| built by: Henschel und Sohn A.G., Kassel built in: 1928 power (Hp): 50 steampressure: 12 bar type: Fabia wheel arrangement: Bt factory no.: 21147 water supply (ton): 0.7 coal supply (ton): 0.32 weight (ton): 7.1 empty/ 9.3 full length: 4300 mm valve gear: Walschaert Ø wheel size: 630 mm gauge: 700 mm Ø cylinder: 220 mm piston-stroke: 300 mm wheel distance: 1200 mm |
As of December 2008 steamlocomotive 8 is ready for duty. An extensive renovation was required, consisting of the fitting of a new boiler, renovation of the engine driver house and the replacement of the boiler plates. The boiler is built by HKB, Venlo. The renovation of the locmotive is subsidized by the Prins Bernhard Culture fund, the Mondriaan Foundation and the NSS boilerfund.
Henschel Fabia
In 1877 Henschel started to build narrow gauge locomotives. The first locomotive in this category was a simple type B tank engine which had a gauge width of 900 mm. On the principle of these and other locomotives a series of prototypes was developed, suitable for different purposes. Most used for a width of 600 or 700 mm track was the type Fabia with a power of 50 hp. In the Netherlands locomotives of type Fabia were often used by construction companies and brickyards. Eventually three of those machines were preserved. All of them are from the brickyards, where steam was abolished later than in other fields.
At the brickyards
Although this loc was built in 1928, it took two years to be delivered at Spoorijzer Delft, most probably supplied from stock. Spoorijzer sold the loc that same year to Van Wijcks Waalsteenfabrieken in Heteren. That is where it was commissioned as Number 6. The clay soil in the direct surroundings of this mill were completely digged off, and therefore land was bought at the other side of the river Rhine, at the foot of the Noordberg close to Renkum. This land was across the mill and became the area were the new loc was operating. With an excavator the clay was digged off and dumped in tipcarts which had a capacity of 2,5 m3. The loc had to take these tipcarts to the riverbank with a ferry; this ferry was specifically built to cross those tipcarts to the other side of the river. At the other side a heavy Orenstein & Koppel loc hauled the tipcarts ashore and further to the brick press. A maximum of nine tipcarts could be taken across by the ferry, depending on the water level. At both sides was a bypass track to exchange the full and empty trains.
Damaged in WWII
During working-seasons the Henschel loc was put up in a wooden shed, not far from the Noordberg. During wintertime the winning of clay came to a standstill and the loc was crossed over by the ferry as well. She was like the O&K loc moved to a shed close to the mill, where a major overhaul took place. During the Second World War the Netherlands were occupied by the Germans; they took control of the brick industry. In the fall of 1944 the mill was in the midst of the line of fire and was heavily damaged. After the war the damage to the rolling stock and buildings was repaired and because of the rebuilding of the country the production of bricks was resumed on a large scale. To assist in this job some rented locomotives were also employed.
| In 1953 the grounds at Renkum were completely dug off and there was no use for the locomotives anymore. Loc 6 was sold to the Company to Exploitation of Brickyards at the river Waal to serve at the brickyard the Lunenburgerwaard at Wijk bij Duurstede. At this mill loc 6 provided the transportation of clay together with a 50 hp O&K-machine for a long time. The quarry of clay was done both on the inside and the outside of the dikes. Via a dam the track was running over the Rijndijk towards the Ameronger Wetering. The mill is now closed, but the small shed that provided shelter for the steam locomotives can still be found. |
Nature preserve Lunenburgerwaard:
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In 1966 the Henschel-locomotive was approved for the last time by the Department of Transportation.
Shortly thereafter the loc was decommissioned.
According to the management of the company the loc was sold to someone interested in steam locomotives in Noord-Brabant.
Nevertheless around 1970 the loc was found on the grounds of a dealer in metal, A. Huiskes in Boxtel,
where at that moment a couple of locs of the gasworks in Rotterdam were to be found, waiting for an inglorious end
in the melting-pot. The Henschell machine was the only machine to escape this fate.
In 1971 Kees Neve, an engine driver himself, came in the possession of the locomotive and she was transported to
Vreeswijk.
In 1972 Kees Neve moved to a place called Zeeland close to Uden, where he had more space for his locomotive collection.
In 1972 Kees Neve exchanged the machine for an O&K, originally from brickyard De Anker in Maurik. The next year the Henschel left for brickyard De Scherpekamp in Angeren, where in the following years a lot of work was being done to the loc. In 1976 another move followed, this time to brickyard F.O.W. in Groenlo. The mill was already closed down, but the approximately 4 km narrow gauge railway from the clay pits to the German border was still in existence. The owner of the mill was planning to open a bird park in the clay pits and thought the steam locomotive was a fine addition to this attraction park. In 1977 the loc was seen in action a couple of times. From the long track only 200 meter could be used, because the mill was close to a viaduct which was not high enough. Further plans ended when the farmers, who had an agreement with the mill owner about the use of their land, ended this agreement. The track was cleared.
This situation lasted until 1981; plans were started for the establishment of a brickyard museum in the former brickyard De Plasserwaard in Wageningen. In advance of the feasibility of the museum, the loc was taken in the collection and the city of Wageningen provided for a shed. Transportation of the loc to Wageningen took place in January of 1982. In spite of all the efforts the museum project did not materialize, mostly because of high costs the exploitation of such a museum would involve. In the fall of 1985 the loc was finally added to the collection of the NSS. Transportation to Katwijk took place in October 1985 and the roving around had come to an end. In Katwijk the restauration was vividly started, and in 1987 the boiler was presented for its 40-year certificate. The steal was still in perfect condition but the bolts in the inner-firebox were eroded: the boiler was rejected. This flaw was not easily fixed and a new boiler was too expensive. It seemed that this machine would never go live again, until the machine was added to the Register Railmonuments with an A-status.
This freed the road to apply for funds for a new boiler. In December 2008 the locomotief was steamed up after an extensive two-year restauration, which included the new boiler, new boilerplates and work on the cabine.
The restauration was made possible thanks to gifts from the Prins Bernhard Culturefund, the Mondriaan Foundation and the NSS boiler fund. The boiler was built by HKB in Venlo.
The Henschel in action at the brick factory Lunenburgerwaard.
Video produced by Robert Putz, November 6, 2008.
Video door Robert Putz, 30 december 2008.
The Henschel in action on December 30, 2008.
