n-gauge Please help identify N-gauge 0-6-0 locomotive (possibly German)

[Chris_nicole]

Hi,

I found a small 0-6-0 tank locomotive in my N gauge collection.

IIRC I bought it at an open day at York MRC about ten years ago.

It looks Germanic to me, but I am more familiar with British stock.

It's black with red wheels and underframe, but has no markings or branding that I have found yet.

Diecast metal body, brass pinion gears and simplistic driving rods, no coupling rods. 

It's a good willing runner, but rather noisy with a distinctive gait.

 

I apologise for the muck and dust, It's been in storage since I bought it.

At this point I can't recall why I bought it as it's way outside my usual interests. I can only say I was charmed and intrigued by it!

 

I am not looking for sale or valuation, I would just like to know what I have got.

Also any advice on cleaning and maintenance.

 

Cheers,

 

Chris

[rekoboy]

It is a very elderly Minitrix Prussian tank loco - DR/DB Class /Baureihe 89, I think. I am not sure about dismantling but the wheels and pick-ups could be cleaned and the axles lightly lubricated. This loco was produced in large numbers - I used the chassis at one point for 009 locos.

Edited January 17, 2022 by rekoboy

[Chris_nicole]

Thank you,

That's helped me find out a bit more about it.

 

Cheers,

 

Chris

[Chris_nicole]

I have cleaned the wheels and oiled the gears.

Lil' Donkey now runs much quieter, with less swagger and better response to the controller. 

I have no plans for a German layout, but I do wonder what sort of rolling stock ought to run with it?

 

Cheers,

 

Chris

[rekoboy]

It would look best with 4 or 6 wheel compartment coaches of Prussian origin or with 4 wheel goods wagons. See Minitrix, Fleischmann or Arnold on E-Bay, for example!

[Gordonwis]

On 17/01/2022 at 15:20, rekoboy said:

It is a very elderly Minitrix Prussian tank loco - DR/DB Class /Baureihe 89, I think. 

 

Unfortunately with German steam designs it is not enough to call it a 'class 89'. As with many other German designs the class 89 is attributed to various small 0-6-0 steam designs, and 89 needs to be qualified with a sub number series. It is safer to call this a model of a Prussian T3. They became DRG/DB/DR class 89.70-75

[Nearholmer]

That was the 009-fodder of choice in the 1970s/early-1980s, and the chassis is actually very good indeed once run-in, but not yet worn-out. They were considered fairly 'top notch' as N gauge models at the time. My best one went into a Varikit, worked-up to become a fairly decent representation of a Couillet loco that I saw on the CFBS.

[Nick Holliday]

10 hours ago, Gordonwis said:

 

Unfortunately with German steam designs it is not enough to call it a 'class 89'. As with many other German designs the class 89 is attributed to various small 0-6-0 steam designs, and 89 needs to be qualified with a sub number series. It is safer to call this a model of a Prussian T3. They became DRG/DB/DR class 89.70-75

As @Gordonwis suggests, there were around 26 classes under the 89 banner, although some were minor variants.  The only other 0-6-0T outside this range was the BR 80 - the Einheitslok shunter equivalent. There was another class the model might be considered representational of, the BR 89.80, just two Borsig built clones for the Mecklenburgische Staatsbahn, small beer compared with the over 200 Prussian T3's.