MÁV Class 601

what is it?

The MÁV class 601 (nicknamed "The Giant" or "Big boy") was a class of Hungarian four-cylinder Mallet locomotives, which was designed to haul long and very heavy cargo on very steep railway tracks. At 22.5 m (73 ft 10 in) long and outputting 2,200 kW (3,000 hp), they were the largest and most powerful steam locomotives built in Europe before and during World War I. Based on the good operating experience with the series 651, more powerful locomotives arose at the MÁVAG in Budapest from 1914 on, which were especially provided for the line from Karlstadt (today: Karlovac, Croatia) to Fiume (today: Rijeka). By utilisation of the permitted axial load of 16.5 t (16.2 long tons; 18.2 short tons) a locomotive was developed, which alone could move freight trains uphill even on the steep line in the Croatian karst without a banking engine.

who runs it

Ferrovie dello Stato ItalianeHungarian State RailwaysOROriental Railway of the Ottoman EmpireCFCăile Ferate RomâneČeskoslovenské státní dráhy

base stats

• speed 60 km/htop speed
• power 2.2 MWpower output
• weight 99.8 tin working order
• built 63made in total

Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.

fun facts

• 🎂First built 112 years ago, in 1914.
• 🚗2.2 MW is about 26 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
• 🐘Weighs about as much as 17 African elephants (~6 t each).
• 📏14.8 m long: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.

steam locomotive: Burns coal, wood or oil to boil water; the steam drives pistons that turn the wheels.

spec sheet

built

1914–1921

in service from

1914

number built

63

kind

Steam

traction

steam

origin

🇭🇺 Hungary

builders

MÁVAG

operators

Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, Hungarian State Railways, Oriental Railway of the Ottoman Empire, Căile Ferate Române, Československé státní dráhy

top speed

60 km/h

power

2.2 MW

gauge

1,435 mm standard gauge

wheel arrangement

2-6-6-0

length

14.8 m

weight

99.8 t

From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.