The Nordhausen-Wernigerode Railroad Company (NWE) placed a series of twelve Mallet locomotives into service between 1897 and 1900, of which nine were built by the firm Jung in Jungenthal and another three were delivered by the Mecklenburg Car Factory Stock Company in Güstrow. These locomotives were very reliable, and with their performance of 255 horsepower and their maximum speed of 30 km/h / 19 mph these 34 metric ton locomotives fulfilled all of the requirements expected of them. However, in World War I six units had to be handed over to the Army Field Railways – they never came back from this service. Another locomotive had to be retired after a serious accident so that the remaining five locomotives were taken over by the DR in 1949 and rostered as road numbers 99 5901 to 99 5905. After new construction locomotives came to the Harz area in the mid-Fifties, the Mallet locomotives went to the Selketal Railroad. Road numbers 99 5904 and 99 5905 were scrapped and the other 3 locomotives remained on the roster. Road numbers 99 5901 and 99 5902 were used for a longer period on the HSB. Presently, these two units – and road number 99 5903 – are in Wernigerode and are no longer operational.
This is a model of the steam locomotive, road number 99 5901, for the Harz Narrow Gauge Railways. It is a finely detailed model in heavy metal construction with many separately applied details. The locomotive is driven with two powerful motors and all driving wheelsets are driven using coupling rods. The doors to the cab and smoke box door can be opened. The finely detailed Mallet design running gear has many details such as complete valve gear and a propulsion mechanism for the lubrication pump. The prototypical black/red paint scheme and lettering is for Era VI as the locomotive presently looks on the HSB. The locomotive is equipped with an mfx/DCC decoder with many light and sound functions such as headlights, cab lighting, running gear lights, running sounds, a whistle and a bell activated by reed switches, as well as much more. The running sounds will also work in analog operation. There is a built-in smoke unit with smoke exhaust synchronized with the wheels as well as cylinder steam and steam exhaust at the whistle when the latter is activated. There are digitally controlled LGB couplers at both ends, and these couplers can be removed. There are sprung buffers. Length over the buffers 40 cm / 15-3/4.