Fleischmann 714476 - Steam locomotive class 44 1281-3 (Sound)

Steam locomotive class 44 with coal tender of the Deutsche Reichsbahn.

■ Elevated DR smoke deflectors
■ Pumps in the front area
■ With ÜK driver's cab
■ Running board with skirting
■ Central driving axles with low wheel flanges
■ Unobstructed view through the tank and the chassis
■ Current draw through locomotive and tender
■ The loco was used for heavy goods train services


With the standard locomotive programme, the Deutsche Reichsbahn Gesellschaft (DRG) also had put the focus on the development of a powerful goods train locomotive. From the locomotive with triplet engine, which was designated as BR 44, the railway company expected to being able to transport freight trains of up to 1,200 t in the low mountain ranges and up to 600 t on steep ramps. In 1926, the first ten locomotives were delivered and had an axle arrangement of 1'E h3. It was not until 1937, after increasing demands for train support, that this locomotive went into series production and was purchased in large numbers, in various versions.

At the end of 1945, 277 locomotives were operating in the Soviet occupation zone, which would later become the territory of the GDR. Due to the demarcation after the end of the Second World War, only limited amounts of hard coal were available. Therefore, they were initially forced to use domestic brown coal. Due to the lower calorific value compared to hard coal, the locomotives only achieved about half of their actual output. By the sweat of their brows, the stokers shovelled enormous amounts of brown coal into the fireboxes to make up for the shortcoming.