These engines were designed by
Robert Garbe and built between 1913 and 1921, forming the largest class of state railway locomotives in Germany. The
boiler was larger than that of the G 8, and the locomotive was designed to be heavier to haul even the heaviest trains without sanding, due to its higher adhesive weight. Because it had a high
axle load, the G 8.1 could however only be used on main lines. In addition to its employment with heavy goods traffic, it was later used for heavy
pusher duties as well. A total of 4,958 engines alone were made for the
Prussian state railways and, later, the
Deutsche Reichsbahn. The
Imperial Railways in Alsace-Lorraine were given 137 (see the
Alsace-Lorraine G 8.1), 10 went to the
Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg Friedrich-Franz Railway, 50 to the German military railways in the
First World War, 6 or 10 to the
Gewerkschaft Deutscher Kaiser coal mine at Duisburg and 185 were sold abroad to
Poland,
Romania and
Sweden). Linke-Hoffman delivered 20 locomotives to the Swedish state railways (SJ) in 1918, as
Class G. In 1925 the Reichsbahn took over 3,121 Prussian locomotives as
Class 55.25–56 with operating numbers 55 2501–5622 (less 55 3367). The twelve Mecklenburg engines (two of which had been bought in 1920 by the Prussian state railways) were incorporated as
Class 55.58 with the numbers 55 5801–5810 and 55 5851–5852. Included amongst the Prussian locomotives were also the ten G 8.1 from the Imperial Railways in Alsace-Lorraine. In 1935, 43 more locomotives came into the Reichsbahn fleet from the Saarland as numbers 55 5623–5665, the last of which came originally from the Alsace-Lorraine too. In the
Second World War numerous locomotives from Poland and Lithuania were also designated as Class 55 engines. The engines taken over from Belgium were given the numbers 55 5666–5699. After 1945 the
DR in
East Germany added a further locomotive from Poland as 55 5898, and several from Belgium and France as 55 7251–7260 and 55 8170. Between 1934 and 1941 a total of 691 G 8.1s were fitted with a
leading axle in order to allow a higher top speed and to reduce the average
axle load. The converted locomotives were redesignated as
DRG Class 56.2–8. More than 1,000 engines remained after the end of the Second World War. In 1968 the
DR still had 150 locomotives, and the
Deutsche Bundesbahn another 50, which they reclassified as
Class 055 from 1968. The last G 8.1 with the DB, number 055 538–3, was taken out of service on 21 December 1972. The vehicles were coupled with Prussian 3 T 16,5, 3 T 20 and 2'2' T 21,5
tenders. Number 55 3345 (ex Cassel 5159) has been preserved. It was built in 1915 by
Henschel and is today in the
Bochum Dahlhausen Railway Museum. ==See also==