LTM 51

Locomotive 51 of the Limburgsche Tramweg Maatschappij was a Garratt locomotive. It was the only Garratt type locomotive in the Netherlands. It was built by Henschel with builder number 22063 in 1931. It entered service in the same year. Ir. D. Verhoop, in collaboration with Hanomag, is the likely designer of the locomotive. Builder number 10758 was reserved by Hanomag. The locomotive was completed after the take-over of Hanomag by Henschel.[1]

The locomotive was designed for operation on the line Maastricht - Vaals, which required a locomotive with at least 5 coupled axles. A normal locomotive would experience too much rolling resistance in the many curves on this line, which were typical tramway curves of small radius. A normal locomotive would cause considerable wear on the line. A Garratt type locomotive had several other advantages as well: a short and wide boiler is possible, the center of gravity is low, and moveable parts are readily accessible.[1]

In exception to the general type, this Garratt locomotive had internal cylinders, and is more in line with other tramway locomotives in The Netherlands. The coal and water storage is located on the bogies. The water tanks were located below the running boards, to ensure pressure as applied to all axles even when running empty. Additionally, this allowed for unobstructed views from the cabin. The valve gear is of the Verhoop system. The two traction bogies, which were in fact locomotives without a boiler and cabin, were in their basic design and layout identical to B locomotives LTM 21-35. Pistons, valves and rods were identical.[1]

Additional coal storage was located at the rear of the cabin in two coal storage bins. In between these storage bins a door was located that allowed access.[1]

The locomotives had four types of brakes: an automatic Knorr air pressure brake system (for use with railroad equipment), a Hardy vacuum brake (used in combination with the Knorr system when pulling LTM equipment), a direct working air pressure switching brake controlled from two control points on both sides of the cabin, a hand brake to be operated together with a steam brake in case of emergencies.[1]

A servo motor controlled the steam valves instead of a more common mechanical system. On the steam piston a glycerine buffer was available, which was used to hold the piston in place.[1]

The locomotives were sold to Dotremont in Maastricht in 1938. Technisch Bureau Groen (The Hague) bought the machine in 1940, and sold the machine to a client in Germany in 1941.[1]