In 1897, shortly after the railway company's foundation, the first of a new batch of locomotives was built for the NWE by
Arnold Jung in
Jungenthal. It was a
Mallet engine, numbered NWE 11, with the front two axles in an inside frame and the rear two axles in an outside frame. The fleet quickly grew to 12 locos of which nine were made by Jung from 1897 to 1901 and three by the
Mecklenburgische Maschinen- und Waggonbau AG in
Güstrow in 1897 . The locomotives were very reliable, but six had to be handed over to the
military railways during the
World War I (including all three engines built in Güstrow) for use in France, and they never returned from their wartime duties. The remaining six engines received new, larger boilers with a higher performance. In 1927, locomotive NWE 12II suffered a derailment in Thumkuhlenthal upon which it fell off the high embankment. The engine, one passenger coach and the luggage van were so badly damaged that they had to be dismantled on the spot. In addition, they were given their old numbers again: NWE 11 and NWE 13II. 99 5901 was repainted in black in 1998, and received a new, more powerful boiler in 2002. No. 99 5902 was converted to compressed air brakes in 2000. It has now the number NWE 12III and runs in green livery. After its operational certificates expired, maintenance on no. 99 5903 has been deferred.
Harz Narrow Gauge Railways currently operate the following engines of this type: • 99 5901: not operational, • 99 5902: not operational, • 99 5903: certificates expired, stabled in Wernigerode Westentor station. A similar locomotive is no.
99 5906, but with the rear axles mounted in an inside frame. == References ==