18 478 details on steamloco.info

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Considered by experts and amateurs alike to be the queen of all German express train steam locomotives and since 1996 the star of the Bavarian Railway Museum, the Class S 3/6 # 3673 was built by Maffei of Munich with the serial number 4536 and delivered to the Royal Bavarian State Railways in 1918. The S3/6 class locomotives were probably the thermodynamically most efficient German locos ever built, and their graceful outline, enhanced by the Caledonian chimney, make her one of the most beautiful engines ever built. With the amalgamation of the various German state Railways into the German National Railways (Deutsche Reichsbahn DRG) in the 1920s the engine was renumbered 18 478. After being allocated to the depots of Munich Central, Augsburg, Ingolstadt and finally Lindau and Ulm, she was taken out of service and withdrawn in 1959. In 1960 she was acquired by a Swiss engineer, Mr. Serge Lory. His intention was to put the loco back into her original Bavarian condition and livery. He obviously deliberately selected the last S 3/6 built with the characteristic aerodynamic cab front for that purpose. He started restoration work at Lindau, and in 1966 he transferred the engine to Switzerland. It is questionable if his aim had ever been restoring the engine to operating condition. What we found out during further restoration work on the engine suggests that his prime objective had always been to preserve the engine and restore its original outward appearance in the Bavarian livery. Nevertheless we owe to his work the only German Pacific express loco in the condition as when delivered, and one of the few remaining German four cylinder compound express locomotives. While still working on this project, Lory died in 1981. After several different Swiss owners, the BEM was able to obtain the engine on loan in 1993. For the 25th anniversary of the BEM in 1994 the engine outward appearance was eventually restored. Then, with the help of Meiningen loco works the task was undertaken to put her back into operation. Work was completed in spring 1996. The first challenge of the engine was the a tour through Germany in May 1996 initiated by the model train manufacturer Märklin. These 3.700 km proved to be of no problem for the engine. Since 1997 the engine has been the property of the BEM. In 2000 another project was realised. Märklin proposed to paint the engine for one year in a blue livery and to produce a special model from it. The S 3/6 class engines had seen various liveries during their lifetime. For example, engines wore a blue livery for exhibition purposes in 1910 and 1924. Thus, as the change of livery would not jeopardise the historic substance of the engine, the project was realised, and the engine ran in this blue livery from July 2000 until June 2001. The livery itself is a modern design and has no historic relevance. At the time being the engine can be marvelled at again in her original Bavarian livery. Unfortunately licences expired in May 2004, so the engine is not in working condition momentarily. Repairs to bring her back into service are being planned.

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