LDE – Comet

The German locomotives Comet, Faust, Blitz and Windsbraut were four of the first locomotives on the Leipzig–Dresden Railway Company (LDE). They were four-coupled engines, that Rothwell and Company had built in Manchester between 1835 and 1838.

Comet, Faust / Blitz, Windsbraut
The locomotive Blitz at Althen ready to depart
Type and origin Builder Rothwell Build date 1835–1838 Total produced 4
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-4-0 (0-4-2 after rebuild) Driver dia. 1,372/1,524 mm Adhesive weight ? / 8.0 t Service weight ? / 8.0 t Boiler pressure 4 bar Heating surface:  • Firebox ? / 0.79 m2  • Evaporative ? / 28.5 m2 Cylinder size 279 mm Piston stroke 406 mm Loco brake none (hand brake on the tender)
Career Retired 1849

Comet was the first locomotive to be delivered to Saxony. She arrived at Leipzig in November 1836, packed in 15 crates. After her reassembly testing began on 28 March 1837 and she was then deployed on railway construction duties. She was followed by Blitz, Windsbraut and Faust, the last named being similar in dimensions to Comet. The other two were somewhat larger (their technical data, where different, are given in the table after a "/")

Explosion of Windsbraut on 21 May 1846 in Leipzig

All the engines had a cylindrical firebox and boiler barrel, an oak locomotive frame reinforced with sheet iron and inside cylinders and valve gear. In 1842, following a serious accident in France the operation of twin-axled locomotives was banned and the engines were given 0-4-2 wheel arrangement through the addition of a trailing axle. Such early machines often had to be repaired at frequent intervals and these engines were no exception. Windsbraut blew up on 21 May 1846 in charge of a train that was ready to depart from the Dresdner station in Leipzig. The other locomotives were retired no later than 1849.