PKP class TKt48

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The PKP class TKt48 was a class of freight tank (TK) 2-8-2 (t) steam locomotive of the Polish State Railways (PKP). Originally intended for use in suburban traffic, the locomotives were later mainly used for passenger and freight trains on the low mountain range in southern Poland. Six locomotives were sold to Albania. The locomotive was designed in the central Polish design office in Poznan from 1948. The basis of the construction were never implemented plans for a series 83 of the DR, which came from the Linke-Hofmann-Werke in Breslau. In the years 1950–57, over 200 locomotives were supplied by the Polish locomotive factories Cegielski and Fablok, 191 of which were delivered to PKP. The locomotives proved to be unsuitable for their original application in fast suburban traffic because of their rather low power. Thanks to the relatively high frictional mass, however, the locomotives were ideal for operation on the low mountain range. On the routes in the Giant Mountains and in the foothills of the High Tatras, the locomotives proved themselves as real universal locomotives. In addition, due to the top speed of 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph) in both directions of travel, these machines do not have to be turned - a major advantage when they are used on secondary routes. The locomotives were still in scheduled use in large numbers until the end of the 1980s. It was only when most of the branch lines in Poland were closed in 1989 that the locomotives were no longer used. Most of them were decommissioned and scrapped but many survived into preservation and were restored to operational condition.