The precursors to the Austrian Southern Railway had a very disparate fleet of goods locomotives.
The Southern Railway therefore had a six-coupled freight locomotive developed which was based the French Bourbonnais prototype.
This series was initially given the designation 23, but was reclassified to 29 in 1864. The
Lokomotivfabrik der StEG engine works delivered 20 units in 1860, which proved themselves so well that a total of 205 were built up to 1872 by this factory along with the
Wiener Neustädter Lokomotivfabrik and
Maschinenfabrik Esslingen.
Modifications
In the course of time there were naturally several modifications: in 1861 to the driver's cab, in the 1880s a vacuum brake with sound absorbers, new
boilers, etc...
Dispersal
After nationalisation in 1924 the
Federal Railway of Austria (BBÖ) took over 47 units, that were grouped into BBÖ Class 49. After the
Second World War a few engines, classified by the
Deutsche Reichsbahn as DRB 53.7111–7116, remained in
Austria. Of these, the
ÖBB only took over number 153.7114 but withdrew it in 1953.
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia designated the locomotives that it received as JŽ 124.[1]
During the 1920s the BBÖ sold several engines to the
Graz-Köflacher Bahn (GKB). Three of them, built in 1860, were preserved alongside two other Class 23 :
One of them, number GKB 671, is still working today, albeit with some small modifications such as
compressed-air brakes thanks to the work of the Steirischen Eisenbahnfreunde (
Styrian Railway Society). Built in 1860, the Austrian-made Südbahn Class 23 (old) locomotive on the
Graz-
Köflach railway (GKB), is the longest serving steam engine in the world. It is frequently on duty and is used to haul steam specials.
GKB 674 ex Südbahn 674,[2] has been preserved by the Budapest transport museum and restored with its early roofless drivers cab.
Hütter, Ingo (2012). Die Dampflokomotiven der Baureihen 50 bis 53 der DRG, DRB, DB, und DR (in German). Werl: DGEG Medien. pp. 429, 433.
ISBN978-3-937189-63-5.
Schmeiser, Bernhard (1992). Lokomotiven von Haswell, StEG und Mödling 1840–1929. Wien: Nachdruck: Verlag Slezak.
ISBN3-85416-159-X.