COMMENTS TO MY PAGE "ART POSTCARDS WITH A RAILWAY MOTIVE"

kaiserlich-königliche österreichische Staatsbahnen locomotive kkStB 73

The locomotive on the postcard is probably a kkStB 73 steam locomotive. The kkStB 73 was a class of 0-8-0 steam locomotives used by kaiserlich-königliche österreichische Staatsbahnen, k.k.St.B (the Imperial Royal Austrian State Railways) primarily for freight service. The kkStB 73 was one of the most important freight locomotives of its time. The kkStB 73 was designed in the late 19th century as a freight locomotive to handle the increasing demand for transporting goods across the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The 0-8-0 wheel arrangement (meaning four coupled axles and no leading or trailing wheels) provided excellent traction and was ideal for heavy loads on steep gradients. The locomotives were built by Austrian locomotive manufacturers, including Wiener Neustädter Lokomotivfabrik and Lokomotivfabrik Floridsdorf. Initially, the kkStB 73 operated across Austria-Hungary, hauling heavy freight trains on both flat and mountainous routes. They were efficient but relatively slow, as was typical for 0-8-0 locomotives. Many remained in service after World War I, when the collapse of Austria-Hungary led to the division of the railway assets among successor states. After the dissolution of the kkStB in 1918, locomotives of class 73 were taken over by newly formed railway administrations in Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Italy, and Yugoslavia. The Austrian Federal Railways (BBÖ) continued to operate these locomotives under the same numbering. Some units went to the Czechoslovak State Railways (ČSD), where they were classified as Class 414.0. Poland’s PKP also received some, classifying them as TKp11. A few ended up in Italy and Yugoslavia, where they were renumbered accordingly. During World War II, when Germany annexed Austria, many of these locomotives were absorbed into the Deutsche Reichsbahn, being renumbered as Class 555.0. After 1945, some locomotives returned to their national railways, while others were scrapped due to age. The last remaining units were gradually retired in the 1950s and 1960s, replaced by more modern steam and diesel locomotives. The ČSD locomotive 414.096, the last example of this series in use in the Czech Republic, which was nicknamed "Heligon", is on display in the Lužná u Rakovníka Railway Museum since 2009. In April 2019 she drove on her own for the first time in 50 years and hauled several nostalgic trains in the following season.

February 27 th 2025

 

 
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