Locomotive Classification and Numbering
The locomotives of the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg State Railway were given a name and railway number corresponding to their inventory number, that was allocated in the order in which they were delivered. On retirement, the spare numbers thrown up were not re-used.
The names chosen for locomotives were mainly those of German regions, rivers and towns in the Grand Duchy and the rest of Germany. Even the names of animals, planets ad figures from Nordic mythology were used. The names of the little tank engines were especially original, intending to describe the way they moved, such as HIN, HER, FLINK, FLOTT (literally: Here, There, Fast and Agile). By contrast, the names of historical people were not used, in order not to "give cause for unnecssary plays on words and connotations". On retirement the spare names were reused for newly delivered locomotives. The GOE held onto the practice of naming locomotives far longer than the other state railways(Länderbahnen); this continued until 1920.
The GOE never introduced formal locomotive classifications. Only in the run up to DRG renumbering were Prussian class designations used in order to simplify the naming and grouping of Oldenburg locomotives. Several locomotive classes that, at the time of the renumbering were already retired, are only referred to by locomotive classes in secondary sources.
Read more about this topic: List Of Oldenburg Locomotives And Railbuses
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