Jean-Marie Bruggheman presents his stunning work on the DRB Class 52. The Deutsche Reichsbahn's Class 52 is a German steam locomotive built in large numbers during the Second World War. It was the most produced type of the so-called Kriegslokomotiven or Kriegsloks (war locomotives). Class 52 was a wartime development of the pre-war DRG Class 50, using fewer parts and less expensive materials to speed production.
The weathering is great on the loc, it is a pitty that the BR-52 was never in black over red during the war. Only after the war, were they painted that way. During the war they were all in German grey…
Very nice locomotive. The fallen leaves really set it off, too. A book that came out a few years ago about Krieglokos wrote that for camouflage, they used luftwaffe colors. If I recall, book stated that Goering had control over German railways, so it fell under Luftwaffe oversight.
I never heard of the Reichsbahn being controlled by the Luftwaffe. What I read is that, during the war (from 1937 on) it was controlled directly by the Reichsverkehrsministerium (ministery of traffic).
I’m completely confident that you are correct. After I get moved and unpacked, I’ll try to find that locomotive book and find what it said about the Luftwaffe’s connection to the erv. Maybe it was just that they provided the paint?
Hi Erwin, I found my book End of the Line - German & French Railway at the End of WW II.
It does not state that the luftwaffe had some sort of control of the German railways, as I mistakenly recalled. What it says is that the railroads consulted with the luftwaffe for camouflage colors and patterns that would make the trains less conspicuous from the air.
No worries… If I had been wrong, that wouldn’t be a problem either. Just educational for me.
It seems logical that the Reichsbahn consulted with the Luftwaffe for camo. That would only work when stationary btw, as a train on the move usually leaves a loooong trail of smoke…
The build is BS. German railway companies would bever let an engine come down this way. In Germany they said, “Räder müssen rollen für den Sieg”
I think that Trumpeter and HobbyBoss used the CMK resin kit as “inspiration”. After my visit to DMM. Voyager made an extensive correction kit to the Trumpeter kit.
My sourcebook on the Baureihe 52.
There is another thing: the plates at the front of the engine seems to be a fantasy by Trumpeter/HB, as I have never seen any pictures of the type.
Anyone willing to prove me wrong?
Indeed, according to the Engines of the Wehrmacht website the BR52 class (built from Sept ’42) was “Unrefined, meaning that approximately 6,000 parts were changed or eliminated thus saving a large amount of sparse and/or expensive raw material. For example, most of the locomotives were not equipped with smoke deflectors / windshields, as these panels were part of the savings in production and could only become effective at a speed of 80 km/h, which the BR 52 could not reach”
I own several BR 52s. I even have one with a Kondenstender.
I can’t recall for certain, but none have the deflectors that I can remember. I could be wrong - I know I also have many others that do. (BR 03?) I am not digging them out this morning to find out.
There is this though:
Tim, you managed to find the hens’ teeth!!!
This is really the first that I have seen these kind of plates in a picture. I recon that is must have been a field modification, considering the construction.
