Locomotive Laura-07 van Statisch materieel in Nederland

History:

Before WWII, KHD mainly produced narrow-gauge diese locomotives. When they resumed production of locomotives after the war, only since 1953 KHD built normal-gauge locomotives. The first generation diesellocomotives were all equuiped with connecting rods. The 'Ohler'-engine belonged to this first generation standard locos of the type KS 55 D which was built in great numbers.

The darkgreen locomotive is equiped with a 4-cylinder 50 HP aircooled 4-stroke dieselengine of the type A4L 514.

It is connected to e manual operated gearbox with 4 gears.

Maximum speed in first gear is 3,4 km/h, in second gear 5,4 km/h, in third gear 8,9 km/h and in fourth gear 14,5 km/h.

The rearaxle is connected to the gearbox: the frontaxle is driven by 2 connecting rods.

After examaniation at KHD, the locomotive was sold to Ohler Eisenwerk, where it obtained the number 1. When the ironworks purchased an extra diesellocomotive in 1979, loco number 1 was degarded to reserve-engine.

From 1 januari 1976 until 23 juli 1979 loco number 1 was out of service due to several technical problems. After that the engine of loco 2 was switched to loco 1, but from 3 augustus 1979 the engine was again put aside. Finally in 1987 the engine was sold to Laura Metaal Holding.

At Laura Metaal Holding the locomotive was not carriing a number, but kept the nameplates from the Ohler works: 'Nr. 1, Auf Bundesbahn nicht zugelassen'.

The administrative number was 61106. Shunting at Laura was decreasing and finally the engine was put aside because there was no more work. It was last used in 1999.

The locomotive was standing purposeless on a sidetrack of the yard together with a flat car (tha last remains of the railway of the former coalmine 'Julia') and finally Laura Metal wanted to get rid of them.

The head of the maintenance service oof Laura Metaal Holding wanted to preserve the locomotive and approached the Zuid-Limburgse Stoomtrein Maatschappij to take over the locomotive.

The engine is now at a site in Kerkrade.