen station, the railway station in the city *Nordhouse, a commune in Alsace (German: Nordhausen) * Narost, ...

Quedlinburg Quedlinburg () is a town situated just north of the Harz mountains, in the Harz (district), district of Harz in the west of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. As an influential and prosperous trading centre during the early Middle Ages, Quedlinburg becam ...

and

Wernigerode Wernigerode () is a town in the Harz (district), district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until 2007, it was the capital of the Wernigerode (district), district of Wernigerode. Its population was 32,181 in 2020. Wernigerode is located southwes ...

. The Class 99.22 is the most powerful of the German narrow gauge steam locomotives and had Bissel axles. In addition the coal tank tapered toward the back. One feature was the ''Janney'' automatic centre

buffer Buffer may refer to: Science * Buffer gas, an inert or nonflammable gas * Buffer solution, a solution used to prevent changes in pH * Lysis buffer, in cell biology * Metal ion buffer * Mineral redox buffer, in geology Technology and engineeri ...

coupling. After its transfer to the

Harzquerbahn The Harz Railway or Trans-Harz Railway () was formerly the main line of the Harz Narrow Gauge Railways (''Harzer Schmalspurbahnen'' or ''HSB'') and runs north to south right across the Harz Mountains from Wernigerode to Nordhausen. However, the to ...

, 99 222 was converted to the normal compensating coupling with central buffer. This conversion can be clearly recognised by the cutouts in the

buffer beam A headstock of a rail vehicle is a transverse structural member located at the extreme end of the vehicle's underframe. The headstock supports the coupling at that end of the vehicle, and may also support buffers, in which case it may also be ...

. The locomotives had a

Walschaerts valve gear The Walschaerts valve gear is a type of valve gear used to regulate the flow of steam to the pistons in steam locomotives, invented by Belgium, Belgian railway mechanical engineering, engineer Egide Walschaerts in 1844. The gear is sometimes name ...

driving the third axle. On the introduction of the DR's new EDP numbering scheme in 1970 the engine was given operating number 99 7222, which she carries to this day because the ''HSB'' has retained the DR numbering from 1970. The new DR Class 99.23-24 locomotives were built on the basis of the '' Einheitsloks''. Differences in the new engines are the feedwater heater and the bar

frame A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent. Frame and FRAME may also refer to: Physical objects In building construction *Framing (con ...

. * 99 221 last duties:

(

) - scrapped in 1953 * 99 222 in service with the HSB * 99 223 last duties: Thamshavnbanen (Norway) - scrapped in 1947

References

External links

99 222 at the Selke valley railway
{{DRG locomotives 99.022 2-10-2T locomotives 99.22 Railway locomotives introduced in 1931 Metre-gauge steam locomotives Steam locomotives of Norway Berliner locomotives 1′E1′ h2t locomotives Freight locomotives

See also

References

External links