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Steam Railcars with More Than Two Axles and One-Part Car Body[Inhalt]
Bavarian MCCi
Germany | 1906
7 produced
Locomotive Magazine, December 1906

The Royal Bavarian State Railways were already using steam railcars from around 1880, but after the turn of the century the time was ripe for a new model with bogies. Therefore, between 1906 and 1908, a total of seven examples of the MCCi class were procured with a car body from MAN and power plant from Maffei. In principle, the powered bogie was identical to the two-axle ML 2/2 local railway locomotive that Maffei was offering at the same time.

Drive bogie with boiler, controls and coal hopper
Drive bogie with boiler, controls and coal hopper
Die Lokomotive, March 1907

What was special about this power plant was that cylinders fitted in the middle on the outside with opposing pistons each acted on a wheel set and these wheel sets were in turn connected by coupling rods. While the coupling rods on the ML 2/2 were on the inside and acted on cranked axles, here they were on the outside. The boiler was above this bogie inside the car body and could therefore be reached by the engine driver in the front driver's cab. The entire bogie, including boiler and controls, weighed 18.2 tonnes and could be separated from the car for maintenance.

Schematic drawing with dimensions
Schematic drawing with dimensions
Die Lokomotive, August 1906

As with the local railway locomotives ML 2/2 and PtL 2/2, a semi-automatic mechanism ensured that one person could drive and stoke the locomotive alone. If the railcar drove ahead with the non-powered bogie, the conductor in the second driver's cab could operate the brake valve himself and communicate with the engine driver via a speaking tube. Behind the power unit was the usable space with 55 seats, 30 standing places and a small luggage compartment. In comparison with a passenger train pulled by a B VI and having the same capacity, a cost saving of 25 percent and half the coal consumption was quoted. Thanks to a possible trailer load of 40 tonnes, the capacity could be increased with one to two passenger cars.

After being taken over by the Reichsbahn, four of the examples were converted into electric railcars in 1924 and initially designated as the D4i ElT. They performed well in use and therefore formed the basis of the ET 85, which had been in series production since 1927. Another example was converted to diesel by MAN in 1928 and tested in the Nuremberg area, but could not keep up with the electric versions and was decommissioned after a short time.

General
Built1906-1908
ManufacturerMaffei, MAN
Axle config0-4-0+4T 
Gauge4 ft 8 1/2 in (Standard gauge)
Seats55
Dimensions and Weights
Length65 ft 5 1/16 in
Wheelbase51 ft 6 5/16 in
Rigid wheelbase9 ft 0 1/4 in
Empty weight104,719 lbs
Service weight116,845 lbs
Water capacity1,057 us gal
Fuel capacity1,543 lbs (coal)
Boiler
Grate area9.4 sq ft
Firebox area37.4 sq ft
Tube heating area405.8 sq ft
Evaporative heating area443.2 sq ft
Superheater area74.8 sq ft
Total heating area518 sq ft
Power Plant
Driver diameter39 in
Boiler pressure232 psi
Expansion typesimple
Cylinderstwo, 7 7/8 x 10 1/4 in
Power
Power sourcesteam
Indicated power197 hp (147 kW)
Optimal speed39 mph
Top speed47 mph
Starting effort3,212 lbf
Calculated Values
steam railcar
local
last changed: 02/2022
Chōsen Government Railway Shiki steam railmotor
Korea | 1923
6 produced
Shiki1
Shiki1
works photo Kisha Seizo
VariantShiki1Shiki2
General
Built19231929
ManufacturerKisha SeizōSentinel-Cammell
Axle config2-2-0+4T 
Gauge4 ft 8 1/2 in (Standard gauge)
Dimensions and Weights
Length loco22 ft 9 1/16 in
Service weight62,832 lbs
Adhesive weight37,258 lbs
Axle load37,258 lbs
Water capacity954 us gal
Fuel capacity1,830 lbs (coal)coal
Boiler
VariantShiki1Shiki2
Power Plant
Driver diameter53.9 in
Boiler pressure188 psi305 psi
Expansion typesimple
Cylinderstwo, 9 13/16 x 16 in
Power
Power sourcesteam
Top speed47 mph
Starting effort4,600 lbf7,434 lbf
Calculated Values
steam railcar
Great Western Railway steam rail motors
Great Britain | 1903
99 produced
No. 93 in December 2013 on the Barry Tourist Railway, Wales
No. 93 in December 2013 on the Barry Tourist Railway, Wales
Ben Salter

For rural lines with a small number of passengers, the GWR started to acquire steam rail motors starting in 1903. They were not only cheaper to operate and maintain, but also allowed to set up additional halts without personnel and without high platforms due to their built-in steps. What made them look more modern than other contemporary steam rail motors was that they didn't have a power unit that resembled a small tank locomotive, but they had a vertical boiler that was mounted on the power bogie and hidden inside the car body.

A total of 99 vehicles of a number of sub types called diagram A to diagram R were built between 1903 and 1908. They had lengths of 57 to 70 feet, a width of either 8.5 or 9 feet and cylinders of different sizes. While the first batches didn't have a baggage compartment and were dubbed “suburban”, the later batches had one and were dubbed “branch”. A total of 112 power bogies had been built for these 99 cars to increase their availability during maintenance.

Although there were also matching trailers with a driving compartment for these rail motors, they were not as flexible in times of varying demand as loco-hauled trains. On lines with steep gradients, they had less power reserves than loco-hauled trains or new petrol railcars. So the last one was withdrawn in 1935 and only No. 93 was preserved. Today it is operational and can often be seen accompanied by trailer No. 92.

General
Built1903-1908
ManufacturerSwindon, Kerr, Stuart & Co., Gloucester Railway Carriage & Wagon Co.
Axle config0-4-0+4T 
Gauge4 ft 8 1/2 in (Standard gauge)
Dimensions and Weights
Length57 ft 0 in
Rigid wheelbase8 ft
Water capacity540 us gal
Fuel capacity1,120 lbs (coal)
Boiler
Grate area11.5 sq ft
Firebox area44.3 sq ft
Tube heating area625.6 sq ft
Evaporative heating area669.9 sq ft
Total heating area669.9 sq ft
Power Plant
Driver diameter41 in
Boiler pressure140 psi
Expansion typesimple
Cylinderstwo, 12 x 16 in
Power
Power sourcesteam
Top speed30 mph
Starting effort6,687 lbf
Calculated Values
steam railcar
local
George Jackson Churchward
last changed: 09/2024
View on YouTube
Hessian Ludwig Railway steam railcar type Thomas
Germany | 1879
ca. 15 produced
Railcar “Glück Auf”
Railcar “Glück Auf”
Hessische Ludwigsbahn

This railcar is named after its inventor Georg Thomas, who was director of the Hessian Ludwigsbahn and thought about the most efficient vehicle possible for passenger transport. The double-decker vehicle, with its well-engineered and forward-looking design, was soon able to find several buyers, but mass production was ultimately denied.

Although the railcar looked like one piece at first glance, it was actually a combination of a single-axle power module and a two-axle passenger car. These two parts could only be separated from each other in the workshop, but the patent also explicitly provided for the use of the rear part as an independent car. In the lower part there were compartments of all three classes and in the upper part there were only third class transverse benches. To make the best use of space, the boiler was mounted across the rear of the driver's cab and the power was transmitted to the cranked axle by cylinders mounted under the floor.

The power was sufficient to be able to pull up to three cars. The coal was also stored inside the driver's cab and the water supplies were located under the floor of the passenger compartment to save space. Although there was also a cable on the rear platform to operate the whistle, normal driving was only possible in one direction. Reaching the driver's cab via the roof and a roof hatch was intended in the design, but can only be seen as an emergency solution. This meant that the railcar had to be rotated at the end of the line to change direction.

Despite the predicted great future and the sales to several railway administrations, this vehicle did not prove itself and thus all locomotives were retired around the turn of the century.

General
Builtfrom 1879
ManufacturerEsslingen, MAN, Hohenzollern
Axle config0-2-4T 
Gauge4 ft 8 1/2 in (Standard gauge)
Seats80
Dimensions and Weights
Service weight65,257 lbs
Fuel capacitycoal
Boiler
Grate area5.6 sq ft
Evaporative heating area366 sq ft
Total heating area366 sq ft
Power Plant
Driver diameter43.3 in
Boiler pressure145 psi
Expansion typesimple
Cylinderstwo, 8 11/16 x 14 3/16 in
Power
Power sourcesteam
Indicated power99 hp (74 kW)
Optimal speed21 mph
Top speed25 mph
Starting effort3,026 lbf
Calculated Values
steam railcar
local
Georg Thomas
last changed: 02/2022
Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis No. 2
United States | 1898
only one produced
Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania / Baldwin Negatives

At a time when steam railcars were in vogue, the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad acquired such a vehicle. Their number 2 had five axles in total and its front part was theoretically a 2-4-0 locomotive with a four-cylinder Vauclain compound engine. Its exhaust was passed to the rear of the car and used to heat the passenger compartment.

Behind the boiler and the cab, there was an additional baggage compartment. The passenger compartment, carried on the rear truck, had space for 40 persons. Since the railcar had enough power, it could also haul up to two passenger or mail cars. When running solo, it was able to reach speeds of up to 60 mph or 97 km/h. Ultimately, it shared the fate of many other steam railcars and didn't become a great success when it got superseded by gas and diesel railcars.

General
Built1898
ManufacturerBurnham, Williams & Co
Axle config2-4-0+4T
Gauge4 ft 8 1/2 in (Standard gauge)
Seats40
Dimensions and Weights
Wheelbase48 ft 6 in
Rigid wheelbase7 ft 6 in
Service weight100,090 lbs
Adhesive weight57,100 lbs
Fuel capacitycoal
Boiler
Grate area15 sq ft
Firebox area47 sq ft
Tube heating area535 sq ft
Evaporative heating area582 sq ft
Total heating area582 sq ft
Power Plant
Driver diameter44 in
Boiler pressure140 psi
Expansion typecompound
Cylindersfour, HP: 9 1/2 x 18 in
and LP: 15 x 18 in
Power
Power sourcesteam
Estimated power200 hp (149 kW)
Optimal speed20 mph
Top speed60 mph
Starting effort6,271 lbf
with start valve7,525 lbf
Calculated Values
steam railcar
Vauclain compound
last changed: 08/2024
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