Courtesy of Gerhard & Marcus K. Owner Photos: Gerhard K. The Class 44 locomotives of the Deutsche Reichsbahn were heavy, five-coupled standard freight train steam locomotives of the G 56.20 type with a triple engine. They were intended for the haulage of freight trains of up to 1,200 tonnes on low mountain routes and 600 tonnes over steep ramps. The first ten examples were built in 1926. These machines had a slightly higher steam consumption than the first ten examples of the Class 43 equipped with a twin engine, which were purchased in parallel for comparison purposes. Further examples were not purchased until 1937, as the increased demands of train haulage could be better met with the triple engine. A total of 1,989 locomotives were manufactured between 1926 and 1949. During the Second World War, the design was simplified from 1942 onwards due to the war and the examples built in this way were delivered as the 44ÜK series (transitional war locomotive). Domestic materials were mainly used, and components were simplified in their manufacture and design or omitted entirely. The most striking features of the ÜK locomotives were the omission of smoke deflectors (which were standard from 44 013 onwards) and the omission of the front driver's cab side window. From the operating number 44 786 onwards, all machines were probably built in a simplified design. The simplifications were later largely eliminated for the locomotives that remained in service after the end of the war. After the Second World War, the 1753 Class 44 locomotives built for the DR remained with the following railway administrations: 1,242 units: Deutsche Bundesbahn (DB, from September 1949) 335 units: Deutsche Reichsbahn (DR) 67 units: Polskie Koleje Państwowe (PKP) 3 units: Československé státní dráhy (ČSD) 11 units: Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) another 5 units: ÖBB (T), looted from the Soviet occupying forces 14 units: Société nationale des chemins de fer français (SNCF) (designated as Class 150 X) 1 unit: Nationale Gesellschaft der Belgian Eisenbahnen (SNCB) 74 units: whereabouts unknown Since production of the Class 44 was concentrated in French factories at the end of the war, after the German occupiers withdrew another 226 locomotives were delivered directly to the SNCF. A further ten examples were completed for the DR in 1948/49 using boilers from Frichs in Aarhus at the locomotive construction company Elektrotechnische Werke Hans Beimler Hennigsdorf. The Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) gave nine machines to the German Federal Railways (DB) in 1952. The DB transferred at least 291 machines to the French state railway (SNCF) as reparations. These were mainly locomotives built in France. In 1955 the SNCF sold 48 machines to the Turkish state railway TCDD (there as series 56). In Poland the Polskie Koleje Państwowe (PKP) added 132 machines to its fleet as Ty4. No extensive modifications were made to the machines by the Federal Railways until the 1960s, apart from replacing the Wagner smoke deflectors with Witte ones. In 1964 and 1965, over sixty machines were converted to oil firing. The decommissioning began in 1970 and was completed in 1977. Until they were replaced by modern diesel and electric locomotives, the Class 44 machines were the backbone of heavy freight train service in Germany. German railway workers also called the Class 44 "Jumbo" because of its tractive power. Only the Class 58.30 locomotives rebuilt by the German Reichsbahn between 1958 and 1962 came close to the performance level of the Class 44 in lowland areas. The few Class 45 machines had a higher top speed and power, but did not have greater tractive power. Music : 1st Song: Ressurection Artist: Aaron Spencer You should also put: Music used: Resurrection by Aaron Spencer https://machinimasound.com/music/resu... Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...) Music : 2nd Song: Rallying the Defense Artist: Per Kiilstofte You should also put: Music used: Rallying the Defense by Per Kiilstofte https://machinimasound.com/music/rall... Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...)