In 1922 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 regi ...

began to develop a renumbering plan to standardize the numbering of

steam locomotives 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 locomo ...

that had been taken over from the state railways (''

Länderbahnen The ''Länderbahnen'' (singular: ''Länderbahn'') were the various state railways of the German Confederation and the German Empire in the period from about 1840 to 1920, when they were merged into the Deutsche Reichsbahn after the First World Wa ...

''). Its basis was the corresponding DRG classification system. The first renumbering plan in 1922 envisaged more class numbers than the later plans. The development of this scheme was discontinued because it was seen that there would be problems in practically adopting it. The second, provisional, renumbering plan of 25 July 1923 was very like the final version of 1925 in its basic structure. It incorporated space for the new standard locomotives ('' Einheitslokomotiven'') that were planned. The third and final renumbering plan of 1925 differed from its predecessor primarily in that all the locomotives retired up to that point – in some cases entire classes – were deleted; in addition several mistakes in the numbering were corrected. With the exception of Bavarian classes, new locomotives built after 1923 were delivered from the outset with their new operating numbers. The actual renumbering of older engines did not begin until 1926. Locomotives that were seen as obsolete and which would therefore soon be retired, were given serial numbers from 7001 after their class number.

Express train locomotives

Passenger train locomotives

Goods train locomotives

Passenger train tank locomotives

Goods train tank locomotives

Cog locomotives

Branch line locomotives

Narrow gauge locomotives

1000 mm Gauge

900 mm Gauge

785 mm Gauge

750 mm Gauge

Literature

* Helmut Griebl, Fr. Schadow: ''Verzeichnis der deutschen Lokomotiven 1923 - 1965''; Transpress VEB Verlag für Verkehrswesen Berlin, Verlag Josef Otto Slezak Wien 1967 * Valtin, Wolfgang: ''Verzeichnis aller Lokomotiven und Triebwagen - Band 2''; Transpress Verlagsgesellschaft mbH Berlin 1992; * Herbert Rauter, Dr. Günter Scheingraber, Manfred Weisbrod: ''Preußen-Report'', Bände 3 - 8; Herrmann Merker Verlag Fürstenfeldbruck 1991 - 1994