M.105

No 11sm in Brohl-Lützing on 6 September 2018 (50.482389, 7.329678)

The Builder

Maschinenbau A.G. Humboldt was founded in 1871 and liquidated due to debts in 1884 and reformed as Maschinenbauanstalt Humboldt A.G. 

Locomotive construction started in 1896. It ceased in 1928 after building 1,700 locomotives.

The class

The M.105 class consisted of four members. All four had the peculiar addition "sm" to the running number, meaning "Schwere Mallet, "Heavy Mallet". The first two were ordered by the In 1906 BEG ordered a further engine which was numbered 11sm (dubbing the one remaining at the BK?). I final loco was ordered in 1920.

The class had the usual Mallet arrangement of compound steam expansion with the high pressure cylinder driving the rear set of ylinders en and the larger low pressure cylinder driving the radially adjustable front set. 

In the 1930s the remaining two engines at BEG obtained eccentrically placed buffers for shunting standard gauge cars in the harbour area.

A builder's drawing. Right click and "View image" to see the full size. Source

10sm (BEG ex-BK)

Originally ordered by the Bergheimer Kreisbahn it quickly became redundant because the company was converting to standard gauge. One was transferred to the sister company Brohltal Eisenbahn Gesellschaft, where it entered service under the same road number. It was withdrawn in 1934 and subsequently scrapped.

11sm (BK)

Also originally ordered by the Bergheimer Kreisbahn it quickly became redundant because the company was converting to standard gauge. 11sm seems to have remained on the BK most likely to see service during the transition period from narrow gauge to standard gauge. The Bergheimer Kreisbahn was taken over by the Prussian State Railways (KPEV) in 1913. 11sm was sold to the Albtalbahn where it was regauged to 1,435 mm. It finally went to the Deutsche Eisenbahngesellschaft in 1932. No further details are known, but the loco is assumed to have been scrapped.

11sm (BEG)

The BEG seemed to be happy with their 10sm. At least we know there sufficient cause to order another engine of the same class, which entered service in 1906. It remained with the BEG all its life until diesels made it redundant in 1965. It was kept as reserve until 1966. It is preserved and now the only surviving steam locomotive of the BEG, Brohl Valley Railway.

12sm (BEG)

The last of the class was again a re-order by the BEG as late as 1920, sixteen years after the first pair! Like 11sm it remained with the BEG all its life until diesels made it redundant in 1965. It was then scrapped.

Restoration 11sm

The steam era in the Brohl valley ended on 29 January 1966. The last remaining loco was sold in 1968 tot the German Society for Railway History (DGEG) and was displayed in the narrow gauge railway museum in Viernheim since 1975. When this museum was dissolved the was acquired by the Interessengemeinschaft Brohltalschmalspurbahn (IBS) and brought back to the Brohl valley in 1989. In 2009 restoration started and it is operating condition since 25 April 2015. The boiler was built in 2011. Total cost of the restoration is estimated at around € 750,000.

Photos

A few ore pictures as I found 11sm on 6 September 2018

More photos of my visit to Brohl can be found in a dedicated album.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maschinenbau_Anstalt_Humboldt

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humboldt-Typ_M.105

http://vulkan-express.de/stationen-und-ausfluege/20-verein/projekt-11sm