In 1930,
the first orders for the procurement of small locomotives of
performance class II were placed by the Deutsche Reichsbahn (DRG).
A considerable savings potential had been recognized that a small
locomotive has compared to a steam shunting locomotive due to
lower costs for operating materials, maintenance and personnel
costs. In addition, a small locomotive had to be operated by an
appropriately instructed shunter. The task for the small
locomotives was light shunting service in passenger and freight
yards. However, heavy duty was still reserved for steam
locomotives.
More
than 2000 small locomotives of performance class II were built by
various mechanical engineering companies in Germany. The first
standard small locomotives were put into service in 1933. At
almost every major station there was often at least one small
locomotive.
Our
locomotive was put into service in 1938 as Kö 4941 by the Deutsche
Reichsbahn. Its first home directorate was the Reichsbahndirektion
Oppeln in Upper Silesia, in today's Poland.
She "survived"
the 2nd World War and made it to the west of Germany. After the
war, she found herself at BW Offenburg. Later homes were in
Osnabrück, in Rheine and in Münster (Westphalia).
In 1958
it received a Voith turbo gearbox from the Deutsche Bundesbahn in
the AW Leverkusen-Opladen and was renumbered Köf 4941. With the
introduction of computer-readable locomotive numbers, it was
assigned the EDP operating number 323 024-0. On 7 November 1977
the z-position took place and finally the decommissioning on 29
December 1977. This ended her service with the Deutsche
Bundesbahn. Her last home BW was Münster (Westphalia).
The
small locomotive was then taken over by the mechanical engineering
company Balcke-Dürr AG in Neubeckum. As works locomotive 1 with
now sulphur-yellow superstructures and black frame, it was in
service here until the end of 2008. A striking change was the
oversized buffer plates at the rear of the locomotive, which were
necessary due to the narrow track radii on the factory premises.
After the termination of the DB siding, the small locomotive
became unemployed. Since autumn 2021, Balcke-Dürr has ceased
production in Neubeckum.
In
February 2009, the locomotive arrived in Lengerich with the
Schumacher forwarding company in our inventory. We can now present
a small locomotive in the pre-war version with an open driver's
cab as well as a new locomotive from 1960 (Köf 6642). It is
planned to refurbish the Köf 4941 in its last condition at the
Deutsche Bundesbahn in the foreseeable future. |