Alsace-Lorraine G 8.1
| Alsace-Lorraine G 8.1 DRG Class 55.25–56 SNCF Class 040-D | |
|---|---|
| Number(s) | DRG 55 2946, 3338-3340, 4275-4279, 4285 and 5665 |
| Quantity | 137 |
| Manufacturer | Grafenstaden, Henschel |
| Year(s) of manufacture | 1913–1919 |
| Retired | 1966 |
| Wheel arrangement | 0-8-0 |
| Axle arrangement | D h2 |
| Length over buffers | 18,290 mm (60 ft 0.1 in) |
| Service weight | 69.9 t (68.8 long tons; 77.1 short tons) |
| Adhesive weight | 69.9 t (68.8 long tons; 77.1 short tons) |
| Axle load | 17.6 t (17.3 long tons; 19.4 short tons) |
| Top speed | 55 km/h (34 mph) |
| Indicated Power | 927 kW (1,243 hp) |
| Driving wheel diameter | 1,350 mm (53.15 in) |
| No. of cylinders | 2 |
| Cylinder bore | 600 mm (23.622 in) |
| Piston stroke | 660 mm (25.984 in) |
| Boiler Overpressure | 14 bar (1,400 kPa; 200 psi) |
| Grate area | 2.58 m2 (27.8 sq ft) |
| Evaporative heating area | 143.28 m2 (1,542.3 sq ft) |
| Tender | pr 3 T 16.5 |
| Water capacity | 16.5 m3 (583 cu ft) or 16,500 L (3,629 imp gal; 4,359 US gal) |
The Alsace-Lorraine Class G 8.1 was a superheated, goods train, steam locomotive with four driving axles, and was based on the Prussian G 8.1. There were no design differences between the two. The Imperial Railways in Alsace-Lorraine (Reichseisenbahnen in Elsaß-Lothringen) received a total of 137 G 8.1 engines between 1913 and 1919, of which eleven were built by Henschel and the rest by the Grafenstaden.
After the First World War ten locomotives were left in Germany and were later given the numbers 55 2946, 3338-3340, 4275-4279 and 4285 by the Deutsche Reichsbahn. A further one, 55 5665, returned to the Reichsbahn in 1935 along with the G 8.1s from the Saar area. AFter the end of the war, 72 Prussian G 8.1 engines remained in Alsace-Lorraine and went into the fleet of the AL, the successor to the Reichseisenbahnen. They were joined by a further 138 Prussian G 8.1s handed over as reparations. Several locomotives were passed on to the French Eastern Railway and the Algerian State Railway. The SNCF took over the G 8.1 as Class 040-D. The last G 8.1 in France was number 040-D-260, which was retired in 1966.
The engines were coupled with Prussian class 3 T 16.5 tenders.