BR 01

BR 01 locomotive
Construction
Delivery

BR 01 locomotive

After the founding of the DRG, the DRG made an inventory of the old Länderbahn locomotives. It appeared that there was a big need for new and standardized locomotives. Standardized locomotives had many similar parts in common, and consisted of large series. At this way the maintenance costs were very low. In May 1921, the commission for standardized locomotives had decided that they must built a new steam engine for express trains.

BR 01.0-2 steam locomotive of the DRG

The proposals for Borsig, Henschel and Maffei were mainly four cylinder steam engines with one and two axles powered. They considered to build another 2'C1' locomotive with a two cylinder power. In 1925 the DRG took the decision to order ten steam engines of both sorts. The DRG wanted to try them in a testprogram and in that testprogram the DRG wanted to discover which locomotive was the best. The two cylinder locomotives were built by Borsig and got the numbers: 01 001 up to 008 and the numbers 01 009 and 010 were built by AEG. Henschel built the four cylinder locomotives 02 001 up to 008 and Maffei built the locomotives 02 009 and 010. After the locomotives were build and the testprogram was completed the DRG decided to choose for the 01 series.

Construction

Driving shafts of the BR 01

Delivery

In 1927 the mass-production of the BR 01 started. This second series, delivered the steam engines 01 102 up to 01 076 (locomotives 01 001 up to 01 010 were the prototype steam engines and the first series). This second series was delivered until 1928. The steam engines from this series had the little spoilers and had a boiler with a length of 5,8 meter.

The third series delivered the steam engines with numbers 01 077 up to 01 101. The boiler of these steam engines was lengthen to 6,80 meter and had a closed frontskirt under the door of the smoke box. The diameter of the cylinder was reduced from 65 centimeter to 60 centimeter.

From 1934 until 1936 the fourth series was delivered with the steam engines 01 102 up to 01 190. The locomotives were built by the Berliner Maschinenbau AG, Henschel and Krupp. The diameter of the wheels was extended from 85 centimeter to 1 meter and they had improved brakes. The top speed of these steam engines of the fourth series was 130 km/h. The fifth and last series was delivered in 1937/38 with the steam engines 01 191 up to 01 232. These steam engines had a few modifications. Altogether there are built and delivered 231 steam engines of type BR 01 between 1925 and 1938.