The Class E
19 – the Fast, Powerful One!
The German
State Railroad Company preferred electric motive power
more and more for express passenger service. In 1937, 2
each of the class E 19 locomotives were ordered from AEG
and Siemens/Henschel. They were intended to serve the
planned electric connection from Berlin to Munich via
Halle. The maximum speed was planned for 180 km/h / 113
mph and 60 km/h / 38 mph had to be maintained with a
fully loaded express train on the grades for the
Frankenwaldbahn line. Both firms developed the
locomotives on the basis of the proven E 18. The quill
drive was strengthened and road nos. E 19 11 and E 19 12
built by Henschel/Siemens were equipped with higher roof
superstructures to provide space for resistance brakes.
Road no. E 19 01 built by AEG was presented in 1938 and
was placed in regular service after successful test
runs. All four locomotives had the elegant red paint
scheme that identified express locomotives, and the
emblem of that time for the German State Railroad
Company was ostentatiously present on the ends of the
locomotives.
After 1945,
these powerful, fast locomotives remained in the West
and the German Federal Railroad stationed them in
Nürnberg, from where they ran as express locomotives to
Regensburg and in Inter-zone service Probstzella. The
maximum speed was reduced to 140 km/h / 88 mph, the
skirting at the ends was removed, and the paint scheme
changed on some locomotives to the German Federal
Railroad green in effect at that time and on others to
the German Federal Railroad blue. The 119 was the most
powerful electric express locomotive on the German
Federal Railroad until the class 103 was placed into
service. Two of these interesting locomotives can still
be admired today. Road no. E 19 01 in the Berlin
Technology Museum and road no. E 19 12 in the Nürnberg
Transportation Museum.
