Reconditioning 98 727: Work on the boiler progressing
1. February 2010
Originally, only half of the smoke chamber was to be replaced. Now we have decided to replace the entire smoke chamber (bottom left). We want
Operational reconditioning of the 98 727 “Zuckersusi”
Operational reconditioning of the 98 727 “Zuckersusi”
The eventful life of the "Zuckersusi"
The 98 727, designed as a so-called Mallet locomotive, was put into service on February 28, 1903 under the Bavarian State Railroad number 2527 and was subsequently based in Passau. Taken over by the Deutsche Reichsbahn in 1925, it was designated 98 727. After 40 years of service, it was last assigned to the Landshut depot, where it was taken out of service in 1943 and sold to Südzucker AG, Regensburg plant. There, it served in shunting operations as works locomotive No. 4 until 1971 and received a new boiler in 1958, which was manufactured by the Jung locomotive factory according to the old drawings. Its nickname also dates from this period of service: it was decorated with the advertising figure “Susi” for a sugar manufacturer’s advertising campaign. When a new diesel locomotive took over service in 1972, Südzucker donated the 98 727 to the Museumsbahn e.V.. This makes the locomotive the longest-standing vehicle in the museum’s collection.
In voluntary work, the locomotive was restored for track use and then used in front of special trains of the railway museum, among others on the Kahlgrundbahn or in 1973 on the Gaubahn Ochsenfurt – Weikersheim. During the anniversary parades in Nuremberg in 1985 on the occasion of the celebration “150 Years of German Railways”, it pulled a Bavarian local train.
After the celebrations marking the 150th anniversary of the Krauss-Maffei company in 1988, a serious rear-end collision occurred during an event on the Tegernsee railroad at Schaftlach station, as a result of which some functionally relevant parts of the locomotive were severely damaged. After a repair by the club’s own workshop, the locomotive could still be used for some time. After that, it unfortunately had to be parked for a long time.
Since the summer of 2006, the Zuckersusi has been undergoing extensive restoration, although the work has had to be interrupted time and again due to scarce personnel and financial resources. However, it is our declared goal that the “mascot” of the railroad museum will soon be able to steam again. We have documented the progress of the work so far below.
What has been achieved so far?
- Inspection and repair of the landing gear at EAW Pila, Poland
- Reconstruction of the driver's cab using riveting technology in cooperation with the International Federation Darmstadt
- New production incl. flanging of the firebox front wall
- Straightening the bottom ring of the firebox
- Reconstruction of parts of the boiler
- Refurbishment of the smoke chamber door
This progress could not have been realized without your active donations and endowments, e.g. in the form of a rivet sponsorship, in recent years. For this we thank you very much!
Since 2022, the work has also been financially supported from the public purse by the Hessian Museum Association with a five-digit sum.
What still needs to be done?
But there is still work to be done to get 98 727 back into service:
- Assembly of undercarriage, boiler, smoke chamber, driver's cab and other attachments
- Production and installation of heating pipes
- Final acceptance and approval
The work can often be carried out by the volunteers thanks to our well-equipped workshops. Nevertheless, expensive materials must be procured and companies must also be commissioned for some services.
How can you support us?
For the further refurbishment we therefore still need your financial support. Help us to ensure that this railroad rarity will soon make railroaders’ hearts beat faster again!
Donation account of the Museumsbahn e.V.:
Sparkasse Darmstadt
IBAN: DE68 5085 0150 0000 6088 58
BIC: HELADEF1DAS
Intended use: “Susi”
Your donation is tax deductible.
What do we offer you?
- For a donation of 50 € or more, you receive a free ticket (family ticket) on our regular opening days on Sundays, public holidays and Wednesdays (from May to October).
- From 100 €, you receive a free ticket (family ticket) for a driver's cab ride in the museum grounds or through Kranichstein switching yard.
- From 200 € you get a free ticket for the Bahnwelttage or the Dampflokfest, including a ride in the driver's cab.
- From 500 € we invite you to the first official ride of the 23 042. For all donors, a historic passenger coach will be exclusively added to the train
So that such experiences will soon be possible again:
Video: Youtube/Powered by Steam
Thank you for your support!
News for 98 727
Reconditioning 98 727: Visit to Pila
31. October 2009
In 2009, the railroad expert and the workshop manager visit the Pila plant to inspect the progress of work on the running gear. As can
Reconditioning 98 727: The work begins
1. January 2008
Work on 98 727 will begin in the summer of 2006 with the complete disassembly of the locomotive into its individual parts. Since the accident
