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The German Class 99.73-76 engines were standard locomotives (''Einheitslokomotiven'') in service with the Deutsche Reichsbahn for Saxony's narrow gauge railways. Together with their follow-on class, the DR Class 99.77-79, they were the most powerful narrow gauge locomotives in Germany for the rail gauge. == History == Although there was already a very powerful locomotive for operations on the mountain lines in the Ore Mountains (''Erzgebirge'') of eastern Germany in the shape of the ten-coupled ex-Saxon Class 99.67-71, there was a further requirement for an even more powerful class. So it fell to the newly formed Reichsbahn railway division of Dresden to procured an ''Einheitslok'' with a rail gauge. The Standardisation Office of the German Locomotive Union in Berlin-Tegel prepared the design for this class. The first series of 13 locomotives was built by the ''Sächsische Maschinenfabrik'', previously Richard Hartmann, in Chemnitz. According to the supply agreement, the ''Sächsische Maschinenfabrik'' was supposed to deliver more locos, but as a result of its bankruptcy and liquidation in 1930, this order was transferred to the ''Berliner Maschinenbau AG'' (''BMAG''), previously ''Schwartzkopff''. In 1928, seven locomotives were supplied by ''BMAG'' and another twelve followed in 1933. The locomotives were very modern for their time, and were similar in design to the standard gauge ''Einheitslokomotiven''. The engines fulfilled expectations; by double-heading it was now possible to haul even very long (up to 56 axles) narrow gauge trains uphill. In 1945, ten locomotives had to be given to the Soviet Union as war reparations. At the same time, there was an enormous increase in the transportation required in the Erzgebirge mountains as a result of new uranium mines opened by ''SDAG Wismut''. In 1952, in order to assist with the resulting shortage of locomotives, a similar follow-on class emerged, DR Class 99.77-79, built by the ''VEB Lokomotivbau Karl Marx'' in Babelsberg. At the end of the 1960s, the first Class 99.73-76 engines had to be retired due to boiler damage. Ten locomotives were given new, welded boilers and continued to work their original routes. In 1992, number 99 1760 was converted to oil-firing. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「DRG Class 99.73–76」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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