| In 1884 the Imperial and Royal Austrian State Railways (kkStB) were
founded. They developed three new standard locomotive classes: an express
loco, a light multi-purpose loco and the heavy freight cals 73, extraordinary
powerful, yet simple and reliable. Until 1909 there were 453 engines built.
Class 73 became the standard type of the Austrian Military Administration.
She was in service on nearly all mountain lines in Old-Austria but in Slovenia
not until WW1. After the war 4 engines remained in Ljubljana-Šiška shed.
As class JDŽ 133 they served for pick-up trains and shunting. The 73.372
came to Slovenia during WW2 as German DRB 55 5737. After the war she was
reclassified as 133-005 and sent to coal mine Kreka.
At the turn of the century the kkStB introduced an oil-burning system
on some of their locomotives, developed by Holden of the Great Eastern
Railway in England. In 1911/1912 a peak was reached: nearly 1000 locomotives
were fitted out for oil burning. Among them there were 145 locomotives
of class 73. The most visible piece of this equipment was the huge oil
reservoir, placed on the top of the tender. In 1996 one of these was found
forgotten in the locoshed Ljubljana. It was promptly cleaned and painted
and successively put on the top of the tender of 73.372. It is not known
though, if in her life she was really fitted out with this equipment. |
