Mecklenburg P 4.2

The Mecklenburg Class P 4.2, formerly Class VII, were early German steam locomotives operated by the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg Friedrich-Franz Railway and were used specifically for hauling express trains on the line from Warnemünde to Berlin. They were mechanically identical with the Prussian P 4.2. All 31 units were taken over by the Deutsche Reichsbahn who incorporated them as Class 36.6 with numbers 36 602–620 and 651–662. The first series of numbers were engines with a 14 t axle load, the second those with a 15 t axle load. In 1931 the last locomotive of this class was retired.

Mecklenburg VII Mecklenburg P 4.2 DRG Class 36.6
Prussian P 4.2 in Wetter an der Ruhr.
Type and origin Builder Henschel & Sohn (12) Maschinenbauanstalt Humboldt (10) Linke-Hofmann Werke (9) Build date 1903–1912 Total produced 31
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-4-0 Gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) Leading dia. 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+1⁄4 in) Driver dia. 1,750 mm (5 ft 9 in) Length: ​  • Over beams 17,645 mm (57 ft 10+3⁄4 in) Axle load 14.9 tonnes (14.7 long tons; 16.4 short tons) Adhesive weight 19.6 tonnes (19.3 long tons; 21.6 short tons) Service weight 50.4 tonnes (49.6 long tons; 55.6 short tons) Water cap. 12.0 or 16.0 m3 (2,600 or 3,500 imp gal; 3,200 or 4,200 US gal) Heating surface: ​  • Firebox 2.31 m2 (24.9 sq ft)  • Evaporative 118.85 m2 (1,279.3 sq ft) Cylinders 2, compound High-pressure cylinder 460 mm (18+1⁄8 in) Low-pressure cylinder 680 mm (26+3⁄4 in) Piston stroke 600 mm (23+5⁄8 in)
Performance figures Maximum speed 90 km/h (56 mph) Indicated power 580 PS (427 kW; 572 hp)
Career Numbers MFFE: 201–231 DRG: 36 602 – 36 620, 36 651 – 36 662 Retired by 1931

No. 36 601 was a Prussian P 4.2 that was redeployed to Mecklenburg in 1920.

Apart from three units, these engines were equipped with Class 2'2' T 16 tenders.

References

• Spielhoff, Lothar (1990). Länderbahn-Dampf-Lokomotiven. Band 1: Preußen, Mecklenburg, Oldenburg, Sachsen und Elsaß-Lothringen (in German). Stuttgart: Franckh'sche Verlagshandlung. ISBN 3-440-06145-0.
• Weisbrod, Manfred; Müller, Hans; Petznik, Wolfgang (1976). Dampflokomotiven deutscher Eisenbahnen, Baureihe 01–39 (EFA 1.1) (in German) (3rd ed.). Düsseldorf: Alba Buchverlag. pp. 203–205. ISBN 3-87094-081-6.