Class 95

Updated: August 2026 – Five coupled axles, a carrying axle at each end, water tanks running the full length of the boiler: the Class 95 is the German steep-gradient locomotive par excellence, and it carries its nickname Mountain Queen for good reason. This page shows you how to identify it, why steep gradients need their own vehicles, and how you can still see surviving engines today.

What is the Class 95?

The Class 95 is a tank locomotive with the wheel arrangement 1’E1’, descended from the Prussian class T 20 and procured in the early 1920s. It was designed for main-line service on genuinely steep gradients – exactly where normal freight and passenger locomotives reached their limits and banking or double-heading became necessary.

By design it combines two things that would otherwise be mutually exclusive: the high adhesive weight of a five-coupled engine and the running characteristics of a main-line vehicle. Five coupled axles supply the tractive effort, while the two movable carrying axles at the ends guide the locomotive cleanly through curves and allow a higher permitted speed than a pure E-type engine such as the Class 94 achieves.

At the Deutsche Reichsbahn of the GDR, engines of this class stayed in steep-gradient service well into the post-war decades; some of them were converted to oil firing in the process. There’s no scheduled service today – surviving engines are historic vehicles in the hands of societies and museums. The German Steam Locomotive Museum Neuenmarkt-Wirsberg sits in just the right place for this: a former motive power depot at the foot of the Schiefe Ebene, one of Germany’s best-known steep gradients. In Thuringia, the Arnstadt Motive Power Depot Society keeps together one of the region’s largest collections of steam locomotives, complete with sheds and turntable.

Why steep gradients need their own locomotives

A steep gradient isn’t simply a route with more incline. It presents two entirely different requirements – uphill and downhill – and both are critical.

These requirements led to a whole family of special solutions in Germany. Where adhesion alone was no longer enough, rack locomotives came into play – covered in the Class 97.

Wheel arrangement 1’E1’ compared

Class	Wheel arrangement	Carrying axles	Operating profile
92	D	none	heavy hump shunting
93	1’C1’	two	branch line and local freight
94	E	none	gradients, hump yards, transfer workings
95	1’E1’	two	steep-gradient main-line service
97	special type	depends on type	rack sections

The comparison makes the principle visible: coupled axles generate tractive effort, carrying axles allow main-line running. The 95 is the vehicle that maximises both – and that’s exactly why it turned out so large. How the same logic plays out one size class down is shown by the symmetrical Class 93.

Coal or oil: a visible difference

Some engines of this class were converted to oil firing during their working lives. Instead of coal, the boiler then burns heavy fuel oil. For the crew that meant a more even fire and considerably less physical work; for operations it meant faster adjustment of output.

For observers the difference is easy to spot: on coal-fired engines you see the open coal bunker behind the cab, often piled with coal. On oil-fired engines, an enclosed tank sits there instead. The exhaust also looks different – oil firing produces a different exhaust character to a freshly fired coal boiler.

If you’re logging sightings, this detail belongs in the note: firing type, number and date together make an entry that’s usable later on. How to set something like that up properly is described in the guide to the sighting logbook.

Where you can still see a 95 today

Not in the timetable – but plannable. The research runs through the same channels as for any large museum engine:

• The operating society first. Only the society knows whether a particular engine is fit for service within its inspection deadlines. Boiler certificates decide over the years which vehicle runs and which stands.
• Look for special workings nationwide. Big steep-gradient engines are also requested far from their home route. The guide to special trains and special workings shows how to find such workings systematically.
• Heritage railway event calendars – season openings, anniversaries, themed weekends.
• Community reports for transfer runs, test runs and short-notice changes of plan.

Photo tips: putting a Mountain Queen properly into the picture

This locomotive comes alive through work. On level track, much of its impact goes to waste; on a gradient, it shows what it was built for.

Seek out the gradient. A shot on the incline with a full exhaust beat says more about the vehicle than any platform photo. Wherever the route climbs, the engine works audibly and visibly.

Backlight for steam. Exhaust steam and smoke only become three-dimensional against the light. In front light, all you get is a flat, grey, shapeless plume. The technical basics – exposure, viewpoint, timing – are covered in the guide to steam train photography.

Mind the length. With five coupled axles and two carrying axles, the 95 is long. From too short a distance the lines collapse and the rear axles disappear. A little more distance and a mild telephoto focal length keep the running gear legible.

Make use of cold weather. In low temperatures, steam condenses more heavily and hangs around longer – the classic reason why winter is the most rewarding season for photographing steam specials.

Common mix-ups

Verdict

The Class 95 is the most impressive vehicle in the tank-locomotive band of the German steam locomotive numbering system. It solves a very specific task – hauling heavy trains up steep gradients and bringing them safely back down – with a very consistent design: five coupled axles for tractive effort, two carrying axles for main-line service, plus steep-gradient equipment. It no longer exists in scheduled service, but it’s one of the classes whose museum workings are worth the effort: rare but impressive opportunities that you should plan for in good time.