Brünig Rack Steam Loco, 1067
The prototype
This HG 3/3 is a remarkable and fascinating locomotive, with a horizontal boiler, and separate cylinders and gears for the cogwheel drive located above the cylinders that drive the wheels. On rack sections, the loco works as a compound engine with the high pressure steam powering the cylinders for the wheels, and the exhaust low pressure steam powering the cylinders for the rack mechanism. The rack mechanism runs in the opposite direction and faster than the mechanism driving the wheels, creating a very interesting effect. The separate rack mechanism allows the loco to run at higher speeds on level tracks, where the rack mechanism is turned off.
Eighteen locomotives of this type ran on the Swiss Brünigbahn (Nos. 1051-1068), and four more were delivered to the Berner Oberland Railway (Nos. 7 - 10). The Brünig Railway forms part of the Swiss State Railways (SBB). With the electrification of that line after 1941, some HG 3/3s were scrapped, while others were sold to Greece. One loco is displayed at the Swiss Transportation Museum, where it has been cut in half to display its unique drive mechanism. Another was saved by railfans and now can be enjoyed on special occasions on the Ballenberg Steam Railway.
The LGB model
The model is the first LGB rack steam locomotive and displays all the details of the prototype. The complex drive mechanism is fully detailed and operational. It is amazing to watch the loco climb the steepest tracks with all the rods and gears moving. Since both the wheels and the cog are powered, the loco also can be used on level track without racks.
