Prussian G 8.2 - Prussian G 8.2

The Prussian G 8.2 was a 2-cylinder version of the Prussian G 8.3. It had been established that the inside third engine of the G 8.3 was not absolutely necessary and discontinued the G 8.3 as a consequence. Like that engine the G 8.2 had been developed from the G 12 and was in essence a shorter version of it. The locomotives were employed on heavy goods train duties on main lines. Later the top speed on some units was raised to 75 km/h so that the G 8.2 could also be used to haul passenger trains. A totoal of 846 examples of the locomotive were built between 1919 and 1928 for the Prussian state railways and the Deutsche Reichsbahn. Five vehicles, that had been delivered in 1921 to the Reichsbahndirektion of Oldenburg, had been equipped with Lentz valve gear as was usual on the Oldenburg machines. The locomotives delivered in 1922 were Cassel division numbers; in 1923 several were supplied as DRG Class 31 before they were allocated their eventual DRG numbers in 1923. Another 150 vehicles were supplied to the Turkish and Rumanian railways. The firm of AEG converted four engines to coal-dust firing in 1930. 650 examples of these locos were still present in Germany after the Second World War. The Deutsche Reichsbahn had given them operating numbers 56 2001–2485 and 2551–2916.

In the Deutsche Bundesbahn this class was very quickly retired; the last one to go being no. 56 2637, withdrawn in 1963 and retired in 1965. The Deutsche Reichsbahn in East Germany used these locomotives right up to the early 1970s - a number even being given computer numbers. Its last stronghold was Bw Vacha in Thuringia, which had both the first and last engine to be built: nos. 56 2001 and 56 2916. In Germany no Class 56.20–29 has been preserved. No. 56 2795 is in the Warsaw railway museum as no. Tr6-39.

Link: Ehemalige 56 2795 in Warschau