Finnish Steam Locomotive Class C5

The Finnish Steam Locomotive Class C5 were ordered in 1880 by the Finnish State Railways from the German Hanomag factory for the Tampere–Vaasa railway line. The locomotives were completed between 1881–1882 and received the Class designation C5. The C5 locomotives had inside cylinders, as in other C-series locomotives. Originally it was planned that the locomotives be used for both freight and passenger duties. But passenger locomotives were considered unnecessary, because at that time the maximum speed of trains on the Tampere and Vaasa railway line was only 26.7 kilometres per hour (16.6 mph). C5 locomotives soon proved to be insufficiently powerful for the gradients of the Tampere and Vaasa railway line. C5 locomotives were moved to the flatter Seinäjoki–Oulu line, where they performed satisfactorily.

Finnish Steam Locomotive Class C5
Hannoversche Maschinenbau locomotive No 1477 of 1882 0-6-0 at the Finnish Railway Museum
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Hanomag Serial number 101–114 Build date 1881–1882 Total produced 14
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-6-0 Gauge 1,524 mm (5 ft) Length 11.7 m (38 ft) Loco weight 33 t (32 long tons; 36 short tons) Fuel capacity Coal: 4.5 m3 (160 cu ft) ; Wood: 4.6 m3 (160 cu ft) Water cap 4.4 m3 (160 cu ft) Firebox:  • Firegrate area 1.02 m2 (11.0 sq ft) Heating surface 55.9 m2 (602 sq ft)
Performance figures Maximum speed 60 km/h (37 mph)
Career Nicknames “Bliksti” First run 1882 Withdrawn 1930 Disposition One preserved (No. 110), at the Finnish Railway Museum
information from [1][2]

By the 1900s the C5 locomotives were transferred to shunting duties in the marshalling yards of various towns and cities around Finland. They were agile and therefore suitable for shunting duties. Because of the agility of the C5 locomotive it was nicknamed "Bliksti" or a “glimpse”. Today the Finnish Railway Museum has a class C5 on display.