Locomotive 244-02 van the Miljoenenlijn - Zuid Limburgse Stoomtrein Maatschappij (ZLSM)

History:

The type Neuhof-Q 700PS is a prototype that was develloped according to the specifications of the DB type V60. In 1962 the 'Esslingen' is first taken into in service at the company firma Hüttenwerke in Oberhausen, where she obtains the number206.

Nine years later, in 1971, the locomotive went to stealcompany Thyssen AG with a new number 244, and even the same year she moved to Eisenbahnd und Häfen GmbH. This transport company takes care of the railtransport between Dinslaken and Duisburg Hochfeld.

This involves the transport of ironore, coal, cokes, liquid steel and rolled iron and steel products. The EH244 had to work very hard.

Becaus the egine eventually was not strong enough anymore for the job, it was put aside.

At that moment, ZLSM was looking for a robust shunting locomotive and after an inspection of the locomotive it was bought. Om 16 juni 1994 the 'Lauffähigkeitserzeugnis' was signed and the day after that it was driven from Duisburg to Herzogenrath.

On tuesday 21 juni a NS-loco took the engine to Heerlen, and on 7 juli it was driven to Simpelveld.

At ZLSM the EH 244 was in service until the summer of 1996, after which techical difficulties necessitated en extensive engineoverhaul. On 7 october 2001 the overhaul was nearly completed and the engine could be started after a five years silence.

During the steamgala of 8 and 9 june 2002 the Esslingen was put back into service again. Finally the locomotive is painted in the ZLSM colours.