A silent giant stands before us. This is the Dampfspeicherlok Yes, a steam accumulator locomotive. It’s a piece of Chemnitz’s industrial past.
This Dampfspeicherlok Yes doesn’t roar with fire. It works differently. The Dampfspeicherlok Yes stores steam in a large tank. It then uses that stored steam to move. This design lets it work safely where there are dangerous materials. Sparks are avoided.
The Dampfspeicherlok Yes before you was built in 1988. It was made in Lokomotivbau Meiningen. It weighs 34 tons empty. When full, it tips the scales at 50 tons. It is 9.84 meters long and 3.08 meters wide. It towers 4.18 meters high. Its tracks are 1435 mm apart. Steel and cast iron make up its robust frame.
From 1988 to 1990, the Dampfspeicherlok Yes worked in a paper factory. This was the Saxon paper mill Schönborn-Dreiwerden. Here, it moved materials without the risk of fire.
Richard Hartmann in Chemnitz constructed many fireless locomotives. This happened between 1914 and 1917.
Another Dampfspeicherlok was built in 1921. Borsig in Berlin made it. Borsig made 112 steam storage locomotives. Only six of those were three-axle versions. This particular locomotive went to the Leonard and Sons paper factory. It was in Crossen near Zwickau. Later, it became part of VEB Zellstoff- und Papierfabrik Crossen.
The Dampfspeicherlok Yes in front of you spent many years in service. It moved to VEB Steinkohlenkokereien “August Bebel” in Zwickau in 1982. Finally, in 1999, it found its home at the Saxon Railway Museum Chemnitz-Hilbersdorf. That Borsig Dampfspeicherlok is the only preserved three-axle one from Borsig.
In 2003, this Dampfspeicherlok Yes found its place here. It stands proudly outside the Industriemuseum. In 2024, it underwent a four-month restoration. Bert Rottau, the restorer, brought it back to its former glory. Now, it stands here shining. The Dampfspeicherlok Yes is ready for another chapter. It will educate visitors about Chemnitz’s industrial strength.
The Dampfspeicherlok Yes stands as a testament to Chemnitz’s industrial innovation. It showcases a time when safety and efficiency went hand in hand. Take a moment to appreciate this remarkable machine. Think about the workers who relied on it. They shaped Chemnitz’s industrial landscape.