German Type 52 Kreigslok 2-10-0 Steam Locomotive With Condenser Tender

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Richard Stone
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German Type 52 Kreigslok 2-10-0 Steam Locomotive With Condenser Tender

Post by Richard Stone » 26 May 2022 18:34

The attached article describes the German wartime built Type 52 'Kondenslokomotive' 2-10-0 steam locomotives that were equipped with the special condenser tender.

These locomotives were a sub-group of the standard German Type 52 Kreigslok (also known as the Kreigslokomotive) wartime built 2-10-0 steam locomotives and were specially made to operate for long distances on the Eastern front railways without having to stop for the resupply of water. The condenser tender enabled the locomotive to condense its exhaust steam back into water and then continue to use this water in the boiler to produce further steam. In a normal steam locomotive the exhaust steam is discharged to the atmosphere and lost.

The German operated railways on the Eastern front had difficulty supplying sufficient clean and treated boiler water to its steam locomotives. The Kondenslokomotives locomotives were designed to reduce this problem and to enable the locomotives to operate over longer distances. In addition, the water tanks were subject attacks by the Soviet partisans and air force and were easily damaged and put out of use.

This article is an in depth technical description of the locomotive and its special condenser tender. It was written for USA railway mechanical engineers, but it does contain some information related to the German methods used for Eastern Front wartime locomotive operation. The stated operating range of 1000 Km (660 miles) was reported by other railway sources to be lower and in the range of 640 Km (400 miles). For comparison, the typical operating range of a standard mid-size steam locomotive during wartime operation would be approximately 80 Km (50 miles) before it need to obtain water.

These condenser locomotives, and the standard German Type 52 Kreigslok 2-10-0 steam locomotives, were operated by both the Wehrmacht’s own railway operating units and the Deutsche Reichsbahn (the German State Railway) staff. All Type 52 locomotives were built using a much simplified method of construction to reduce construction time and materials and were designed to have a light axle load in order to operate on many of the lightly built Soviet railway lines.

Approximately 180 of the Type 52 condenser locomotives were built by Henschel at their Kassel Works during the war and a number of additional ones built afterward. For comparison, several thousand of the standard Type 52 Kreigslok 2-10-0 steam locomotives were built by both Henschel and by other locomotive builders, including companies in the occupied countries.

A number of the Type 52 Kreigslok condenser locomotives operated on the Western Front railways, including in Belgium and Italy and some remained in operation after the war. Several were captured and used by the US Army Railway Operating Battalions in Germany during and after the war. In addition, one of the captured locomotives was sent to the USA after the war for examination.

The standard Type 52 Kreigslok 2–10-0 steam locomotives remained in operation in Germany and on the state railways of many countries throughout Europe into the 1970s. Some continued in service in several Eastern European countries into the 1990s and a number remain in existence today.

The original article was printed in the December 29, 1945 edition of the USA magazine 'Railway Age’ which was the main USA railroad industry publication.

I will provide several photos in a following post andwill place a duplicate of this post in the website section ‘Axis Equipment - Other Equipment' shortly.
MRS - German 2-10-0 Condenser Loco-1A .png
MRS - German 2-10-0 Condenser Loco-1B.png
MRS - German 2-10-0 Condenser Loco-1C.png
MRS - German 2-10-0 Condenser Loco-2A .png
MRS - German 2-10-0 Condenser Loco-2B .png
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Richard Stone
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Re: German Type 52 Kreigslok 2-10-0 Steam Locomotive With Condenser Tender

Post by Richard Stone » 26 May 2022 18:44

The attached photos #1, #2 & #6 were copied from the Italian model railway website Märklinfan Club Italia’. The remaining photos were copied from the internet.

Photo #1: This photo was taken by the Henschel Company to illustrate the completed locomotive and tender from the fireman’s side. The locomotive is not equipped with the smoke deflectors which were later added.
MRS - German 2-10-0 Condenser Loco-5A .png

Photo #2: This photo was taken by the Henschel Company and shows one of the completed locomotive and tender on a test run.
MRS - German 2-10-0 Condenser Loco-4A-1 .png
Photo #3: This is a post war photo of one of these locomotives when it was operation on the Italian State Railway. The three steam powered cooling fans on the condenser tender are clearly shown and the locomotive is equipped with the smoke deflectors installed on the smokebox (the front most section of the boiler).
MRS - German 2-10-0 Condenser Loco-3A .png
Photo #4: This locomotive is operating somewhere in Russia, most likely during 1943 or 1944. The locomotive appears to be in all most new condition without any of the damage or wear these locomotives collected during wartime service and it not equipped with smoke deflectors. The structure on the right is reported to be an insulated water tower for supplying water to the railway steam locomotives during the Russian winter.
MRS - German 2-10-0 Condenser Loco-7.png
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Richard Stone
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Re: German Type 52 Kreigslok 2-10-0 Steam Locomotive With Condenser Tender

Post by Richard Stone » 26 May 2022 18:46

Photo #5: This photo shows one of these locomotives operating double headed with a standard German steam locomotive somewhere in Russia, most likely during the winter of 1943 or 1944. The locomotive also appears to be in all most new condition is not equipped with smoke deflectors. Note the lack of steam being discharged by the condenser locomotive in comparison to that of the lead standard steam locomotive.
MRS - German 2-10-0 Condenser Loco-8.png
Photo #6: This is a US Army photo, dated August 1945, of one of these locomotives being operated by the US Army Transportation Corp's Military Railway Service. The letters ‘KW’ on the smokebox door identify the locomotive depot (apparently 'Kirchweyhe’) to which the locomotive is assigned. The tender has been lettered 'Allied Forces’ to identify the locomotive as being under Allied control and the locomotive is equipped with the smoke deflectors.
MRS - German 2-10-0 Condenser Loco-6A-1.png
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Linden Lyons
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Re: German Type 52 Kreigslok 2-10-0 Steam Locomotive With Condenser Tender

Post by Linden Lyons » 21 Mar 2023 12:39

Richard Stone wrote:
26 May 2022 18:44
Photo #3: This is a post war photo of one of these locomotives when it was operation on the Italian State Railway. The three steam powered cooling fans on the condenser tender are clearly shown and the locomotive is equipped with the smoke deflectors installed on the smokebox (the front most section of the boiler).
The third photograph was taken by Carl Bellingrodt in the yard at Kirchweyhe Railway Station on 23 July 1949.

Kurt_S
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Re: German Type 52 Kreigslok 2-10-0 Steam Locomotive With Condenser Tender

Post by Kurt_S » 30 Mar 2023 23:25

Did the Germans use steam condenser tenders on other locos in the East?

GregSingh
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Re: German Type 52 Kreigslok 2-10-0 Steam Locomotive With Condenser Tender

Post by GregSingh » 31 Mar 2023 04:58

One of the first condenser tenders built by Henschel in 1939 for Iraq State Railways.

1939.jpg
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